Greenway concerns in Carrigaline

Concerned residents in a Carrigaline community are pleading with Cork County Council to change the route of a planned greenway.

The greenway, which will connect Passage to Crosshaven and will eventually become part of a route connecting with Ballincollig, is planned to pass through Janesville, Heron’s Wood, Heatherfield Lawn and Bridgemount.

Speaking to the Cork Independent, a spokesperson for the community, Micheál O’Connor, said the planned route cuts through private residential areas and poses a risk of injury to young children.

Mr O’Connor said: “The greenway and cycleway will not be segregated from the open area that already exists in Heron's Wood. People with young kids who currently can walk out their front door and play in the green in front of their house will now have to cut across a cycleway and walkway at the risk of injury to those children.”

He also said the greenway, which will utilise a section of an abandoned railway line, could potentially create a “rat-run of criminal behaviour” which he said has been an issue there before.

He said: “We already had anti-social behaviour along a portion of that route for about 5 years up until 2007. We wrote to the council about it and the portion of the route was eventually closed off. Opening it up will reverse those measure and invite anti-social behaviour back into the area.

“There are residents who bought houses believing they were buying houses in a cul de sac in a private area. That's now not going to be the case, it's going to be very much open to the public.”

Mr O’Connor said there have been past incidents of rubbish being thrown into people’s gardens, as well as a tree being set on fire.

So far, 322 letters of objection have been collected from residents in the affected areas. Mr O’Connor stressed that the community is not against the idea of a greenway in the area but is simply asking the council to change the plans to follow a more public route.

“There is some criticism being levelled at the likes of ourselves for being against it. We're not against the principal of a cycleway and a walkway at all. All we're saying is please don't route it through a residential area,” he said.

A meeting will be held at 7.30pm this evening, Thursday, at Carrigaline Court Hotel for community members and local politicians to discuss the issue.

The Cork Independent contacted Cork County Council for a response to the concerns of the residents, however, none was received by the time of going to print.