Opposition to proposed greenway bridge

PLANS by Mayo County Council to extend the new Castlebar to Turlough Greenway project with the erection of a pedestrian rope bridge have run into trouble.

Over 20 residents of Leicnin Village in Turlough, through a section of which it is planned to build the bridge, have lodged a petition with the authority opposing the tourism proposal.

In their submission, the residents stated the plan to extend the walking and cycling route into their estate ‘will result in this residential development becoming an active section of the greenway and will expose this safe, established estate to becoming a public thoroughfare, leaving the affected residents - especially those living in the cul-de-sac (adjacent to which the bridge is proposed) - completely exposed to any potential significant impacts’.

The residents stated the proposal, while involving good intentions by the council, would undermine the purpose for locating their families in a rural residential estate and have significant potential to diminish the lives of those living in close proximity to the proposed entry point of the greenway, and in particular the children who play within the affected cul-de-sac.