We Oppose the Construction of the Skibbereen to Baltimore Greenway
The Issue
Imagine waking up to find that your home, your farm, or your garden is being threatened with a new tarmacked road running through it. Compulsory Purchase Orders have become a reality for many of us here in the Skibbereen and Baltimore region, as plans for a new Greenway loom over our community. We are staring down the loss of not just our properties, but our very livelihoods, as the proposed path cuts through lands that have been in families for generations, making many of our farms unviable and unsafe.
This pending construction doesn't only affect us, the people. It poses a significant threat to our local wildlife, with vital corridors and habitats set to become a casualty in the name of development.
Is this "Greenway" truly necessary for our community? We believe the answer is no, and that there are many other better and more local solutions to our access, leisure, and transport needs. The Greenway is an enormous infrastructure project – 13km of new tarmacked road, 5m wide (3m tarmac + 1m concrete either side). Constructing it requires huge environmental destruction, including the removal of miles of hedgerows, low-lying meadow, and disturbance of waterways. Much of the land borders vulnerable and protected coastal areas and provides critical wildlife corridors. Of the 124 species that have been recorded on the proposed route, over half of these are of conservation concern – and all will be impacted.
The costs—both tangible and intangible—far outweigh any perceived benefits. While the idea of a scenic route may seem appealing on paper, its real-world implications are devastating. We urge the authorities to reconsider the plans and engage with the community in transparent consultations. There are ways to provide safe cycle routes without forfeiting our homes, our lands, and our wildlife - all I needs is the will of the Council.
We call for an immediate halt to the Skibbereen to Baltimore Greenway project. Let us explore alternatives that do not involve forcibly taking what is ours or destroying our ecosystem.
Please sign this petition to stand with us in preserving our homes, our land, our community, and our natural world from irreversible harm.
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The Issue
Imagine waking up to find that your home, your farm, or your garden is being threatened with a new tarmacked road running through it. Compulsory Purchase Orders have become a reality for many of us here in the Skibbereen and Baltimore region, as plans for a new Greenway loom over our community. We are staring down the loss of not just our properties, but our very livelihoods, as the proposed path cuts through lands that have been in families for generations, making many of our farms unviable and unsafe.
This pending construction doesn't only affect us, the people. It poses a significant threat to our local wildlife, with vital corridors and habitats set to become a casualty in the name of development.
Is this "Greenway" truly necessary for our community? We believe the answer is no, and that there are many other better and more local solutions to our access, leisure, and transport needs. The Greenway is an enormous infrastructure project – 13km of new tarmacked road, 5m wide (3m tarmac + 1m concrete either side). Constructing it requires huge environmental destruction, including the removal of miles of hedgerows, low-lying meadow, and disturbance of waterways. Much of the land borders vulnerable and protected coastal areas and provides critical wildlife corridors. Of the 124 species that have been recorded on the proposed route, over half of these are of conservation concern – and all will be impacted.
The costs—both tangible and intangible—far outweigh any perceived benefits. While the idea of a scenic route may seem appealing on paper, its real-world implications are devastating. We urge the authorities to reconsider the plans and engage with the community in transparent consultations. There are ways to provide safe cycle routes without forfeiting our homes, our lands, and our wildlife - all I needs is the will of the Council.
We call for an immediate halt to the Skibbereen to Baltimore Greenway project. Let us explore alternatives that do not involve forcibly taking what is ours or destroying our ecosystem.
Please sign this petition to stand with us in preserving our homes, our land, our community, and our natural world from irreversible harm.
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Petition created on 1 October 2026