Last week I sent an update asking everyone to fire in one quick email regarding the new regional planning guidelines (now calle Regional Spatial Economic Strategies) This is a follow up to that notice. Please take a minute to read and a minute to fire off one email. Thanks
Thank you for signing the petition for a greenway on the closed railway from Athenry to Sligo. As part of this campaign we have had to make many submissions to county councils, government departments etc.
We now have a very important task and I am asking you all to help. It only involves sending one email and will take you less than two minutes of your time. We need to make submissions to a body called the North West Regional Assembly. This body is made of 25 councillors from the North Western Counties stretching from Galway to Donegal. They are currently considering proposals for new Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies which every county plan has to adhere too. The first draft proposals still back the old idea of re-opening the closed railway. It is something that is not going to happen. But we have to make our voices heard about a greenway on this route. You can find out more at https://www.nwra.ie/rses/ if you want to write your own submission
You can take direct action in support of our campaign by sending the email below to the following address:
rses@nwra.ie
Copy paste the mail below and send it off today! Or if you want to do some more research (although I have done it for you!) and send in your own wording then please do so but please take action thank. Brendan
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Send this email to rses@nwra.ie
Regional Spatial Economic Strategies Draft proposals – submission and observation:
Objectives 115 (a) and 115 (b) on page 233 of the draft RSES pre-empt the outcome of the Western Rail Corridor Review. There can be no objective to re-open the Western Rail Corridor until such time as the rail review is complete. Objectives 115 (a) and (b) contradict the National Development Plan Ireland 2040 which makes no commitment to rebuild the railway and only commits to a review of the line. It is outside the remit of the NWRA to put objectives within the RSES which are not deliverable and are outside the scope of the National Development Plan and which clearly presume the outcome of the rail review.
Objectives 115 (a) and (b) contradicts other references to the Western Rail Corridor contained within the draft RSES report which only say the railway can be re-opened if deemed feasible and if the review propose its reopening.
1. On page 127 in reference to the Sligo County Council project for a greenway on the closed railway the statement is made: “The closed railway line from Collooney to Bellaghy (Sligo/Mayo county boundary) insofar as such route does not compromise the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor, if reopening the railway line is deemed feasible”
2. On page 138 the text in relation to the Western Rail Corridor clearly states “the rail connectivity to Dublin and to the south should the Western Rail Corridor review propose it’s reopening.”
Obectives 115 (a) and 115 (b) are entirely dependent on the outcome of the Western Rail Corridor Review therefore no clear objective can be set to re-open the railway until such time as the rail review is completed. Objective 115 needs to be removed from the draft RSES as it makes the assumption the rail review will recommend re-opening the railway within the timeframe of the RSES (Ten Years), the outcome of the Rail Review is not yet known.
Objective 115 (a) and (b) also contradict action currently been undertaken by Sligo, Mayo and Galway county councils which have all identified the closed railway route for potential leisure/tourism based infrastructure projects until such time as the railway might re-open. Three projects are currently in planning and development. Sligo county council supports a greenway from Collooney to Bellaghy, an application for this project has been submitted to the DTTAS as part of the National Greenway Strategy. Mayo County Council is supporting a project to use 12km of the closed railway as a leisure/tourist attraction as a “velo rail” route, and Galway county council has a submission with the DTTAS for a feasibility study for a greenway on the route until such time as a railway is possible as part of the National Greenway Strategy. These three separate projects point to one conclusion; until such time as a railway is possible the RSES must support the aims and objectives of the three county councils to utilise the route for leisure purposes, protecting the route until such time as a railway is possible.
Objective 115 (a) and 115 (b) should reflect this reality and read as thus: Revised Objective 115: The reopening of the Western Rail Corridor is entirely dependent on the outcome of the current rail review of the closed railway line from Athenry to Claremorris. It is critical the railway route needs to be protected in public ownership. In the event the railway indicates the railway will not re-open within the timeframe of the RSES, by 2030, then other projects such as a greenway on the closed railway route, which will fulfil the strategic objectives of the National Greenway Strategy should be an objective, in order to protect the route in public ownership until such time as a railway is possible.
Your name and county you live in
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End of email
Many many thanks!