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Inland Waterways Development

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 November 2018

Thursday, 15 November 2018

Questions (233)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

233. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding an infrastructural development (details supplied) in County Kildare. [47547/18]

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Written answers

Waterways Ireland commenced the development of Blueways as a means to attract new visitors to use the waterways recognising changes in recreational activity with the growth in demand for activities such as walking, canoeing, cycling and stand-up paddle boarding.

The project in question will upgrade some 115km of existing navigation towpath which is also a National Way-marked Way. These upgrades will provide a multi-use shared leisure route connecting in County Kildare passing through a number of towns.

This proposal will improve access to the Way-marked Way for a wider range of users including walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and families and will enhance safety and accessibility in all weather conditions.

The current position regarding the project is that Waterways Ireland has submitted a planning application to, inter alia, Kildare County Council for the towpath to enable it to become a Blueway. The applications were refused planning permissions in February 2018 for the ‘river’ elements of the navigation. Waterways Ireland has subsequently appealed those decisions to An Bord Pleanála and awaits their outcome.

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