Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 14 Jun 2018

Vol. 258 No. 10

Commencement Matters

Greenways Development

Senator Maria Byrne

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ross. I am delighted that he has come here for this matter which calls for the inclusion of the Shannon greenway in the greenway strategy is part of the Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework. I cannot claim any credit for this proposal. I would like to welcome Mr. Eoin O'Hagan from Scariff in County Clare who is in the Public Gallery and who is the brainchild behind this proposal. He pitched this proposal to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and several other Ministers in March. The proposed greenway would run from the Shannon Pot in County Cavan to the last light at Loop Head in County Clare and Kerry Head in County Kerry. It would be the longest greenway, coming through the centre of Ireland. For thousands of years, the river has been at the heart of Ireland and this was acknowledged by Mr. W. T. Cosgrave who was in the first Government when Ardnacrusha was in development and Ireland's first hydro-electric generating station was constructed, bringing the fledgling State into the industrial age.

Greenways attract families, tourists and groups, including cycling groups. I have been on the Déise greenway and the Achill greenway and they have been a great success in terms of attracting tourists and helping in the community with job creation. I was on the Déise greenway on the bank holiday weekend and I saw the number of shops, coffee shops, restaurants and shops supplying the bicycles that have opened up. This also ties into our Healthy Ireland programme in terms of encouraging people to exercise and get fit. A Shannon greenway would encourage a slower tourism and its length would encourage people to explore the heart of Ireland. These are the thoughts behind this proposed greenway. The walker or cyclist will spend time along the route and stay in different places which would lead to hotels, bed and breakfasts or hostels popping up along the route. Such greenways have been a great success all around Europe.

Fáilte Ireland has just launched Ireland's Hidden Heartland's brand and the proposed Shannon greenway could become a major key tourist attraction and could become a must-visit green destination that would anchor the Hidden Heartland's brand. We have been very successful with the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East and I believe that this initiative would be like a breath of fresh air in terms of the way in which many of these routes attract millions of tourists and visitors.

I mentioned physical health but these routes are also good for our mental health and well-being. It would be a win-win for Ireland and for the different counties along this route.

There are also many regional airports along the route, including Knock Airport, Kerry Airport and Shannon Airports, all of which come within the remit of the Minister's Department. There is a proposed link from the University of Limerick to the Clare side and this is being developed. The greenway comes along by Killaloe and with the northern distributor road, there could be a link alongside that. There is huge scope to expand this greenway and for it to be the beating heart of Ireland. It is 360 km in length and is worthy of consideration. It will not be built overnight, but there is a very strong tourism possibility for it. It ticks all of the boxes in terms of job creation, tourism and stability in terms of the towns and villages along the route. It would help to put the beating heart back into that part of Ireland where some of the towns and villages may feel a little left behind. It also ticks the box in respect of the Government's strategy of creating jobs outside of the greater Dublin area.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Shane Ross)

I thank Senator Byrne for making such a strong case for the inclusion of the Shannon greenway in the greenway strategy. I am pleased to tell the Senator that in the coming month, I will launch the greenway strategy which will provide a framework for the development of Ireland’s greenways and will determine the type of project to be funded by my Department over the coming decade. This is a long-term strategy with the aim of increasing the number, length and regional spread of greenways across the country. It will set out guidance to project promoters on matters, including strategic nature, length, design standards, accommodation works and early consultation with communities and landowners along proposed routes. Following the publication of the strategy there will be a call for applications later in 2018 with a view to awarding funding to a number of projects for drawdown between 2019 and 2021. In this regard, I was pleased to secure additional funding for greenways last year, bringing the total available for the period 2018 to 2021 to €55.9 million.

Given the increased interest in greenways in recent years, I expect that there will be a strong response to this funding call. I would urge potential applicants for funding to progress their planning and design of greenways as far as possible in advance of any application for funding and to resolve any land ownership issues. I expect to have difficult decisions to make later this year regarding which of the many excellent greenways proposals - the Shannon proposal among them - to fund. No specific routes are being included in the strategy and the routes to be funded will be determined by the proposals that are submitted as part of the call for applications. Projects that are likely to be successful in achieving funding are those that are scenic, provide access to things to see and do, that meet the Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, standard on greenway construction, are strategic in nature, have planning permission in place, or in place within a very short period, and that have clarity on any land access issues. They should also have facilities such as accommodation and for food and drink every 15 km to 20 km along the route. The strategy will also prioritise greenways that are of scale, at least 20 km, and have the potential to be part of a wider walking and cycling infrastructure.

With regard to the Senator’s specific query on the Shannon greenway, I am aware that there is a proposal and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin, has met with some of the promoters. I look forward to seeing the proposal as part of the funding call that will follow the strategy. On the surface, it appears it could fit well with the new brand experience of Ireland's Hidden Heartland's as well as existing greenway infrastructure in Westmeath and Roscommon but could also, depending on its route, fit in with part of the Wild Atlantic Way. If the proposal requires further development and will not meet the funding call this year, it is important to remember that the greenways strategy is a long-term one and will likely have a number of funding calls associated with it.

Depending on the route proposed, I would add that it would be vital that the relevant local authorities, Waterways Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the OPW would be involved in developing any proposal, include it in the relevant county development plans and then carry out a feasibility study and subsequently, if the proposal justifies it, engage in further planning and design. This development work should commence as soon as possible.

I wish the proponents well in their endeavours in what is undoubtedly a very good proposal.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

Does the Senator have a brief supplementary question?

Senator Maria Byrne

I thank the Minister for his positive response and his welcome for this proposal. Even though Mr. O'Hagan is the chairman of the Clare tourism board, this proposal is of such a scale that it encompasses many counties and local authorities. Perhaps the Department could become involved and consider this proposal as a pilot scheme. The route would travel right down the centre of the country, starting in Cavan, travelling through Clare and ending up in Kerry. There is huge potential with the development of this route. We would be grateful for any support from the Department in terms of helping the application along, although I understand the application has to be submitted.

Deputy Shane Ross

I congratulate the Senator on trying to force me to pre-empt the selection process. I am afraid I am unable to do that but I understand the case she has made and it will not do her cause any harm, or the proposal any damage.

Road Network

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

I welcome our former colleague, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, who is in the Gallery with a school group. They are very welcome.

Senator Robbie Gallagher

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ross, and thank him for being in attendance. I join the Chair in giving a céad míle fáilte to my former colleague, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, agus an grúpa ó Chontae na Gaillimhe atá i láthair. Tá mé cinnte go mbeidh lá iontach acu go léir inniu.

I thank the Minister for coming here to discuss the condition of local and regional roads in counties Cavan and Monaghan and indeed throughout the entire country. This is the third time we have discussed the road network in County Monaghan in the last two years. He was good enough to facilitate a delegation from Monaghan County Council on this issue approximately 18 months ago. I am not overstating the matter when I say that this has become a crisis. I do not use that word lightly. According to a national survey that was carried out recently, the local and regional road network in County Monaghan is the worst in the entire country. It has become so bad that we are now in a crisis situation.

Counties Monaghan and Cavan are unique by virtue of the large proportion of the population who are living in rural areas. Unfortunately, County Monaghan has not seen the presence of multinationals. It has generally been left to the good people of the county to create employment through indigenous enterprises in areas like agriculture, agrifood and engineering. Many of those enterprises are located on small bóithríns the length and breadth of the county. They are totally dependent on the road network to get their goods and supplies to and from the marketplace. The road network is of critical importance because we do not enjoy the luxury of having a rail network connecting us to the major ports and cities of this country.

Some roads in the Cavan-Monaghan area are totally impassable as a result of recent storms. I know of three roads in County Cavan that are closed off completely to vehicular traffic. The Minister comes from the city of Dublin, where the good people enjoy a good road network. As he has accepted previously, it can be difficult for those who come from cities to get a picture of how bad rural roads are. The roads are so bad at the moment that many of them are impassable. It is very unfair to ask taxpayers and citizens of this country to travel on such roads on a daily basis as they bring their children to school or go to work.

It is time for action. While I do not mean to pre-empt the Minister's response, I have no doubt that he will say the Government has increased the allocation for local and regional roads. While I accept that this is the case, the amount of money that is available is unfortunately not nearly enough to address the serious situation we are facing. I invite the Minister to visit counties Monaghan and Cavan to see for himself exactly what we are talking about. We would be glad to welcome him for a few hours some day. I want him to see that when I talk about the crisis in local roads in County Monaghan, it is not a figment of my imagination. This is real life. It has reached a critical stage. I look forward to the Minister's response. I look forward to his visit to County Monaghan to see for himself exactly what we are talking about.

Deputy Shane Ross

I thank Senator Gallagher for bringing this matter before the House. I welcome the opportunity to speak on it again. The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on such roads are matters for the relevant local authorities to fund from their own resources, supplemented by State road grants. As State grants are intended to supplement local authority funding, my Department continues to emphasise to local authorities the importance of prioritising road maintenance when allocating their own resources.

I fully appreciate the importance of the road network in supporting the economic and social fabric of rural areas. The size of the Irish road network, which is twice the European average per capita, presents real funding pressures for the Exchequer and for local authorities. In the years since the financial crisis, the challenge has been how to address real concerns about the condition of the road network while operating within severe fiscal constraints and dealing with the many competing demands for limited resources. I know the Deputy will argue that the financial crisis is well in the past, but the reality is that we are still recovering from the impact on the maintenance and improvement of the road network of the severe post-2008 funding cutbacks associated with the recession.

In order to avoid deterioration in the condition of the regional and local road network, each year 5% of the network needs to be strengthened and 5% needs to be sealed through surface dressing works. Expenditure is still falling well short of that. Against the backdrop of funding constraints, my Department has focused on maintaining the network in as serviceable a condition as possible. This has meant concentrating resources on the maintenance and renewal of the public road network rather than on new projects. The main grant programmes operated by the Department - the restoration maintenance, restoration improvement and discretionary grants - are allocated based on the length of the road network in each local authority area. I see this as the most equitable approach.

As Minister, I have to work within the budget available to my Department. Under the national development plan, a gradual build-up in capital funding is planned towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works. The plan recognises it will take time to restore funding to the level required to maintain and renew the network adequately. It is important to note that overall grant allocations this year included significant increases and marked an important step in the right direction. It seems to me that very few Senators and Deputies are giving the Department credit for the large increases that have been provided for this year. Local authorities have been told that the final allocations for this year have been made and that they will have to look to their own resources thereafter.

I know the situation in County Monaghan is critical, just as it is in many places in this country. The Senator is absolutely right when he says that this is a real problem. The increase in resources that has already been provided for this year does not seem to have been properly appreciated or acknowledged. For example, the grant allocations included an 18% increase for the key road strengthening programme. I have taken important initiatives in the area of community involvement schemes and drainage. Following the publication of the national planning framework and the national development plan, my Department is working on a planning, land use and transport outlook study, known as PLUTO 2040, which will revisit and build on the 2015 strategic framework for land transport. This work will develop an updated strategic framework for transport planning and investment, including for roads.

I am sensitive to the case which has been made by the Senator and other Senators who are from Border areas. I am aware of the real problems in areas other than roads that are being faced in counties Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal because of Brexit. We are conscious that when Brexit arrives, these areas will have huge demands and critical needs. The Senator must be aware that we have to work within the financial constraints we unfortunately inherited. We will do whatever we can within those constraints to improve the roads to which he has referred.

Senator Robbie Gallagher

I thank the Minister for his response. The people of County Monaghan, like the people of other counties throughout Ireland, are more than grateful for any funding they get from any Department. I appreciate that the Minister has to make a case to the Cabinet on the local road network. I understand that there is only so much he can do in this regard. We are in a crisis situation in County Monaghan and indeed throughout rural Ireland. Our economy will suffer further unless something is done about this. As the Minister has said, we are looking down the barrel of Brexit. No one knows what effect it will have on us. We can be sure it will be negative.

I would like the Minister to bring a message back to the Government. Something needs to be done to address the crisis situation we are in. Although the funding mentioned by the Minister is welcome, it is totally inadequate by comparison with what is needed.

In order for us to address this issue I again plead with the Minister to visit County Monaghan to see the condition of the road network. I would welcome his response to that invitation.

Deputy Shane Ross

I understand the crying need to which the Senator refers. We have tried to meet part of that need and similar demands from other parts of the country. The allocation to County Monaghan for regional and local roads increased from €7.684 million in 2017 to €9.097 million this year, which is a fair increase. I will not give the Senator the detailed figures as I am sure he is familiar with them. They included grants for restoration improvement, restoration maintenance, discretionary grants, bridge rehabilitation, specific grants for strategic regional and local roads, safety improvement works, speed limits, training grants and drainage works, which make up a total allocation of €9 million. Monaghan County Council also received a community involvement scheme, CIS, allocation of €186,000 and ring-fenced funding is being made available for that.

People in Monaghan should not feel forgotten but they are entitled to feel that the funding we have provided is inadequate. We accept that funding is not sufficient to meet the demands of all the local authorities. However, we have increased the allocations for roads and we hope to be able to increase them again. As I indicated, 5% of the network needs to be strengthened and a further 5% sealed every year. Calling on this level of expenditure every year will be very demanding and we do not expect to reach a steady state for another couple of years.

I will be delighted to come to Monaghan and will do so. I do not want to give the Senator a date now because people tend to keep me to dates and then I tend not to keep to them myself. I visited the county last year and I will do so again in the foreseeable future because I understand that there is nothing like seeing this for oneself to know how critical the difficulties are.