It is South Kerry Development Partnerships view that the proposed South Kerry Greenway Project is a key and crucial piece of infrastructure for the South Kerry Region as a whole that will help to deliver strong economic benefits in the future. SKDP warmly welcomed the allocation of Government funding to enable its development.
Extensive consultation has taken place between representatives of Kerry County Council and the landowners along the route which has been facilitated and supported by SKDP. Prior to the announcement of the government funding to enable the project go ahead, SKDP undertook extensive one to one and group consultation with landowners along the proposed route as part of the completion of an RDP (LEADER) funded feasibility study. SKDP acknowledges and appreciate that the vast majority of landowners along the proposed route are supportive of the project. Unfortunately it has not proven possible to secure agreement from all landowners with a small minority opposing the project.
SKDP wished to see agreement from all landowners along the proposed route secured through a process of negotiation. If at this juncture, further negotiation and the withdrawal of the threat of a CPO would secure the agreement of all landowners along the route and this could be achieved in a timely manner having regard to the project timeframe, SKDP would support such a move.
However, it is SKDP’s view that given the strategic importance of this project for the region, everything that needs to be done to ensure this project can be completed by the end of 2016, which is the deadline by which the allocated funding for the project needs to be drawn down, should be done. SKDP also points out that while a CPO process would cover all landowners along the proposed route, the agreements which have been reached by Kerry County Council with the vast majority of landowners along the proposed route would be unaffected by the CPO process.
