Shock and disappointment was voiced at Monday’s meeting of Monaghan Co Council that a €63.5 million funding package for greenway projects announced by two Government Ministers did not include any provision for the extension of the Ulster Canal Greenway development. Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD jointly announced funding for a range of greenway projects across the country on Monday, with projects in Cork, Galway, Kildare, Kerry, Mayo, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow, Limerick and Longford all receiving money.
It was stated in the management report before Monday’s Co Council meeting that the Preferred Route Corridor for phase two of the Ulster Canal Greenway development, from Smithboro to Middletown, had now been selected. The report added: “The draft Part VIII planning documentation for the Monaghan Town to the Border section is currently being reviewed by key stakeholders, and it is expected that the formal Part VIII application will be submitted in the next few weeks.”
Fine Gael councillor David Maxwell expressed disappointment at the meeting that the €63.5 million in funding for greenways announced that day did not include support for the Ulster Canal Greenway extension, despite a motion calling for funding being passed….
