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Plans to extend the Carlingford Lough Greenway from Victoria Lock to the border by travelling along the old railway track/county road through Fathom Forest will not now happen.
The project has suffered a setback following Department for Infrastructure announcing formally that they will not agree to a speed reduction that would allow for two Uncontrolled Crossing Points on the Fathom Line at Victoria Lock and the border. These would have been necessary to allow the greenway to cross the road before travelling through the Fathom Forest and then crossing the road once again to continue towards Omeath on the lough side. The details are included for noting in the Agenda for the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council's Enterprise Regeneration and Tourism meeting this coming Monday 16 January.
Instead a new preferred route has been submitted to funder SEUPB for consideration. The council's delivery team are also amending the current live planning application to omit the two uncontrolled road-crossing points and the Fathom forest route.
The ERT Agenda explains "The amended route change requires alteration to the scheme design and the preparation of a new planning application pack, this application will be submitted in early 2023".
Council have submitted to DFI Active Travel Branch under the Blue/ Greenways fund to cover any potential additional construction inflation costs.
The Final Phase of Greenway development is being taken forward in 3 parts, Carlingford Marina to Carlingford Town (1.3 km); Omeath to the Border (3.6 km) and Victoria Lock to the Border. Once this final phase is complete approximately 20 km of Greenway will have been created from Newry to Carlingford.
It is hoped that the Carlingford Town and Omeath to the Border sections will commence in early 2023 and be completed by December 2023 following a compulsary purchase order land acquisition/transfer process.
