Progress on the Middletown to Smithboro section of the Ulster Canal Greenway has been sharply criticised after Monaghan County Council moved ahead with its part of the cross-border project while ABC Council’s section was returned to stage zero in the council’s capital plan.
The concerns were raised at October’s monthly meeting of ABC Council by SDLP representative Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon, who called for a full review of what had happened and demanded renewed action on the long-delayed scheme.
Monaghan appoints contractor
The planned greenway section has been under consideration for many years. The project involves two councils delivering the parts within their respective jurisdictions before connecting at the border as part of the wider Ulster Canal Greenway.
According to Councillor O’Hanlon, the greenway has already been “an outstanding success”. He said the Middletown to Smithboro section had previously been described by ABC Council as “a signature cross-border project, and a section that was pivotable to the success of the wider Ulster Canal Greenway network”.
He told the meeting that Monaghan County Council had appointed a contractor for its section the previous week. He said this was “not out of spite, but because of our failures”, contrasting that progress with the position on the ABC Council side of the border.
“Meanwhile, on this side of the border, the council stands scratching itself as we move the project back to stage zero in our capital plan.”
Councillor O’Hanlon said the area had been left behind and that local people had been badly let down. He also said he was “deeply disappointed and indeed angry” about the lack of progress.
Land and acquisition issues raised
The councillor acknowledged that the scheme faced challenges, including landowner issues and the complexities of land acquisition. Those matters had been highlighted in the last paper brought to council members.
However, he questioned how a project that had involved years of work and extensive negotiations with landowners had reached a point where, in his words, “the wheels completely coming off”.
He said information provided to him by officers appeared to conflict with official reports previously presented to the council. He had been advised that several factors were preventing the project from moving forward and that approaches had been made to landowners.
“This completely contradicts what we were told on the official reports to council.”
During the meeting, Lord Mayor Mary O’Dowd directed Councillor O’Hanlon to continue his remarks in confidential business because of the nature of the issues he was raising. Following a brief interlude, he returned to the matter and continued his call for answers.
Request for review and funding discussions
Councillor O’Hanlon asked for a full review to establish how the project reached its current position, what decisions had been taken, who decided to mothball it and what alternatives were being explored.
He also requested a detailed plan for the way forward. The request included renewed engagement with the Department for Infrastructure and Monaghan County Council, as well as exploration of funding opportunities through the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.
He asked that a report setting out the next steps be brought back to council in due course. The source material does not state whether the full review was approved, nor does it provide a timetable for any future report or construction on the ABC Council side.