€200,000 awarded to Fingal County Council under Carbon Tax Fund towards Fingal Coastal Way route selection

Awarded under the Carbon Tax Fund 2020 by the Department of Climate Change, Communications Networks and Transport, the funding will used to progress the route selection for the greenway infrastructure.

The allocation was part of a total allocation of €4.5m towards the feasibility, planning and design of 26 greenways around the country.

Fingal Coastal Way will provide a high quality, safe and environmentally sympathetic coastal walking and cycle route that will connect Newbridge Demesne, Donabate, Rush, Loughshinny, Skerries and Balbriggan.

Following a series of public consultations in late 2019 on the opportunities and constraints for the Fingal Coastal Way, the development of the route options is underway.

It is intended to hold a non-statutory public consultation in 2020, which will set out a small number of routes (c.3-5 route options) over the entire route corridor, with associated descriptions of each option. This will inform the preparation of a planning application and environmental assessment through 2021 and submission of the application in early 2022.

The flagship project will ultimately connect to the €12m Broadmeadow Way, a 6km off-road cycling and walking route linking Malahide and Donabate across the scenic Broadmeadow Estuary, which was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in May.

A third project underway is the Malahide to Sutton Greenway, part of which, the €2.5m Baldoyle to Portmarnock section, was officially opened in June. Design and planning work on the next phase of the project, linking the greenway to Sutton and Malahide, through Portmarnock village, is underway and public consultation is expected to take place later in 2020.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr David Healy said: “I very much welcome the allocation under the Carbon Tax Fund towards this flagship Fingal project, which will provide a high quality amenity for local, national and international visitors along our coastline.

“This project will have massive quality of life benefits for our residents as it will increase the numbers of people who will chose to cycle and walk thereby reducing private car use and lowering carbon emissions and reducing congestion. It will also improve safety for cyclists through the provision of off-road, segregated cycle facilities as well as improving air quality levels.”

Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Fingal County Council is  delivering an ambitious  programme of greenway infrastructure at present. The Fingal Coastal Way will be a great amenity, this and all of the greenways will bring significant benefits in terms of sustainable transport, economic development, health and wellbeing.  We will also commence construction of the Broadmeadow Greenway, the link between Malahide Castle and Newbridge House, Donabate, next year.”

Director of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure Matthew McAleese said: “The Fingal Development Plan 2017-2023 aims to promote and facilitate movement to, from and within Fingal, by integrating land use with a high quality, sustainable transport system that prioritises walking, cycling and public transport. The Fingal Coastal Way, which will provide a high quality amenity for local, national and international visitors, is an integral part of that objective.”

Senior Engineer Paul Carroll said: “We are developing a network of high quality greenways as part of our wider sustainable transport infrastructure programme. In a regional context, the Fingal Coastal Way will form part of the East Coast Trail, providing safe, direct and convenient route for walkers and cyclists between Dublin City, Fingal and Meath, and ultimately connecting Louth with Wicklow and Wexford.”