A1 Cork County Council through the Cork National Roads Office are in the early stages of planning for a Greenway project entitled, ‘The Cork to Kinsale Greenway’ from Cork to Kinsale. The objective of this project which is funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, aims to provide a high-quality Greenway from Cork to Kinsale Co. Cork. Arup has been appointed by Cork County Council to provide multi- disciplinary engineering and other specialist consultancy services to progress the project through Phases 1-4 of the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) Project Management Guidelines.

A2  TII defines a Greenway as “…a cycleway that caters for people walking, wheeling and cycling in a mainly recreational environment.” Where a cycleway is “…an offline public road reserved for the exclusive use of people cycling or people walking, wheeling, and cycling. All mechanically propelled vehicles, other than mechanically propelled wheelchairs and electric bikes, are prohibited from entering except for the purpose of maintenance and access.”

A3 In general, Greenways are designed and provided for people walking, wheeling, and cycling, as per the definition of Active Travel in the TII Rural Cycleway Design (Offline & Greenway).

A4  The Project will be developed in line with TII Project Management Guidelines and the Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways (CBPN&RG). “The emerging preferred route corridor will be identified based on the respective advantages and disadvantages of the various options, as well as consideration of the various route corridor options in relation to the scheme objectives and Five S criteria (Scenic, Sustainable, Strategic, Segregated and lots to See and do).” [CBPN&RG]

Phase 1 Concept and Feasibility will identify an appropriate Study Area and a long list of route options. During Phase 1 the long list of options are examined in terms of their feasibility, conceptually and practically, to achieve the Project objectives as part of the Preliminary Options Assessment and some may be ruled out.

During Phase 2 Options Selection viable options will be evaluated by undertaking an appraisal of the quantifiable and non-quantifiable impacts. This appraisal will be in accordance with Project Appraisal Guidelines Unit: 13.0 Appraisal of Active Modes under the headings of Transport User Benefits and Other Economic Impacts, Accessibility Impacts, Social Impacts, Land Use Impacts, Safety Impacts, Climate Change Impacts and Local Environmental Impacts.

Following this appraisal, a preferred option will be identified.

A5  The width of the Study Area varies and may increase following comments received during the first Public Consultation – Concept and Feasibility. In developing the Study Area a radius of 1.5km was set around the population centers of Waterfall, Ballinhassig, Halfway, Crossbarry, Riverstick, Belgooly, Dunderrow and Kinsale. 1.5km was selected on the basis that “average urban commuter cycling speeds are up to 20 km/h” which translates to a ≤ 10-minute cycle to and from the greenway to the center of each town / village. A similar principle was then applied to the areas in between these population centers with the Study Area then expanded to capture nearby opportunities and / or constraints.

A6 The corridor for the Preferred Option has yet to be defined. The width selected will need to provide flexibility and sufficient scope to vary the exact route of the proposed greenway to avoid constraints, allow for construction and operation of the greenway, and accommodate necessary elements such as earthworks, drainage / environmental features, boundary treatment, accommodation works and public facilities such as bins, toilet facilities, rest / picnic areas, fishing platforms, slipways, trailheads, parking areas, etc.

A7  As the detailed design has not begun the width of the finished Greenway is not yet known. As this will most likely be a Shared Use (2-way) facility the absolute minimum width of the finished greenway is likely to be of the order of 5-7m (paved width of 3-5m), excluding necessary elements such as earthworks, drainage / environmental features, boundary treatment, accommodation works and public facilities such as bins, toilet facilities, rest / picnic areas, fishing platforms, slipways, trailheads, parking areas, etc.

A8  Every landowner directly affected by the Preferred Option will be contacted as part of the third Public Consultation event.

A9  Your house is an important constraint and will be considered among all the constraints when selecting the preferred option.

A10 The Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways sets out guidance around compensation, payments, etc. for landowners affected by a greenway project. The code is available from the tii.ie and gov.ie websites.

A11 The project is currently programmed to begin Phase 3 Design & Environmental Evaluation in 2025. Once the Phase 3 is complete a planning application will be submitted and the competent authority (an Bord Pleanála &/or Cork County Council) will dictate the project timeline and their decision date. Subject to planning approval and funding for the project to proceed it will subsequently take time to complete the detailed design and appoint a contractor. The duration for construction is currently unknown as the extents of the project are still unknown at this Phase.

A12 You can contact the Project Team either through the “Contact Us” page on this project website, by email to corkkinsalegreenway@corkrdo.ie or by post to the Cork National Roads Office, Cork County Council, Richmond, Glanmire, Cork, T45 WA44.

A13 We are required to formally appraise all viable alternatives as part of the TII Appraisal Process to ensure that the advantages and disadvantages of the various options are considered, and the emerging preferred option (EMP) represents the best solution. The EMP may include sections of the old railway line.

A14 The design team are at the very early stages in the development of a greenway in this area. The recorded (and potential) presence of protected species and habitats will be identified in the Study Area as part of the Phase 1 Feasibility Report. As the design and route selection process continues, a series or robust and comprehensive ecological surveys will be carried out to evaluate the ecological baseline within the Preferred Option Corridor. This will inform the final selected route, the design of the greenway and the identification of appropriate mitigation measures.

Through careful design and route selection processes, we are confident that a Greenway can be designed within the Study Area without significant impacts on Key Ecological Receptors.

A15 The design team are at the very early stages in the development of a greenway in this area. The protection of the natural environment is one of the key considerations that informs the design process and even at this early stage, the various designated sites within the study area have been identified as key ecological receptors.

If required, an assessment of potential impact of a Greenway on protected sites (SACs, SPAs, etc.) will be undertaken and will be presented in a Natura Impact Statement along with any mitigation that is prescribed to avoid any such effects.

Through careful design and route selection processes, we are confident that a Greenway can be designed within the Study Area without resulting in any adverse effects on European Sites.

A16 The Cork to Kinsale Greenway project will comply with all regulations relating to biosecurity and / or disease control as direct by the Department of Agriculture.

A17 Where practical, farm severance will be minimised by following field boundaries. If severance to an integral part of the farm operation is unavoidable, consideration may be given to structures / crossing and/ or compensation. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis taking account of the farm operation.

A18 The type of boundary treatment will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and agreed with each landowner. An example of standard fencing detail can be found here: https://www.tiipublications.ie/library/CC-SCD-00301-03.pdf

A19 Concerns will be discussed with individual landowners once the emerging preferred route has been identified. Where practical, the Greenway will be routed to stay away from houses and/or farm buildings. Where necessary, screening such as hedges, fences or other suitable screening will be used to provide adequate privacy.

A20 A complete list of public facilities will be developed as part of the detailed route design. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport have published Greenways and Cycle Routes Ancillary Infrastructure Guidelines and facilities typically provided along Greenways can include bins, toilet facilities, rest areas, picnic benches, fishing platforms, slipways for canoes / kayak access to rivers, parking areas, trailhead and viewing spots.

A21 The development of the Cork to Kinsale Greenway is envisaged to attract domestic and international visitors to come, explore and stay in the region. Amongst other objectives, it will aim to unlock the tourism potential of the communities it traverses and provide opportunities for the development of a local tourism-based industry in the area. This has been seen with other Greenway projects such as the Waterford Greenway and the Great Western Greenway, where there has been a positive impact on both existing businesses and innovative start-ups, particularly in the hospitality and other industries such as bike hire.