Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard and Jonathan Hobbs from NI Greenways enjoy a walk along an old railway track
INFRASTRUCTURE Minister Chris Hazzard has given the green light to 1,000 km of greenways across the North.
As part of the plan, the Sinn Fein MLA has given a one-off £8,000 grant to Derry City and Strabane District Council to improve the North West Greenway.
The Minister today published his Strategic Plan to develop a network of greenway paths across the north including cross border connections.
The paths, for use by walkers, runners and cyclists young and old, will be traffic free and many will utilise disused railways, riverside paths, abandoned canal towpaths or flood embankments, reinventing them for use for generations to come.
Speaking during a visit to a potential greenway on a disused railway track, Minister Hazzard said: “More and more people are choosing to be active with their travel options and encouraging everyone to lead a more active, healthy life by providing local opportunities is something I and my Executive colleagues are determined to deliver.
“This plan is the pathway to help deliver those opportunities for people across the north, focusing on the development of a 400km primary and 600km secondary greenways network that walkers, runners and cyclists can share.
“The greenway paths will connect towns and cities to the villages and countryside from east to west and north to south, and will also be integrated with other modes of transport, making it easier for people to leave the car behind.
“Many of the proposed schemes are located on disused railways, riverside paths, abandoned canal towpaths or flood embankments.
“This will breathe new life in to this redundant infrastructure and create public spaces where people can meet, relax, play or enjoy nature, improving the quality of life for local communities and enhancing the experience for visitors.
“One of my key priorities as outlined in the Programme for Government is to help transform how we travel by increasing the number of people walking, cycling and using public transport which will enhance the region as a place where people want to live and work, to visit and invest.”
Minister Hazzard also announced the local councils who have secured funding to support and develop greenway projects in their area, under a small grants competition. He continued:
“I am delighted that councils have been part of the development process for this strategic plan and I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.
“To demonstrate my commitment I have more than doubled the initial funding for the grants scheme from £64,000 to £160,000.
“This means that feasibility studies can be worked up on twenty different proposals right across the north to help councils deliver greenways in their areas in line with this Strategic Plan.
“The competition received a high volume of quality greenway proposals and I am currently considering a capital grant scheme to assist councils further in the delivery of their greenway schemes.”
Jonathan Hobbs from the NI Greenways campaign said: “It’s encouraging to see so many councils proposing visionary greenway projects across the country, with support from the Department for Infrastructure to realise their vision.
“This is an exciting first step towards creating a world class greenway network, which will be a welcome investment in rural development and active travel, enhancing our tourism offering and creating long term employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.”
Minister Hazzard concluded: “This plan sets out a framework for a more informed and strategic programme to develop greenway routes across the whole of the north.
“While the overall target is ambitious and long term, this is a starting point on which to build a lasting legacy for future generations.”
A copy of the Strategic Plan for Greenways can be viewed or downloaded from https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/exercise-explore-enjoy-strategic-plan-greenways.
