Finea to Abbeylara greenway a step closer

Plans for a greenway linking Finea to Abbeylara have moved forward, and Westmeath County Council are expecting to publish a Part 8 planning application and bring it before councillors for approval before the end of 2026.

The council have completed the design for the project and received a planning determination allowing it to proceed with the Part 8 process, according to a report presented at the October meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

Funding for the scheme has yet to be secured, and director of services Deirdre Reilly cautioned councillors that the project remained dependent on funding under the Just Transition programme.

The subject had been raised for discussion by both Cllrs Alfie Devine and David Jones.

Cllr Devine welcomed the progress and thanked district engineer Pat Kavanagh and his team for the work carried out over recent months and years.

He also acknowledged former councillor, Paddy Hill, who he said had initiated the process more than 10 years ago, and Cllr Denis Leonard, who had raised the matter at a council meeting around a year ago.

Cllr Devine said permissive access had been secured from a number of residents, and landowners and other stakeholders are in agreement with the proposal.

He described the greenway as an opportunity for the council to showcase what they could achieve in developing walking routes, adding that it could eventually form part of a wider network connecting routes across the north of the county.

He referred to plans for routes such as the Queen Maeve Way and the Táin Way, suggesting that linking them could help create a Westmeath camino.

Cllr Jones also welcomed the progress but asked whether access to a proposed greenway from Streete, along the route of the old railway line, could be included in the plans.

He said the possibility of providing access from Streete should be seriously considered if it was not already part of the proposal.

Ms Reilly said the Part 8 process was a positive step and that the application might be advertised before the next council meeting.

She stressed that funding was not yet in place, adding that completing the planning process would leave the council with a scheme ready to pursue outdoor recreation funding next year.

CASTLEPOLLARD WORKS

At the same meeting, Cllr Devine requested an update on the timing of installation of the public realm works on the Mullingar Road into Castlepollard.

To that, the response was that the Regeneration Section had advised that a funding application had been submitted to progress the Castlepollard Public Realm Works on the Mullingar Road under RRDF Call 6.

“We await the results of this funding application, which is anticipated in Q4 2026,” the response concluded.