Design consultants appointed for Navan-Oldbridge Greenway

The Boyne Greenway between Navan and Oldbridge moved a step closer to reality with the appointment of consultants to design the route.

Atkins Consulting Engineers have been appointed by Meath County Council to examine in detail a route for the greenway and the restoration of the Boyne Navigation.

The move has been warmly welcomed locally amid predictions “it will draw tourists from all over the world.

The proposed greenway extends from the Cllr Andy Brennan Park in Navan to the main gates at the Oldbridge Estate, where it will link with the existing greenway facilities which provide a route onward to Drogheda.

The stretch of the Boyne Greenway to be considered is approximately 26.5km in length. It will also link with the Athlumney to Trim Road Cycle and Pedestrian Scheme.

The Boyne Navigation will extend from the canal harbour in Navan Town to the Oldbridge Guard Lock.

The consultants have been tasked with progressing the plans to oral hearing and Meath County Council has promised there will be consultation with stakeholders and the public.

It is currently expected that a planning application will be submitted to An Bord Pleanala in late 2021.

Deputy Peadar Tóibín has welcomed the news: “The Boyne Greenway and Blueway has the potential to become one of the most important Greenways in Ireland. It can be an internationally recognised project that will draw tourists from all over the world.

“The Boyne Valley has one of the best concentrations of monuments of historic and heritage value in the world. Brú na Bóinne is a Unesco World Heritage Site and Trim Castle, the Hill of Tara, the Battle of the Boyne are just a few of the dozens of places of real interest in the Boyne Valley”.

“The tourism potential is enormous. Walking and cycling tourism is growing enormously in popularity internationally. It also means that tourists stay within the county for up to a week as opposed to the one-day coach tour that is so typical of Meath tourism currently”.

Deputy Tóibín said the importance of the route next to the river and incorporating these heritage sites is also one of the major challenges of the project.

“The standard of protection and conservation necessary is very high. As a result this is no doubt a challenge for Meath County Council. I have pushed for this project for 12 years since I first passed a motion for the project at council level.

“I want to give credit to Meath Co Council for all the work that they have done on this project to get it to this stage”.

“I am delighted that we have a concrete project with concrete timelines. When this work is completed, I am hopeful that we will be able to extend the Green and Blue Ways onto Newtown Trim and Trim Castle and onto the source of the Boyne in north Kildare. This will turn the project into a regional project taking in three counties and will allow the Green and Blue ways to intersect with the Royal Canal Greenway that will run from Dublin to Galway”.

Pictured: The Ramparts in Navan from where the Greenway to Oldbridge will begin