Glenmore and Pink Rock set to benefit from Greenway

As work continues on the South East Greenway, communities along the route are preparing to make the most of the “once in a generation opportunity.”

Glenmore is preparing to maximise the potential of the Greenway visitors.
With the support of Kilkenny County Council, the village is set to open a new shop and be the location of a greenway car park.

Director of Services with Kilkenny County Council, Mary Mulholland, told a recent joint meeting of Kilkenny and Wexford councillors that Kilkenny County Council has bought a premises in Glenmore with funding under Town and Village Renewal.
The village currently has no shop.
It has also been proposed to locate a car park at the village for people using the greenway, when it opens.

“We are trying to maximise what the area can gain from the greenway,” Ms Mulholland said.
Other developments being looked at in the area include for the whole Pink Rock area. It is already an amenity area, Ms Mulholland said. People walk, run and cycle there.

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Part of looking at opportunities linking back to the greenway is looking at a new cycle track on the ‘old N25,’ now the R734 from Glenmore into New Ross.
“Now is the time to look at these things,” Ms Mulholland said.
She said that the area engineer in the Piltown municipal area, Stan Cullen, is looking at the Pink Rock area.

The most difficult issue will be the derelict forecourt on the R734. A plan will have to be drawn up before a compulsory purchase order could be considered.

Ms Mulholland told the New Ross councillors that the representatives of each electoral area do need to be talking to each other on this.
They are all little projects, she said, and the Pink Rock ‘doesn’t have to be developed to death, just make it a bit more user-friendly.’
“Making a link around the Pink Rock would be a game changer, people like loops,” she said, and it would be mad not to take advantage of an area of beauty.

Director of Services Eamonn Hore, from the New Ross municipal district of Wexford County Council, agreed people do like additional activities off a greenway.

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Cllr Peter Cleere said ‘we have a once in a generation opportunity’ to develop links from the South East Greenway to places such as Kilkenny City, Thomastown and on to Graignamanagh and Carlow.
For those projects the councils would have to cooperate with Carlow. “It would be unbelievable the difference that would make to each community along the way,” he added, highlighting advantages for jobs and the local economies.

“If we could create an overall master plan it would be hugely beneficial,” Cllr Cleere said, calling for it to be made a priority for all three local authorities.
“As local councillors we could leave a legacy for our children and our childrens’ children.”
Ms Mulholland said link-route feasibility studies are underway with Kilkenny Leader.

Alan Fitzhenry, municipal district manager for New Ross, said linking to St Mullins would be the ‘piece of the jigsaw’ that would link the greenway network to Dublin.

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Greenway Opening Dates
Director of Services with Wexford County Council, Eamonn Hore, said he hopes the 6km of greenway between New Ross and Glenmore will be open to the public by the summer.
The extension of the South East Greenway over the Barrow rail bridge and through the disused rail tunnel has not yet gone to tender, Mr Hore told the meeting, and this probably won’t happen until the end of next year.