Call for footpath extension from Ballyconnell

Sinn Féin's Damien Brady has called on the council to source funding to extend the footpath out of Ballyconnell towards the border and to where several large local employers are located.

He said the Rakeelan area is busy with traffic on a daily basis, but that the pathway only goes so far.

“It would be of great benefit to the people of Ballyconnell and West Cavan,” Cllr Brady told the meeting of members elected to represent the Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District area. Their meeting was taking place at the Ballyconnell Community Centre, less than a kilometre from the stretch of road Cllr Brady was talking about.

The route already had public lighting, and was located within the town speed limit, so Cllr Brady suggested accessing Active Travel funding as one possible option.

“There is a large volume of traffic on that road,” he continued. “One of the busiest roads in the county in terms of industrial traffic.”

The call got backing from Fianna Fáil's Áine Smith and Patricia Walsh, as well as Independent Brendan Fay.

Responding, Senior Area Engineer Paul Mulligan said that funding had been applied for in the past but the council were not successful with their application.

Ideally, he said, the ambition was to extend the footpath in that direction. “I do think it would be of huge benefit,” he acknowledged, noting too the number of local housing estates in the area, like Cllr Brady's own Doon Height's which did not have direct footpath access to Ballyconnell Town Centre.

Mr Mulligan said that if the opportunity comes up to drawn down funding for a project of that scale they would indeed go after it.