Boyne Greenway

Cast Iron · 04-09-2019 10:00pm #1

I see in The Leader this week there is an article about Meath County Council pursuing this if there is enough interest.

Was going to post on the old thread about the scummers who burned the walkway at Oldbridge but best to start with a new title.

It'd be a brilliant thing to have in or about Drogheda so if anyone is minded on here you should make a submission. Here's the webpage with some detail.

https://www.meath.ie/council/news/boyne-greenway-drogheda-to-mornington-non-statutory-public-consultation

Scotty # · 05-09-2019 10:31am

Looking at the proposal, it seems to basically be a 4m wide footpath running alongside the current roadway from Scotch Hall to the tower there at the mouth of the Boyne. I'd like to see it closer to the water.

whippet · 05-09-2019 12:31pm

if only it was the otherside of the river it would be ideal for me .. but welcomed none the less. I cycle from the baltray end of the river to oldbridge with the kids quite often and it's a lovely easy cycle for the young kids apart from a couple of miles between baltray and the north quays in Drogheda which can be a bit hairy with HGVs coming out of Tom Roes

05-09-2019 1:06pm

^ I always take the lane when I'm riding that stretch, and the drivers usually understand why you do it. Friendly wave or acknowledgement of their presence behind me and I'll move in when it's safe for them to pass. You do get the odd one who'll beep or try and pass on the bends there :rolleyes:

positron · 16-09-2019 12:27pm

Scotty # wrote: »

I'd like to see it closer to the water.

+1. Anyone who have walked along the current path to Oldbridge would know the path along the water well away from cars is what makes it special. You can hear the leaves rustling in the wind, birds singing etc. Along the road all you hear is the roar of traffic flying past you.

Walking along with cars is of course better than nothing, but only just. Please don't degrade what could be a tourist attraction and a chance to present the beauty of the region to a mere footpath along the road, with the usual problems of cars parked half in half out, fly-tipping and what not. They should build it along the water, well away from road traffic, and perhaps provide access / link paths to the schools and key junctions.

16-09-2019 12:35pm

@positron Have you been down on the Oldbridge one since it reopened a few weeks ago? Haven't had a chance myself but was curious as to what work was done there while it was closed.

positron · 16-09-2019 12:49pm

I jogged the length of it on Saturday (Oldbridge to town). It looks very well. They have resurfaced it, and with all the weed gone from the sides, it feels much wider all the way. They must have been trimming the hedges on Friday / Saturday, a lot of it was on the path itself. And the walkway remains very popular as ever - many families, people walking dogs, cyclists, runners, and even a Scout group etc.

Extending this to Mornington would be amazing, but surely not as a footpath along R150. Perhaps they should extend it to Navan - now that would be exceptional!

16-09-2019 12:58pm

Even as far as Slane would be great.

kccamper · 16-09-2019 10:16pm

The Navan to Oldbridge section seems like the it should be the easiest Greenway in the country to develop. There is already an 8km footpath from Navan to Stackallen. Another couple of km either side of Slane. It was awarded almost €900,000 in funding last year for research and planning which seems like an awful lot of money, some of which could surely be spent on the actual Greenway. Very frustrating when you see the progress being made in other parts of the country.

17-09-2019 12:49am

Some joined up and more ambitious thinking here if that happened, then Mornington - Drogheda - Oldbridge - Slane - Navan - Kingscourt. What a bike ride!!!!

kccamper · 17-09-2019 7:21am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Some joined up and more ambitious thinking here if that happened, then Mornington - Drogheda - Oldbridge - Slane - Navan - Kingscourt. What a bike ride!!!!

Absolutely! It would completely open up that area of the North East to tourism with huge benefits to local communities. This entire route is in various stages of research, consultation, planning; I just cannot see why progress is seemingly glacial. With an election looming, don't let our potential reps in the Dáil forget this project(s).

17-09-2019 6:51pm

Am I the only one that's actually legitimately annoyed and upset that the Council paved the road right next, literally right next, to the burned section of boardwalk?

It's a small, what, 200 meters? section of loose gravel, and it's within a foot of the the newly paved road.. General public gave over 10k to get it fixed, and the cnuts wouldn't even do it whilst they were tarmaccing the road that is, again, literally, in the most literal sense of the word literally, one fcuking foot away! :mad:

I drove by it today, annoyed again, and noticed that the walk way down along the ramparts (where the boardwalk ends) is also fenced off again. :rolleyes:

17-09-2019 7:26pm

I just belted off an email telling them to stick a hedge between the road and footpath.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have been looking at the Boyne Greenway plans/suggested route online and thought it would be sensible to make a small submission relating to same.
An issue I foresee with the proposed layout, is that, for Section 1 (the roadside part), although a simple tarmac footpath alongside the road, with a small verge separating the two, is better than not having anything there at all, this is, to my mind, an incomplete idea.
I realise there's no point in making a suggestion of putting the footpath over the water or other such overly expensive ideas, as they'd simply be ignored as being cost-prohibitive.

However, what I would like to suggest is that the verge between the road and footpath be a minimum width of 1.5meters where possible. Also, instead of a flat verge (which we all know will be used for cars to park on, people to stop at to throw illegal dumping over the verge onto the path, etc.
I feel it would be a worthwhile expense, to instead separate the two with some quick growing and dense hedging (for example, laurel hedging) which can grow as a barrier between the two (the road and greenway/path).

The benefits to this are many. For example:

1. The cost is relatively minor: small Laurel plants can be purchased by members of the public for as little as €2 each. Bulk-buying by the council would secure a price reduction.

2. Maintenance would be minimal, with, at most, annual hedge cutting once the hedge has grown big enough (which could take years).

3. Motorists will not be distracted by those on the boardwalk, and more importantly, users of the boardwalk won't be distracted by motorists.

4. A full, thick hedge will provide sound-proofing to pedestrians (albeit a hedge won't remove traffic noises completely, it will dampen them).

5. The visual - For users of the greenway, instead of a busy regional road, which is anything but attractive, they will be sandwiched between a scenic sea area, and a large green, hedge, which will significantly improve the aesthetics and joy of the greenway, along with beautifying the area for motorists (albeit motorists will potentially lose out on the 'sea view' along this stretch of road).

6. A mature hedge can act as an effective windbreaker for users of the greenway (depending upon which way the wind is blowing, obviously) as the area is otherwise completely without sheltered.

7. A large laurel hedge, for example, will provide a space for wildlife to flourish. Birds will build nests, for example, further adding to a peaceful and serene experience.

Ultimately, considering the cost involved in carrying out this work, which would be, in my estimation, rather inexpensive in the grand scheme of the project, i feel there are simply no real downsides to adding hedging between the road and proposed pathway.

Thank you for your time

19-09-2019 1:04am

Have you seen the lovely bike lane they installed on matthews lane that starts near the creche and dumps you out on the main road on the R152 round the corner not 50 meters later

Likely part of the planning for the new houses but again designed by someone because they had to rather than to serve any real purpose.

Should come with a sign saying "sorry we had to".

positron · 19-09-2019 10:40am

I am struggling to get my head around how they are going to find 4 meters near R150 and R151? Those roads are really narrow; Are they suggesting removing mature trees / hedging the whole way and make it wider by four / five meters? There are private properties / buildings / walls etc too along the way, it's going to take forever to sort it all out. May be building an elevated boardwalk along the river is probably not all that much more expensive everything considered?

The other option is to narrow the road to a single lane (stop/yield type thing like they did towards Oldbridge), but with all the schools and traffic on that road, I can not imagine they could get away with that.

Scotty # · 08-10-2019 6:19pm

Permission being sought for over 500 houses next to the existing boardwalk...

http://oldbridgedevelopment.com/

positron · 08-10-2019 8:56pm

Seriously?!!

Facepalm!!

09-10-2019 7:58pm

Theres a lot of development around that area planned, theres already work under way on the site on the left before you hit the Y junction at the bottom of the Rathmullen road. I think there was planning sought for more housing around there too in addition to what Scotty linked to.

I'd be happy if they extended to footpath there at the Y junction the whole way down to the river, as it's not a particularly nice experience walking up or down that way or even on the bike with the speed some cars drive it.

Scotty # · 10-10-2019 11:47am

Deleted User wrote: »

theres already work under way on the site on the left before you hit the Y junction at the bottom of the Rathmullen road.

There's 156 houses going in there.

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd be happy if they extended to footpath there at the Y junction.

It's part of the plan. That Y junction will become a major crossroads with traffic lights and pedestrian crossing.

I note none of the houses have front gardens, it's all perpendicular parking spaces in front.

10-10-2019 12:17pm

Yeah had a look at some of the drawings they seem to be going to widen both roads there. I'd not like to see an increase in traffic down along the river but I can see it happening.

I was out that way earlier on the bike and was covered in muck in the end. The road is filthy from the trucks in and out at the site there. Teach me to not head out without mudguards, in fairness though there were 2 road sweepers out ready to clean up.

Scotty # · 10-10-2019 2:55pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd not like to see an increase in traffic down along the river but I can see it happening.

With somewhere between 1500 and 2500 people added to the immediate vicinity, I'd say there will be a significant increase in traffic, both road and pedestrian.

positron · 10-10-2019 3:26pm

So much for the peacefulness of the Boyne Riverwalk.

I of course understand that development is inevitable, and they have planned in some hedges between the estate and the river - but - it feels a really sad that they had to plan it there of all places. Right next to what is a peaceful facility today - increasing traffic and bringing noise and traffic congestion towards Oldbridge, which is probably THE single most attractive thing about Drogheda right now. Not to mention how difficult it is to join from Rathmullen road to R132.

I scanned thru the school capacity report in their planning submission, and they have put couple of schools with spare capacity at the top of the list. All other schools listed are already at capacity, and couple of them are well overcapacity (especially St Marys).

There's plenty of land that can be developed between town and M1 on the southside as well as Northside.

Fingers Mcginty · 13-10-2019 10:32am

I was heading down to oldbridge on Saturday morning for the weekly parkrun and saw them breaking into that field on the left just before the Y junction.

positron · 13-10-2019 10:48am

Isn't soap water (from washing machines etc) classified as grey water and supposed to do into the treatment system for processing? One or more estates along the Rathmullen road is clearly letting soapy water flow into the river - the smell of detergent at both ends of the canal walk is overpowering.

Anyone know how to go about complaining about this - perhaps they can handle is along with whatever drainage plans they have for the new development?

13-10-2019 12:33pm

It would be the EPA I'd imagine. Plenty of info on their website.

20-10-2019 2:58pm

Scotty # wrote: »

There's 156 houses going in there.

It's part of the plan. That Y junction will become a major crossroads with traffic lights and pedestrian crossing.

I note none of the houses have front gardens, it's all perpendicular parking spaces in front.

Have you a link to where you got that? Wouldn't mind having a better look at a higher res version. Never seen it before, looks interesting.
- Never mind, I found it on the site.

I'd generally agree that building houses along there is a bad idea, especially that volume of them. One of the appealing things about the boardwalk is that it's peaceful, quiet and is relatively a decent distance from homes, so you don't get much/any anti social behaviour on it.

I can see all of the above changing, unfortunately.

Also, I wouldn't like to live in any of the houses to the west of that plan - Would your back garden not be overlooking the M1? Your house would effectively be the noise barrier for everyone else? I imagine it'd be quite noisy? (perhaps wrongly?).

Cast Iron · 22-10-2019 8:48am

Folks today, 22nd October, is the last day for submissions on the sludge plant along the River Boyne. Voice your concerns and objections.
sludgehubseastmidlands@water.ie

Also this Friday 25th October is the last day for observations on the new Greenway.
transport@meathcoco.ie

If you don't ask you don't get....or if you keep your mouth shut you might get something you didn't want, like a thick stink of sh1t for decades!

23-10-2019 1:10pm

Just reading in the DI that housing development of the some 600+ houses will take 10 years to complete in 5 phases :eek:

Piece on the greenway in it this week too, residents on Tower Road have some concerns about the greenway from what I understand it's planned route passes the estate and other houses on the road and a wall will have to be moved with the loss of some green space and maybe some gardens, and the fact some will have to cross the greenway when exiting their driveway. The later is ridiculous, it's no different to having a footpath out side your house, which many people do, look left look right , all clear and away you go. My concern there would be people parking on it at that point especially during the summer.

24-10-2019 11:23am

I was passing through the Drogheda Town Centre this morning and there was a lady set up collecting signatures to support the greenway. Didn't have time to stop but will try and call in later on the way home if she's still there.

24-10-2019 11:57pm

I read an article in the Leader this week about the Greenway and resident's objecting. A woman (apparently representing the residents in Crook Road?) said they wouldn't like the security risk of stranger's parking their cars in the estate.

I wasn't there, but I presume she couldn't keep a straight face saying that.

If the greenway is knocked on the head because of nonsense like that then it'll be nothing short of a disaster. Though I'm fairly confident they'll have to put up with it and it'll be getting built regardless. Too much time and money has been invested at this stage to pull the plug. They might delay it, but it's-a-comin', I'm confident.

25-10-2019 10:27am

"This raises safety concerns with strangers parking in our estate" was the line.

I've news for her, I left the car there last week when I had the kids out there

Now imagine if there was a greenway there, I'd not have to park there or anywhere as I'd have arrived there on foot or by bike.

John Hutton · 25-10-2019 1:14pm

4pm today is deadline to make a submission. Very easy to do so on meath co co site.

I can't wait for this to be built

10-11-2019 4:33pm

Read somewhere online (DroghedaLife possibly?) that apparently this has had a lot of feedback from people, making it one of the (if not the) busiest public consultations the CoCo have ever undertaken? Apparently something like 96% of submissions about it are in favour of it.

Looks like the poor folk in Mornington are gonna have to get used to strangers cars parking in their estate. :rolleyes: But delighted people have gotten involved to support it.

I really do hope they take my own submissions on board in relation to hedging it off from the roadside (as a noise barrier if nothing else). Be a very busy (and thus noisy) road to be walking on otherwise.

17-01-2020 8:56pm

Was down on the oldbridge route over Christmas and they have installed lighting and tarred sections of it and cut back sections vegetation. Was going to head down today but it was closed and they look to be working on finishing it off as there was a tar truck there.

Interestingly I passed the playground and the car park was nearly full but not a single child in the playground. Some cheeky mares seem to be using it as a car park and heading for a bus to work.

LOU76 · 18-01-2020 12:11am

That’s been going on for years (it’s free parking at the playground so you get people parking there and heading in to town for shopping or a meal out). Consequently the playground is a no go for Drogheda people with young kids - very rarely is there a parking spot so why waste time going there. There’s always lots of parking at other playgrounds not too far away in Co. Meath.

05-02-2020 7:40pm

Scotty # wrote: »

Permission being sought for over 500 houses next to the existing boardwalk...

http://oldbridgedevelopment.com/

Permission granted according to the Drogheda Independent this week for 660 I think it was over 5 years with construction 6 days a week. I can see objections to this but doubt it will do any good.

There will also be strong objection to the ones on the march road I believe.

John Hutton · 05-02-2020 8:36pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Was down on the oldbridge route over Christmas and they have installed lighting and tarred sections of it and cut back sections vegetation. Was going to head down today but it was closed and they look to be working on finishing it off as there was a tar truck there.

Interestingly I passed the playground and the car park was nearly full but not a single child in the playground. Some cheeky mares seem to be using it as a car park and heading for a bus to work.

Is this finished and open yet do you know?

06-02-2020 12:38am

John Hutton wrote: »

Is this finished and open yet do you know?

Oh yes, lovely job done. Buttery smooth and wider than before. Had the dog down along it, the kids on their bikes and then myself on the bike a few times now so as to skip the hill on rathmullen rd on my weekend spins out to Slane or Newgrange and beyond

Not sure about the lights though as I've not been around there in the evenings but it does have lights installed the whole why out now.

John Hutton · 06-02-2020 10:41am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Oh yes, lovely job done. Buttery smooth and wider than before. Had the dog down along it, the kids on their bikes and then myself on the bike a few times now so as to skip the hill on rathmullen rd on my weekend spins out to Slane or Newgrange and beyond

Not sure about the lights though as I've not been around there in the evenings but it does have lights installed the whole why out now.

Lovely might take a spin tomorrow of the weather is ok

Scotty # · 12-02-2020 4:02pm

For anyone who wants to contribute...

www.gofundme.com/challenge-the-rathmullan-road-housing-development

(not set up by me!)

14-02-2020 8:15pm

Scotty # wrote: »

For anyone who wants to contribute...

www.gofundme.com/challenge-the-rathmullan-road-housing-development

(not set up by me!)

I wonder could they do anything with the entrance/exits there. Perhaps a new road that goes from the estate directly to the M1.

This is what I've mocked up:

The red area has already been zoned for development as far as I am aware and I believe the land either sold last year to a developer, or is getting ready to be sold. So the diggers will be trawling over it soon. A bit of joined-up thinking (a rare thing, I know!) would see that the estates being built beside the highlands would have an alternate exit point, over towards the retail park.

Marley's Lane really can't take any more traffic at peak time. Between it being a main route, and a major school route, it's suffocating at peak times.

The road in pink already exists, and should be due a major upgrade. This way people could exit from their 661 houses and houses beside the highlands, and instead of going directly to the boardwalk or the rathmullan road, they could optionally drive west to sheepgrange or south to the retail park/M1.

Any people living in these new houses (or existing houses in the area) that are planning to work north of Drogheda, ie Dundalk, Ardee, etc, are jocked. They'll be the ones that will have no choice but to sit in traffic all day.

When they re-did the area where the boardwalk is, the plan was to make it a one-way system until residents kicked up a fuss. I'd be fairly confident the one way system idea will be proposed again to try and deal with the levels of traffic that will now be using it.

The boardwalk will also suffer majorly from having a thousand new houses built on top of it. Will no doubt go from being a quiet, enjoyable amenity, to being an anti-social haven, in no time at all.

Still find it annoying that they are building approx 1,000 houses (with the same again due in future I'm sure) and IDA approved a massive jobless Amazon shed to go beside them. Something to look at on the commute to Dublin I suppose. :rolleyes:

15-02-2020 12:21pm

The land right of the red and above the green in your picture was in whole or at least part on the market last year or the year before if I recall , might have mentioned that hear already but the picture shows where exactly I mean.

Here is were my memory gets a little fuzzier I have it in my head it was zoned industrial at the time. Just happened to notice it in a property ad in the leader among other houses and sites for sale.

No idea what happened with the sale though.

It's quite staggering though seeing that, there are already house under construction there at the minute aand with this development they are effectively going to double the population and as a result traffic. If you work on the north side of town or beyond you'd be looking at heading along the river to avoid the center of town.

EDIT: They've started or at least moved containers in on the site beside Joe Duffy's on Donore Rd where 20 ish units will be built and are working on clearing the old Roadstone site at the other end of Donore Rd. fups could not be given regards traffic when permission for these places is granted.

15-02-2020 3:21pm

Deleted User wrote: »

It's quite staggering though seeing that, there are already house under construction there at the minute aand with this development they are effectively going to double the population and as a result traffic. If you work on the north side of town or beyond you'd be looking at heading along the river to avoid the center of town.

Well, I live in Rathmullan. My hope is that in the next decade, that rathmullan will gentrify a bit, and as Drogheda is effectively turned into Dublin Lite by then, the property prices might go up.

Then flog the house and buy a detached bungalow somewhere in rural Leitrim

Live out my days in peace and quiet

EDIT: They've started or at least moved containers in on the site beside Joe Duffy's on Donore Rd where 20 ish units will be built

Where is this, out of curiousity? I can't picture it.

15-02-2020 8:38pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Well, I live in Rathmullan. My hope is that in the next decade, that rathmullan will gentrify a bit, and as Drogheda is effectively turned into Dublin Lite by then, the property prices might go up.

Then flog the house and buy a detached bungalow somewhere in rural Leitrim Live out my days in peace and quiet

Where is this, out of curiousity? I can't picture it.

As you are heading out of town towards the roundabout, on the right just before Joe Duffy autos. Between it and the existing houses Here

16-02-2020 6:07pm

Deleted User wrote: »

As you are heading out of town towards the roundabout, on the right just before Joe Duffy autos. Between it and the existing houses Here

Jesus, 20 houses in there? Traffic really is a legitimate afterthought isn't it.

At least it's close to a bus stop, I suppose.

22-05-2020 9:47am

I see the north side of the boyne, the green area there that's currently empty, is earmarked to be sold as a residential development site.

It's practically the entire greenspace that surrounds Anglo Printers, and goes west to the back of Boyne Meadow. That road (into the town, where Aldi is) is going to have to get some traffic lights or a roundabout installed. Mell is a disaster at the best of times. That said, presumably many of these cars will be finding their way to the M1 and so will go up the Retail Park direction instead.

positron · 22-05-2020 10:33am

It's as if they have decided to ruin the the only nice thing in town by building houses all around it!

Venice on the Boyne!!

Scotty # · 02-12-2020 9:16pm

Great news!!

Court quashes planning permission for 660 new dwellings near Battle of the Boyne site

04-12-2020 1:07am

Makes you wonder how many will chance their arm at the fast track and get away with it and end up with unsuitable developments over the country. Glad to see this fail and the one on the Marsh Rd but there have been other crazy applications in recent times like out the old Slane Rd, Trinity Gardens and that tower they wanted to build at the B&B off Trinity St.

Was down Rathmullen Rd on the bike this week where they are currently building the estate on the left as you head to the river, they have 3 out buildings like shdes at the front of the estate that I have no idea what they are for? Communal laundry facility? If you could drive /walk into the estate they are like sheds with large glass windows as you head in on the right.

Scotty # · 04-12-2020 11:46am

Deleted User wrote: »

Was down Rathmullen Rd on the bike this week where they are currently building the estate on the left as you head to the river, they have 3 out buildings like shdes at the front of the estate that I have no idea what they are for? Communal laundry facility? If you could drive /walk into the estate they are like sheds with large glass windows as you head in on the right.

Wondered about them too. I presume they are sales offices that will be removed once sales are complete.

Roland27 · 21-12-2020 9:02pm

Hi, I've created a new page about the Boyne Greenway, check it out here: http://navancycling.ie/greenways/theboynegreenway/

Boyne Greenway

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