Offaly Heritage Hero slams Bord na Mona's 'waste' of Just Transition funds

BORD na Móna has been accused of "wasting" Just Transition funds in its plans to develop "unneeded" bridges and greenways in "the idyllic boglands" of west Offaly.

National Heritage Hero, James Scully, has appealed to the semi-state body to dissent from their plans and said there was no need for millions of Just Transition funds to be spent in this fashion.

Bord na Móna has applied for planning permission for a 32-metre bridge west of Pullough village and just east of Derry bridge.

Bord na Mona says the new structure will replace an existing swivel bridge and will be “universally accessible” with “with gently sloping approaches”.

Mr Scully – who made his comments at a civic reception in his honour in Aras an Chontae in Tullamore last week (see page 12) – described the planned bridge as "an abomination", similar, he said, to the bridges over the Grand Canal in Tullamore at Convent View and Clontarf Road.

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"Sometimes Heritage Heroes have moments of opposition where they have to take a stand," he told the attendance at the civic reception.

Describing the countryside of west Offaly as scenic and idyllic, he questioned the need for yet more roads on Bord na Mona bogs, expressing scepticism about the demand for cycling infrastructure and the whole project's viability.

The Banagher based historian also questioned the need for another greenway at Bloomhill.

"How many greenways do we need in Offaly," he questioned. "Where is the demand for this . . . the population is just not there."

And Mr Scully said thousands of hectares of bog have been destroyed by the building of windfarms.

He claimed a lot of damage had been done to bogs by bringing in millions of tonnes of gravel and concrete in the Banagher and Cloghan areas.

The Tullamore native also stressed that a windfarm should not be constructed on the sacred landscape of Leamonaghan.

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In its planning applications for the Bloomhill trail, Bord na Móna says that through the Just Transition Fund, Failte Ireland has secured grant-aid to develop Regenerative Tourism & Placemaking Scheme for Ireland’s Midlands.

The energy company says its trails in west and east Offaly will fit within that plan which envisages “sustainable tourism projects that are designed to have significant regenerative impacts on local communities and peatlands”.

The focus of the scheme is to provide new employment opportunities for workers and communities that were heavily dependent on peat by diversifying the local economy, which will include new opportunities for tourism.

The Bord na Mona trail in west Offaly is to be on its land in the townlands of Cloncraff/Bloomhill, Clonascra, Ballyduff, Clonaderg, Doon Demesne, Lackagh Beg, Lackagh More, Cormore and Corbeg, Corbane, Ballydaly, Kilcolgan Beg, Turraun, Leabeg, Leamore, Oughter, Derrymore, Bunakeeran, Lumcloon and Broughal.

Car and bike parks will be provided for both trails with 172 car spaces in total proposed in the west, including 30 each at Bloomhill and Clonascra, 36 at Rin, 30 at Lumcloon and 25 at Finnamore Lakes.

Bord na Móna lodged its planning application for the trail in west Offaly on January 20 and council planners sought further information on March 14.