Council’s commitment to greenway welcomed

DERRY City and Strabane councillors have unanimously passed a motion committing officers from the local authority to complete work on the proposed Strabane to Sion Mills greenway before the end of the council term.

The work, creating a link between the neighbouring towns, will be carried out by Strabane Greenways, a lobbying group for increased networking in the area, in conjunction with local community groups.

Group spokesperson, Daithí McKay, said, “After consultation with local groups in Strabane and Sion Mills over the last number of months it is clear that there is unanimous support for this greenway to be entirely ‘off road’ and that is unsurprisingly given that there is a dearth of green spaces in the town that needs to be addressed.

“It is to be very much welcomed that councillors recognise both the physical and mental health value of having a ‘quiet’ greenway and that the council is now committed to this principle as we seek to make this project a reality.

“We know that there are parts of the greenway route between Strabane and Sion Mills that can be brought up to standard without any feasibility study so we are hopeful that this work can be scheduled now that the council has committed to try and complete this project before the end of its current term.”

The motion was brought by Sinn Fein councillor Paul Boggs.

“I welcome the initiative taken by Strabane Greenways,’ Cllr Boggs said.

“I know they’ve met with councillors and the motion is to support their cause. What they’re asking for isn’t much given the nature of the walkway that is already there.

“Coming out of the pandemic, people are looking to get out more and I walked that particular route and it’s absolutely beautiful. But it’s about more than just getting out for a dander, it’s about the economic possibility of linking Sion Mills to Strabane.”

Fellow Sperrin Sinn Féin councillor, Brian Harte, welcomed the proposal and said the project should be a priority.

He said, “Forthcoming legislation will be introduced for the provision of at least ten per-cent of the Department for Infrastructure’s transport budget to be allocated to active travel.

“As the funding will be readily available, I would ask the council to expedite the process.”