Renewed calls for river walkway retention following clean-up

CALLS to revitalise and upgrade Strabane’s river walkway have intensified in recent weeks, following an extensive clean-up effort led by local residents.

The initiative, spearheaded by Mark Diver, began at the start of the month in response to concerns over the deteriorating condition of the walkway, which features memorials for his brother Sean (Smurf) and Patrick (Pluck) McGrath, both passionate anglers.

Mark, along with a dedicated group of volunteers, have been working tirelessly on weekends to restore the walkway to its former state.

One of the volunteers, Eamon Cooke, explained, “Mark began the clean-up of the walkway on the 7th on his own. I had heard about it and went to assist him, brushing up and some other duties. I put up a Facebook post praising Mark’s efforts, which brought people out, as we had a around eight or nine helpers the following week…

“If we get enough help we could have it finished in four weekends. I would encourage anyone with time to spare and tools such as leaf blowers, strimmer’s, hedge cutters etc. to come along and make the walkway a place to use once again.”

The river walkway in Strabane first fell into disrepair in 2018 after flash floods caused part of the path to collapse into the river. In 2020, a report was submitted to Derry City and Strabane District Council outlining five potential solutions. A specialist Integrated Consultant Team (ICT) assessed the damage, and two options were presented to the Council. Both proposed abandoning the current walkway. The first option suggested constructing a 200m elevated walkway on the Meetinghouse Street side of the river, while the second option recommended upgrading a compensatory section of the path on the Melvin side. Both plans were estimated to cost £100,000, but neither has been implemented. However, a workshop between Council representatives and elected officials is scheduled for next Tuesday to discuss the issue further.

Mark Diver has sinice initiated a petition to keep the walkway open.

Eamon continued, “I think they should fix the current pathway and keep it open. It’s a lovely walk for everyone in Strabane; a place to go walk your dogs, take in your surroundings or just clear your head; as many know, mental health is a big issue in Strabane. If a higher walkway was implemented, it wouldn’t feel the same. If council don’t want to maintain it, make it a community project.”