Louth TD calls for support for Cooley landowners and their families

Louth TD, Paula Butterly has said that as the the Cooley Peninsula remains a restricted area in terms of housing, landowners with their family living nearby need to be supported.

The Fine Gael TD was commenting after a protest on Wednesday outside Dáil Éireann calling for an end to the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) for what the protesters said is non essential infrastructure such as greenways and cycleways. 

Members of the Protect Cooley Peninsula group, a campaign opposed to proposed Dundalk-Carlingford Greenway routes through their property were among those protesting.

Deputy Butterly issued a statement on Thursday in relation to her presence at the protest, saying: "Yesterday, I met with constituents outside Dail Eireann protesting the Compulsory Purchases of private land for the proposed Cooley Peninsula Greenway.

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"I wholeheartedly understand the constituents’ concerns. Many of these residents have held on to these parcels of land to pass on to their family members."

She continued: "We have fought hard to make sure that rural regeneration continues to flourish under this government. Notwithstanding changes to the County Development Plan in 2021, the Cooley Peninsula remains a restricted area in terms of housing. We therefore need to support landowners with their family living nearby.

"It is hard to imagine a scenario where the suggested route will not cut through plots of land that were destined for the next generation.

"The average cost of an acre in Cooley is €17,000 with the average cost of a site being between €100,000 and 150,000 in the Carlingford area.

"No amount of compensation for CPO’d land will leave young couples in a position to make up the difference and buy a site in the Cooley Peninsula or buy a house in nearby towns.”