Farmers facing wipeout from ‘needless’ road to midlands holiday resort
The proposed construction of an access road to Center Parcs Longford could destroy livelihoods and undo generations of hard work, claim local farmers, who insist there is a better option
FARMERS fear their holdings will be “completely destroyed” due to “needless” plans to realign a regional road that leads to Center Parcs Longford Forest.
Up to a dozen beef and sheep farmers have objected “in the strongest possible terms” against the Department of Transport and Longford County Council-backed project to “upgrade” a 1.5km stretch of the R392 in Forgney, a small rural townland near Ballymahon.
With the ‘Route Option Stage’ underway and four proposals (A, B, C, D) on the table, farmers warn that three of the routes (A, B and D), which propose the construction of a new road, would “wipe out”, “split” and “flood” their lands, yards and farm buildings.
Route C proposes a widening of the existing road – an option that would also be problematic for residents too.
While the outcome of the route selection stage will be voted on by elected council members later this year, farmers say “no financial compensation” via Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) would prise their support for a “randomly selected” road scheme.
Instead, the farmers are urging the council to introduce a 60km/h speed limit on the road (down from 80km/h) to address concerns regarding road safety at access points including at the “ever-busy” junction for Center Parcs at Newcastle Wood.
Olive McCormack, who operates a cattle fattening enterprise with her husband Aidan, said: “For us, who operate a tight grazing system, routes A and B would completely destroy our enterprise, take away our livelihood and leave us with fragmented fields of little value to anyone.
“Economic grassland management would no longer be feasible as a busy new road would run throughout our existing fields — splitting the farm in two and rendering cut-off land useless.
Olive and Aidan McCormack pictured with Alan Farrell (left) and John Kelly on land which would be affected by a new road through Forgney, Co Longford
“Our government is constantly encouraging farmers to participate in environmental schemes — we have been in GLAS and REPs since 1994 but both routes would run right through our selected bird cover field.
“The loss of land would have a major and definitive negative impact on our income.”
Olive added that the family would also be “doubly hit” by a new “accommodation road” for residents too.
“We would be re-routed, meaning an extra travel distance of 2.4km daily to access the main road. This might seem satisfactory to the design team, but not to us who would undertake the extra cost, noise level and undesirable visual impact.”
While compensation packages will not be discussed until a route is selected, the farmers say the personal value of their holdings is priceless.
“My husband is 81; this is the farmhouse where he was born,” said Olive. “We have nurtured it, kept it going and both our sons have herd numbers.
“This is not about compensation, this our livelihood, it’s everything to us.
“While we all welcomed and supported the arrival of Center Parcs, we feel local farmers and their lands should be protected from the proposed onslaught of an unwanted and unnecessary road development, which I suspect has been influenced by the increased amount of traffic entering and leaving Center Parcs.
“This strip of road was never a cause for concern until this new influx of traffic appeared.
“Clearly, action needs to be taken in relation to introducing traffic calming facilities, together with improving the existing road.
“Route C… can provide a better solution than completely decimating good fertile land and the livelihoods of three adjoining active farmers.”
Suckler beef farmer John Kelly (32), who farms in partnership with his father Hugh (75), said routes A, B or D would also have “a devastating impact” on the holding they’ve developed over generations.
“I have invested heavily in reclaiming the land, fencing, drainage etc,” he said.
“We have entered every environmental scheme available to us — GLAS, BDGP and BEEP. We have moved with the times and put our shoulder to the ‘green’ wheel to protect our local habitats and wildlife.
“But routes A, B and D run directly through our farm. They would make it virtually impossible to survive on scattered land separated by what would be an extremely busy road. The land would be of no use to anyone.
“It would also have a negative impact on the existing water table, leading to flooding on remaining lands in the future.
“I’m appealing to the project team that my livelihood and enterprise not be destroyed by something which appears to be totally avoidable and needless… C offers a more logical solution.”
Hugh said the farm is of “indescribable sentimental value”.
“I’ve worked extremely hard over the last 60 years on this farm, so for it to be decimated would be beyond distressing.”
Weanling-to-beef farmer Alan Farrell (34) said his holding would impacted by “all four corridor routes”.
“Route A would directly impact my most productive fields that produce my entire feed for livestock for the winter months.
“Another field planted in wild bird cover, which I’ve nurtured for years under GLAS to provide a safe habitat filled with nutrients for wildlife, would be dissected too.
“The loss of land would mean loss of entitlements under BPS and immediate loss of income. I simply cannot afford or accept that.
“If option A was to proceed my farm would not be viable, I’d no longer be a farmer — a devastating prospect for me.”
In terms of accessibility, community and road safety, Alan says route C presents “the only sensible option”, adding that he cannot overstate the “personal distress” the process has already caused.
Alan, along with his sisters Jacinta and Aisling, has been running the family farm since the tragic passing of their parents, Vincent and Patricia, together in 2004.
“My parents worked extremely hard to ensure a stable future for us. The farm was the backbone of this family unit and provided security, an income and a college education for me and my sisters,” said Alan.
Distressing: Alan Farrell in his 'bird cover' field which will be affected by the proposed road.
“I acquired the farm as a promise to my parents in passing, and to my father in particular as the farm was his ‘everything’.
“I wanted to make my parents proud and return my debt to them and to the farm. I have invested all that I possibly can back into the farm. I am the caretaker of this farm and I will do my utmost to take care of it.
“To now imagine that this could be in vain because of what I believe to be an unnecessary new road project is heart-breaking and unfathomable.”
In a statement Longford County Council said the road realignment scheme is “at ‘Route Options’ stage and the public consultation process is underway”.
“The objective is to improve the R392 and bring it in line with current standards.
“It will seek to address poor horizontal and vertical alignment, sub-standard junction layouts with poor visibility, unforgiving roadside edges, absence of hard-strips, lack of facilities for vulnerable road users and numerous direct access and entrances with poor visibility.”
The closing date of the public consultation phase is April 1.
The preferred route is expected to be published later this year, when a further round of public consultation will be launched.
A spokesperson for Center Parcs said: “This isn’t a project that Center Parcs would comment on.”
‘No one saw this coming – it’s a huge shock to the community’
The R392 road realignment scheme harks back to the planning application for Center Parcs’ 395ac woodland village resort.
The planning application for the €233m development — including 470 lodges, 30 apartments, over 100 indoor and outdoor activities, spa, restaurants and a ‘subtropical swimming paradise’ — was lodged with Longford County Council in October 2015.
Permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála in July 2016 with 21 revised conditions following appeals against the development.
In the report references are made to capacity and safety on parts of the R392 from Forgney to Mullingar, even though the original route was meant to be via Edgeworthstown.
At the Ballymahon Municipal District Council meeting when the plans were unveiled, local Fianna Fáil councillor Pat O’Toole stated that he is “against any of the options that would impact on the local farming community by running a road through their farms and making them economically unviable.
"In my view Option C, which provides for widening the existing road and improving sight lines at the Abbeyshrule junction with the R392, is a reasonable solution,” he said.
Farmer and local Fine Gael councillor Paul Ross said elected members were “shocked” when told of the project before Christmas.
“No one saw this coming — it’s a huge shock to the whole community, homeowners and local farmers. We never anticipated this,” he said.
"Center Parcs is a great employer in the area, but it’s probably linked to increased traffic on the road since it opened in 2019.”
Mr Ross said it’s unusual for a project of this scale to be proposed for a regional road.
“It’s normally for a motorway or dual carriageway that you’d see this sort of CPO or realignment project.
“Three of the proposed routes, other than the existing route, would have a dramatic impact on landowners; it would effectively put farmers out of business.
“Locals are advised to make submissions and I would strongly recommend they do — whether they are for or against it.”
While funded by Longford County Council until route selection is complete, it is understood funding beyond that will be provided by the National Roads Authority as a road safety initiative.
Longford IFA county chairman Gavin White said farmers are very nervous and uncertain.
“They don’t know where they stand,” he said. “Whatever route is decided will have to be voted on by all the county councillors — so the outcome can be influenced somewhat. It shouldn’t be necessary to put in a whole new road.”
