Ulster Canal Greenway Phase 2

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A United Kingdom-Ireland (Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland)

Date of latest update: 2024-03-20

Description

Description (EN):

The Ulster Canal Greenway (UCG) Phase 2 project is a pioneering move led by Waterways Ireland, Monaghan County Council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and East Border Region Ltd to develop the first sustainable transport alternative for cross-border commuters between Smithborough, Co. Monaghan and Middletown, Co. Armagh. Creating 22km of new greenway by 2020 it will result in a 4.5% increase in the number of cross-border journeys via walking / cycling by 2023. Waterways Ireland will be the lead partner with Monaghan and Armagh local authorities and East Border Region as partners. Development of the UCG is directly aligned with local, corporate, regional and national strategies to create Sustainable Transport alternatives for commuters, Climate Change and Air Quality targets and also the Tourism and Recreation development plans in both NI and ROI. Monaghan to NI is the second highest of all S-N commuter flows, and Armagh to ROI is the third highest of all N-S flows. Less than 5% of commuters use a sustainable mode. 1900 workers and over 4000 students are based very close to the route in addition to the employment in Monaghan town centre. The project is designed to connect with the completed Phase I section, which utilises the disused Ulster Canal to provide a highly strategic route linking the east/ west sides of Monaghan. Location of Council-owned property (cost-saving and added value) and positive landowner responses were influential factors in selecting the preferred option. Project cost estimates are: total project spend at €6.01m with land costs at €0.594m (9.88% of total cost). Expenditure commences in 2016 and runs through to 2021. €4.85m (81%) of the expenditure relates to the capital build inclusive of land purchase. A 6 months delay in grant payment has been assumed with the exception of final year when wages for first half is assumed claimed in the year. Adjustments on cash-flow for retentions from 5% to 2.5% for construction have been included. The Partnership is confident that all risks have been minimised, and that those that remain can be dealt with within the lifetime of the INTERREG VA funding. A detailed risk register has been prepared. The project contributes positively to the promotion of Sustainable Development Goals as identified by Sustainable NI and the DoECLG. Issues such as sustainable economies, appropriate use of natural resources, social inclusion and compliance with EU Sustainable Development Strategy have been referenced and considered. The local authorities plan to utilise this project to raise awareness of issues regarding the importance of sustainable development and biodiversity. A Regional Greenway Advisory Group (RGAG) was established in early 2015 when WI, ABC, BRP, CCC, EBR, F&ODC, and MCC agreed to collaborate in preparing a Development Strategy for a long-distance greenway route through central Ulster. A Project Steering Group (PSG) comprising WI, MCC, ABC and EBR was subsequently formed to drive the implementation of the proposed project, the first step in the realisation of a regional route which will eventually link up to Larne. For this reason, Scottish Canals, the inland waterways authority in Scotland, will also participate in the PSG, and will be sharing their knowledge with the RGAG. A full scoping study with cost estimates has been completed by WI. Cost savings could be achieved by combining the preliminaries and construction contracts to cover the entirety of the route rather than proceeding in parallel on either side of the border. This will also eliminate risk associated with currency fluctuations. Monaghan CC own 68% of the lands. The Community Engagement Programme will benefit from two Council development officers at no cost. Significant collaboration between partners is key for project delivery. The partners have identified key learning e.g. Scottish Canal’s experience of towpath development. Key milestones along with governance and staffing arrangements have been developed. The capital build element will be driven by a Project Manager supported by a Finance Officer; specialist advice on EU compliance and verification will be provided by EBR. A community engagement programme will address behavioural change in key groups of commuters. The Communications and Marketing plan aims to promote the concept of smarter travel and the project’s public profile. The PSG will keep the SMART objectives, results and outputs associated with the project continuously under review. Permanent counters will record usage. The proposed UCG project is designed to be low maintenance with Councils assuming full running costs. A planned maintenance programme will be developed and Councils have committed to maintaining and insuring their respective sections of the greenway once complete.

Achievements (EN):

This project secured funding of more than €7 million under the Sustainable Transport theme of INTERREG VA for the creation of a cross-border greenway - connecting the Counties of Monaghan in Ireland and Armagh in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Canal Greenway project (Phase 2) secured funding of more than €7 million under the Sustainable Transport theme of INTERREG VA for the creation of a cross-border greenway - connecting the Counties of Monaghan in Ireland and Armagh in Northern Ireland. The aim of the project was to open up a new, sustainable travel route for both cyclists and pedestrians and to deliver this, a partnership was established between Waterways Ireland, Monaghan County Council, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council and East Border Region Ltd. Monaghan Council already maintained a 4.2-kilometre greenway alongside the Ulster Canal on the outskirts of Monaghan town. The new INTERREG VA funding will extend this greenway by 9.8 kilometres, following the route of the disused Ulster Canal between Monaghan town and Middletown in County Armagh. It is due to open in 2023. The long-term vision is a greenway network almost 190 kilometres in length, that will connect many of the main towns, villages and tourist attractions across the Mid-Ulster region - and help promote, protect and retain the local cultural heritage along the canal. The greenway network will attract visitors and drive sustainable economic growth in what is an underdeveloped tourist region. Behavioural change among commuters will be encouraged too, with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions from private cars by 3.17 tonnes each year. There will also be health benefits to those making the move from driving to walking and cycling. The Ulster Canal Greenway project and partnership shows how local authorities and government agencies can collaborate to identify and secure funding for the development of a cross-border, sustainable commuter corridor which can also serve as a tourism product and amenity.

Website: https://www.seupb.eu/iva-overview

Expected Results (EN): 3.1.B The percentage of cross-border commuters who use walking or cycling as their usual method of travel.

Expected Outputs (EN):

The project will: - Deliver 22 km of new cross-border Greenway by 2020 between Smithborough Co Monaghan and Middletown Co. Armagh. - Achieve a 4.5% increase in number of cross border commuter journeys via walking/cycling by 2023. - Achieve a minimum reduction of 3.17 tonnes of CO2 annually from private car emissions as a direct result of modal shift by commuters from cars to walking/cycling along UCG route. - Contribute to Urban Mobility plans and air quality plans. - Contribute to delivery of integrated strategies for sustainable local mobility in the cross border region.

Thematic information

Multimodal transport Improving transport connections

Specific Objective: Promote cross-border intermodal and sustainable mobility in the cross-border region

Thematic Objective: (07) promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures by:

Investment Priority: (07c) developing and improving environmentally-friendly (including low-noise) and low-carbon transport systems, including inland waterways and maritime transport, ports, multimodal links and airport infrastructure, in order to promote sustainable regional and local mobility

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: Waterways Ireland

Address: Sligo Road, BT74 7JY Enniskillen, United Kingdom

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 7 915.59

Monaghan County Council - Comhairle Contae Mhuineacháin

Name: Monaghan County Council - Comhairle Contae Mhuineacháin

Department: Economic & Community Development

Address: The Glen, Glen Road,, H18 YT50 Monaghan, Ireland

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 4 727 102.24

East Border Region Limited

Name: East Border Region Limited

Department: Cross Border Partnership of Local Authorities

Address: Monaghan Court, BT35 6BH Newry, United Kingdom

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 128 766.17

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

Name: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

Address: Council Offices, The Palace Demesne, BT60 4EL Armagh, United Kingdom

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 86 888.00

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Ulster Canal Greenway Phase 2

Project acronym: Ulster Canal Greenway Phase 2

Project start date: 2015-06-01

Project end date: 2021-06-30

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 4 950 672.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 4 208 071.20

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, .

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A United Kingdom-Ireland (Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2022-11-16

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

33 / 33 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

175 / 175 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Data of four projects (FASTER, ISIMPATHY, Sea Monitor, ONSIDE and SWELL_2) was retrieved by Interact from the programme´s website on the 2021-09-15 and 2022-11-15. Specific objectives were derived from Thematic objectives. Regarding partners data only main partners is available. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (https://www.seupb.eu/iva-overview), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-17, 2023-02-01 and 2024 03 20.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Ulster Canal Greenway Phase 2

Description

Thematic information

Partners (4)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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