Liffey Blueway will be assessed as part of new tourism strategy
A NEW tourism strategy for South Dublin County is currently being developed, and the concept of a Liffey Blueway will be assessed as part of it.
According to Failte Ireland, a blueway is defined as a “network of approved and branded multi-activity recreational trails and sites” which are “linked with the water”.
Increasing tourism and leisure along the River Liffey will make up part of the council’s new tourism strategy, with the blueway concept being raised yet again by a councillor.
At the Lucan, Palmerstown, North Clondalkin area committee meeting, Cllr Gus O’Connell requested an update on the Liffey Blueway, which had been included in the previous tourism strategy.
A cluster of land around Liffey Valley was earmarked as having tourism potential and the Liffey Blueway was identified as one such concept to develop it.
Included in the action plan of the South Dublin Tourism Strategy 2015, the council believed there was scope to deliver a Liffey Blueway concept as a way of developing “market awareness of the river Liffey”.
The blueway was tied into the creation of a Liffey Valley Cluster, a network of attractions including a themed trail called Arthurs Way, Liffey villages, Liffey Greenway and enhancement of water-based activities.
It could take “minimum intervention” to develop a Liffey Blueway, the council said in its previous tourism strategy.
At that time, Cllr O’Connell said that the proposal was “modelled on the Wild Atlantic Way”.
“On foot of this, in 2017, South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council commissioned a feasibility assessment for the development of a Liffey Blueway, which advised that ‘this section of the River Liffey is not especially suited to Blueway Branding and that investment in and sustaining a Blueway in the study area will not result in significant uplift in inbound tourism and that it is recommended that Blueway Branding is not pursued at this time’,” the council said recently.
However, the council carried out tests of the water as part of the feasibility study, evaluating the viability of the project, with three upstream sites from Leixlip to Lucan Bridge rated ‘poor’.
The pollution in the river was a key stumbling block last time out, but there may still be a future for the concept.
At the recent area committee meeting, the council said: “Whilst noting the findings of the 2017 feasibility assessment, the concept of a Liffey Blueway, including levels of potential intervention, animation opportunities, land ownership and environmental considerations will be assessed as part of the preparation of the new tourism strategy, which is presently underway.”
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