Glenfarne Woods project a great opportunity for North Leitrim

Funding for a €7.94m project in Glenfarne was applied for this week by the local authority with 90 per cent of the funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development. The council is set to contribute €240,000 if the project is successful.
The project will include a boardwalk, a playground, a sensory trail and new car parking facilities as well as designated forest bathing locations.
The Glenfarne Wood Project, is the second largest regeneration project being proposed by Leitrim County Council (in conjunction with Coillte) Bernard Greene, Senior Planner told members at a special meeting.
Cllr Sean McDermott, who has long campaigned to see the project brought to fruition, said the amount of work that has gone into the project is “enormous” and praised the council and Coillte for the “speed of it.”
He noted there has been an objection to the boardwalk but said that “you only have to look at Drumshanbo and see what the boardwalk has done for there. Then there is a Coillte boardwalk beside Blacklion and that has had a great impact in that area.”
He added the proposed development would enhance the existing amenities in Glenfarne. “We are utilising the history of Glenfarne forest and lake to our benefit and will get a lot more people coming from Northern Ireland stopping off in Leitrim.
“It's a north Leitrim project and will have a huge impact in the whole region and it's the first time money like that was spent in a really rural area. It's on the main thoroughfare from Belfast to the west of Ireland and not far from airports so it's perfectly located,” he said.
With the return of the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, Cllr McDermott added that he felt “it really is a cross-border project because we border Cavan and Fermanagh.”
He thanked everyone who “worked diligently on the project” adding he was “very excited about it.”
He formally proposed the project which was then seconded.
Cllr Frank Dolan said that the project, if it comes to fruition, is “the biggest investment in a rural project in the county that we have ever seen. We are talking about serious money here and will be a huge advantage to the whole of north Leitrim.”
Cllr Padraig Fallon agreed, saying that the nearly €8m project is “massive money; it's a massive project. I believe it will be good for tourism and the economy of north Leitrim and possibly the whole of Leitrim. We have been talking about the need to develop projects in Leitrim for years now and I would welcome it most definitely.”
Cllr Felim Gurn praised the work of Coillte and the Leitrim County Council staff regarding the project.

Project details
Works will be done at Glenfarne Wood gate lodge entrance/ amenity start point to include an information point and a small car and bicycle parking area (with around 20 car parking spaces).
A new trailhead centre point which will connect to the existing trail network as well as the proposed greenway from the Gate Lodge entrance is proposed, which includes a service building, congregation area, vehicle and bicycle parking, sheltered event space, open playground, sensory trail and proprietary wastewater treatment system.
A proposed playground will be located adjacent to the current road.
A sensory trail is proposed to be located close to the playground and includes features, surfaces, objects and plants that stimulate the senses.
supportive of the project not forgetting the Consultants who had to work on occasions on a very tight time frame.

Full details in this week's Leitrim Observer...