Unregistered land a concern along proposed Leitrim greenway route

Concerns about land ownership were raised during a recent Manorhamilton Municipal District meeting regarding the proposed Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties Railway Greenway (SLNCR).

The SLNCR Greenway aims to create a route from Sligo Town to Enniskillen, passing through Collooney, Ballintogher, Dromahair, Manorhamilton, Glenfarne, Blacklion, Belcoo, and Letterbreen.

Cllr Eddie Mitchell highlighted that several families have approached him with concerns about the Greenway running through unregistered land they’ve farmed for decades.

He called on the Council to acknowledge the number of landowners in this situation, provide clear guidance on how they can register land or make claims under adverse possession, and organise local information clinics with Tailte Éireann and legal professionals to help landowners understand their rights and options.

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“They’re not going to be able to see payments until land is registered in their name. It takes a fair bit of time to get land registered in your name, so I think it’s a possible constraint for the rollout of the Greenway and it could lead to a lot of bad feelings,” Cllr Mitchell said.

“If it’s a problem for 10 people, we can probably address that, but if it’s a problem for a large portion of the people involved, it could end up being an important constraint and we might need to help people with advice,” he added.

In response, the Capital Projects Office advised that landowners should engage their solicitors early to begin Land Registry applications if needed.

The SLNCR Project is operating under the Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways, which includes a Greenway Sustainability Payment (GSP), made in two parts:

An Early Sign On Payment is made once a Voluntary Land Acquisition Agreement (VLAA) is signed and a Cooperation Payment is made when the project is complete.

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These are in addition to any land acquisition or compensation payments.

For those with unregistered land, it is the landowner’s responsibility to register their title through the Land Registry/Tailte Éireann using their own solicitor. The project does not cover these costs.

A specific Form 5 (application for registration based on possession) has been prepared by the SLNCR legal team and is available from the Public Liaison Officer or online here. 

Landowners are strongly encouraged to engage with the Public Liaison Officer, who can provide guidance and support on registration and other related matters.