New angling access road along Athlone canal is planned

A new 700-metre-road along the Clonown bank of Athlone canal is being planned.

The proposal, by Inland Fisheries Ireland, is designed to create an easy-to-access angling facility for tourists and the public along the Athlone Canal.

The new three-metre-wide road, which is described as an upgrade of an existing path, is to run parallel to the existing Shannon Banks Nature Trail, but on the opposite bank of the canal.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is currently seeking planning permission from Westmeath County Council for the project.

Adjacent to the access road, new access points to the canal will be created at 15m -20m intervals to allow anglers to fish from the bankside from fishing pegs.

The development will include a restricted car parking area with access barrier, new angler access stands at regular intervals along the canal, and the refurbishment of two existing wooden jetties

The access road, which will begin at the Clonown side of Mick McQuaid’s bridge, will be based on a grass paving system (a ground reinforcement grid made of plastic or concrete that supports vehicle weights while letting natural grass grow). It runs along the western bank of the canal to where it meets the River Shannon.

The towpath will feature laybys to allow vehicles to park and to pass. A five-metre diameter turning area at the end of the towpath will also be constructed near the existing steel bridge over the canal.

At regular intervals clearings in the scrub at the canal edge will be made using an excavator to allow for angling access to the pegs. Vegetation and dead wood will also be cleared from the canal using a long arm excavator to create fishing pools.

Inland Fisheries Ireland says over time the areas adjacent to the towpath will naturally re-vegetate.

The road or towpath will have vehicular access through a keypad locked. Pedestrian access will be maintained, but car access will be limited to competition and one-off requests.

Due to high water levels in winter, it is proposed that the construction phase would take place between June and September

An Appropriate Assessment and Natura Impact Statement is submitted as part of the planning application.

It lists a series of potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the towpath access road, and outlines a number of mitigation measures.

It finds that, subject to the mitigation measures being fully implemented, the proposed works would have a negligible effect on an environment of medium sensitivity, leading to nonsignificant effects on the environment.

Among the mitigation measures proposed is the requirement to conduct a survey of the canal to identify waterbird nest sites and the creation of a 50m temporary exclusion zone around nest sites during construction works until young birds have hatched.

Bank clearance works to allow for the installation of fishing pegs should be conducted after August 31 to limit impacts on nesting birdlife, the report also said.