Sir, – I am writing to express support for the points outlined in Robert Dowds’s recent letter (November 4th) about access to Farmleigh Bridge in Dublin and its adjoining environment.
I firmly believe that accessibility to green spaces is critical to the advancement of healthy communities, with the potential to invigorate local economies through increased footfall also being a blindingly obvious benefit.
Moreover, I am in complete agreement with Mr Dowds’s points regarding the need for people to have access to privately-owned land. The substantial proportion of farmland and woodland in Ireland held within private ownership is remarkable, with barely any being held in charitable or government organisations.
Establishing footpaths along the perimeters of fields where agricultural uses are limited would in my view cause no hindrance to landowners and elevate the uses that land can provide to the public.
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I would like to bring to prominence the fact that the Occupiers Liability Act of 1995 was amended in July 2023 removing responsibility from landowners and rightly putting the onus on the recreational user. In my opinion, this amendment should have paved the way for a general reform on how landowners approach land usage with the public.
To initiate any kind of productive reform it is imperative that councillors and TDs have realistic discussions with landowners at a local government level, with any disadvantages being considered and rectified. – Yours, etc,
JAMIE LEONARD,
Dublin 8.