Planning permission has been submitted by Donegal County Council for the planned Barnesmore Gap Greenway, which is proposed to link Donegal Town with Ballybofey and Stranorlar via the Barnesmore Gap and through what the council describes as one of Irelands most spectacular landscapes.The project is described as both an active travel and tourism and leisure route including four trailheads with parking and visitor facilities, and direct connections to three primary schools.The route is 31km long with 6.5km in links to villages and other locations along the route, totalling 37.5km. It will be mainly made up of a shared walking and cycling path of 3 metres wide with verges. While the plans and environmental assessments submitted to An Coimisin Pleanla include a draft Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for lands for the route, the council stressed that its preference remains to acquire lands by voluntary agreement. The project includes public lighting on the route near urban areas, 21 rest areas including facilities such as picnic tables, screening, fencing, three new road underpasses, one new road bridge, and five bridges over rivers and culverts, including a 170-metre-long six-span viaduct over the River Eske. The route will also incorporate existing structures, including 11 bridges and underpasses. The route is described as being in three sections with section one being nearly 15km along a largely greenfield construction from Donegal Town to southwest of Gap, section two being along the abandoned railway corridor alongside the mountain and bog from southwest of Gap to Lough Mourne, and section three being largely along the old railway corridor from Lough Mourne to Stranorlar.Donegal County Council said: The route was developed over a number of years through detailed engineering design, environmental assessment, and extensive consultation with landowners, local communities, elected representatives, statutory bodies, and other stakeholders.Throughout the development of the project, Donegal County Council has placed significant emphasis on engagement and collaboration. The Project Team has undertaken extensive consultation over a number of years with directly affected landowners and property owners, elected representatives, community organisations, statutory consultees and the wider public. This collaborative approach has resulted in numerous refinements to the scheme, helping to minimise impacts where practicable, the council said.Donegal County Council said its National Roads Office Project Team would remain available to meet with landowners throughout the statutory process to respond to questions about the application and land acquisition.While Donegal County Councils preference remains to acquire lands by voluntary agreement wherever possible, the inclusion of a CPO forms an essential part of the statutory approval process for a large project of this nature. Issues necessitating the use of a CPO include, but are not restricted to, probate, land registration as well as ensuring all lands can be acquired and full access provided for construction, the council said. If the project is approved, the council said that it does not anticipate construction starting before 2028, with land acquisition, detailed design, advance works and procurement preceding the construction phase. Public consultation for the project runs from tomorrow, August 17th to September 30th, 2026. You can submit submissions or observations directly to An Coimisin Pleanla. Details are available at barnesmoregapgreenway.ie.#As reported recently, the council is also planning nearly 200km of safe walking and cycling routes planned across four other greenways in Donegal.