Concerns raised over £15k annual maintenance cost for Altnahinch Dam trail

Altnahinch Dam, County Antrim (IMAGE: Lauren Penman)

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council members have voiced concerns over the annual maintenance cost for a proposed dust path at Altnahinch Dam.

At September’s Leisure and Development Committee meeting, members approved the advancement of negotiations with NI Water to secure an agreement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), allowing further development of the PEACEPLUS-funded Altnahinch Dam circular trail project.

Councillors also approved plans to proceed to Stage 1 of the project — a scoping exercise and outline design.

Altnahinch Dam, County Antrim (IMAGE: Lauren Penman)

An accompanying officer’s report stated:

“This MoU outlines the responsibilities of both parties throughout the design, development, implementation, and future management of the Altnahinch Dam Walk.”

The report continued:

“Council will assume full responsibility for the construction, maintenance, and management of any new path network… and NI Water will remain fully responsible for existing infrastructure maintenance and liability.”

A proposed maintenance schedule for the walk estimated an annual cost of £15,065.

Altnahinch Dam, County Antrim (IMAGE: Daniel Carson)

Sinn Féin Councillor Maighréad Watson said there was a great deal of local excitement around the prospect of a new walkway due to the “near non-existence in the area”, and asked how the £15,065 figure compared to costs for other similar dust paths in the borough.

“I’ve looked into a few of the projects in the past, like Garvagh Forest, with a ten-kilometre path that’s on land not owned by council and is similar to this project, so how was this figure configured and by whom?” she asked.

Head of Tourism and Recreation, Peter Thompson, responded:

“It’s very difficult to make an accurate assessment of what future maintenance costs are for a scheme like this.

“Factors such as bad erosion, heavy usage by the public, vandalism — all these things affect the durability of the experience. The costing schedule is very much based on a worst-case scenario, whereby major refurbishment of that pathway is required.”

Altnahinch Dam, County Antrim (IMAGE: Lauren Penman)

He added that Garvagh has “a mixture of forest roadways and eight kilometres of dedicated mountain bike trails — eight times the size of what we’re proposing at Altnahinch Dam — and we only spend between £10,000 and £11,000 annually on that significant trail network.”

“The figures in the report are based on a worst-case scenario,” Mr Thompson reiterated. “In the first five years we would like to think that there would be no money spent in terms of general maintenance.

“But we budget for those extraordinary circumstances where we have to allocate a full expenditure to ensure that the pathways are in good condition.”