A settlement in a long-running dispute over an alleged right of way across Dún Laoghaire Golf Club's new course on the Dublin-Wicklow border is to be brought before the Circuit Court for approval next week.
The settlement terms, which were outlined to members of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council by county manager Derek Brady this week, involve a slight alteration to the route of a walking trail, but the beginning and end points of the trail are retained.
Legal costs are to be borne by the Cosgrave Brothers property group, owner of the land and developer of the course. The group will also contribute €3,000 to the council towards the realignment of the route.
The issue is just one of a series of disputes over walking rights in the Dublin and Wicklow uplands.
The Enniskerry Walking Association complained that the trail, which was designated in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan, was under threat by the development of the golf course. Cosgrave appealed the inclusion of the trail in the development plan to the Circuit Civil Court.
News of the proposed settlement comes as Fáilte Ireland has advertised for consultants to present a strategy "to maximise the potential of walking holidays in the shortest possible time frame".
It plans to market walking holidays in key international and domestic markets.
Under the deal, the golf club has agreed to sell its town centre course to Cosgrave for a reported € 100 million.
Cosgrave, for its part, agreed to build the new 27-hole course and clubhouse in Ballyman, near Enniskerry, as well as give the club € 20 million in cash.
The deal benefited from a council decision to rezone the existing town centre site for major residential development.
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