Connacht Tribune
New homes plan a ‘fatal accident waiting to happen’
A local residents’ association has objected to plans for the construction of nearly 40 new homes in Claregalway, warning that additional traffic in the area would be a “fatal accident waiting to happen”.
Residents in the adjoining Riveroaks estate also argue that no insurance company offers flood insurance for their homes.
Developer Walter King has sought permission to develop the 3.8-acre site at Summerfield for 39 houses and 78 parking spaces.
The plans involve 22 three-bed semis, 6 two-bed end of terrace, 6 two-bed mid-terrace, 3 three-bed terraced and 2 four-bed semis, accessed from the Riveroaks estate.
Because the lands are in a Gaeltacht area, 20% of the development (eight dwellings) must be reserved for Irish speakers for a 15-year period.
“The proposed development will provide additional residential units within Claregalway which will augment and support the existing population centre. The provision of an additional 39 units will not have an adverse impact on the linguistic integrity of the area due to the population levels and the numbers of Irish speakers in the vicinity.
“Furthermore, in compliance with the Gaeltacht Local Area Plan, eight residential units will be reserved for Irish-speaking members of the community for a 15-year period. The reservation of eight houses for Irish speakers will help strengthen the language in the village and this is in addition to any further Irish speakers that may occupy the 31 remaining proposed houses,” the application reads.
Four houses will be transferred to the County Council to meet social housing requirements.
The Riveroaks Residents’ Association has made a submission the Council outlining the reasons it is not in favour of the development, including Health and Safety issues.
“Riveroaks is a very large estate with a single access point to the main N17 road which is also shared with a shopping centre and the Claregalway Hotel and is already extremely dangerous with one resident recently suffering a near-fatal accident.
“Traffic volumes through the village are still dangerously high and this is compounded by the fact that the entrance to Riveroaks frequently flooded due to hopelessly inadequate storm drainage systems in the village.
“The junction is potentially lethal as due to the curvature of the road, visibility is extremely limited on both sides and we feel it would be grossly irresponsible to allow heavy construction traffic in particular to access a large site like this through this route.
“We also have strong concerns about the health and safety of residents and young children in particular – the route from the estate entrance through to this proposed development is approximately 500 metres long and passed by many open entrances – the additional traffic through this route is a fatal accident waiting to happen,” the objection reads.
Residents also point out the development borders a documented flood plan, and while an engineering report with the application found the development and access road would be in a low-risk zone, “the reality is that no insurance company currently offers flood cover for any property in Riveroaks estate”.
They also took issue with GK Developments, the company which built Riveroaks – headed by Walter King – over unfinished work and delays in the estate including road surfacing, footpaths and drainage.
Concerns were also expressed that there would be nearly 200 houses and apartments, with no plans for recreational facilities and while children are already playing in close proximity to the road.
The Council is due to make a decision on the application in the middle of September.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
