Call for action on “landing strip” road

Date Published: 06-Jun-2008

A City Councillor has called on planning officials to force a prominent Galway businessman to immediately reinstate lands in Knocknacarra to the way they were before he illegally developed a road that is as wide “as a landing strip for small aircraft”.

The aerial photograph (shown) taken recently shows the extent of the unauthorised works carried out by city auctioneer John O’Dolan at his lands along the shore at Lough Rusheen which is zoned amenity and is leading into a candidate Special Area of Conservation.

At the Circuit Court last month the works were deemed to be in breach of planning regulations; however Judge Raymond Groarke adjourned the hearing to July 23 to enable the auctioneer to
“liaise with the City Council and move things along”.

The Council this week informed Cllr Donal Lyons that the unauthorised works “can only be rectified by a successful application for retention”, however he is calling on the Council to instruct Mr O’Dolan to restore the lands to what they previously were.

“People may not be able to see it from the Barna Road, but the aerial photographs clearly show the extent of the unauthorised works that the developer undertook in an area that is zoned amenity
and Special Area of Conservation.

“It’s clearly not a walkway, it’s 22 metres wide in places which is wider than the Barna Road. Why did he build a roadway there? it…