City Council brands Mellows plan for floodlights as ‘excessive’

Galway City Council has described plans for new floodlighting at Liam Mellows GAA grounds in Ballyloughane as “excessive” and ordered them to be scaled back.

The club has been asked to address concerns from a neighbouring resident who said the astroturf cages are making her life a misery”.

The Council has also asked the club why a coastal walkway – a key stipulation from a previous planning permission at what is known locally as Kelly’s Field – has not yet been built.

The club had sought permission to replace eight floodlights with eight floodlight columns, each of 16 metres in height on the existing main pitch and to install eight floodlight columns (12 metres in height) on the training pitch, as well as a generator container.

According to the planning application, Liam Mellows currently fields 23 teams in all grades and age groups, and has over 700 members – the highest number since it was founded in 1933.

“In December 2017, Liam Mellows GAA Club won the Galway Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 1970, bridging a 47-year-gap since the last victory. The County success meant the club qualified for the All-Ireland semi-final, played in February 2018.

“For this first time in many years, this required the club’s main team to train throughout the winter, which seriously exposed the inadequacies of the existing facilities.

“With only one (poorly) floodlit pitch in Ballyloughane, the panel of over 40 players and management were forced to travel to use floodlit pitches in Limerick City, Claremorris and Athlone.

“This reality caused the club to reassess its current and future needs and set the objective of being able to fully accommodate its full playing and training needs at the grounds in Ballyloughane in all weather conditions and at all times of year,” the application reads.

It adds that while their new full-size pitch is due to be completed this year, in the winter months, teams will have to relocate to other floodlit or indoor facilities, such as Galway Community College’s gym or Renmore Community Centre.

“The intention of the application is to provide a sufficient level of floodlighting on the existing grass pitches, to allow the existing level of activity during the summer months be extended into winter months.

“It is not envisaged that the proposed development would result in any direct increase in club members or playing numbers. The works are primarily intended to ensure that the same level of usage the grounds can accommodate during the longer summer evenings, can be extended earlier and later in the calendar year,” the application reads.

According to the club, the existing flood lights are ten metres high and are no longer fit for purpose, having been installed in 2002.

The plans have been supported by Renmore Residents’ Association, which said: “The proposals are entirely in keeping with the recreational and sporting uses of this area and we unreservedly support this application,” the residents’ submission reads.

A resident living at Ballyloughane Strand said her life had been turned into a nightmare since the completion of the cages in 2010, and said she and her late husband had not been made fully aware of the extent of that development by Liam Mellows.

She said footballs and sliotars entering her property were dangerous and posed a health and safety hazard, while the new lights would lead to greater noise levels – including loud shouting of players.

The resident said there had been an enormous increase in traffic to and from the grounds and the parking situation made it impossible for emergency services to access her home.

She said that trespass from users of the facility retrieving balls had become so frequent, that she had to ask the Gardaí for help to stop it.

The City Council has called on the club to comment on the concerns raised by the objector.

They also pointed out that a number of planning conditions in the permission for the new GAA pitch have not been complied with, in particular, the development of a coastal ‘green’ walkway, and have sought clarification on that.

“The [Council] considers that the cumulative visual impact of the existing, permitted and proposed floodlighting and ball stop nets provides for a negative impact on Protected Views (across Galway Bay) by virtue of the number, scale and expanse. The applicant is asked to revise the scale and nature of the development,” planners said.

They added that a report submitted with the application did not satisfactorily demonstrate that the development would not have an impact on the Galway Bay Special Area of Conservation and Inner Galway Special Protection Area.

Planners have also questioned the requirement for two playing pitches and the astroturf pitches to be floodlit, and to clearly outline the number of competitive games it is envisaged will take place on site, and the implications for traffic and parking.