Concerns over bus routes ‘threat’ to recreational areas

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – An apparently minor change to the Galway City Development Plan to make way for a cross-city bus link risks giving the unelected Council Executive ‘carte blanche’ to ride roughshod over recreation and amenity areas, as long as it’s in the name of better transport.

That was the stark warning of Councillor Colette Connolly at a City Council meeting this week where she said the changes in text proposed could have serious consequences for green areas in the city.

Councillors were presented with an alteration to the Development Plan to make way for a new junction at the bottom of College Road, a move they were told would allow plans for the new Cross-City Link for buses to progress.

However, the inclusion of “support any additional land requirements where deemed necessary through design along the associated routes and acknowledge that the objective to deliver” the city centre access network, public bus network and cycle network “and associated traffic management and infrastructural changes has priority over other objectives including land use zoning objectives along identified routes” in the specific objective raised concern.

Cllr Connolly believed this text would preclude councillors from voting on future use of recreation and amenity-zoned lands, and critically, would circumvent the need to hold any public consultation.

“I am the biggest supporter of public transport, of cycling routes and pedestrian routes, but I can’t  understand why we need to remove the rights of residents and of councillors to question the validity of such a development,” said Cllr Connolly.

“They put it out there that this is for the public good, but my direct experience suggests otherwise,” she added, pointing out that the  public park in Shantalla has frequently been given up as a recreation space in favour of temporary car parks and for the hospital helipad.

“There is no protection for recreation and amenity-zoned spaces in this city.”

Cllr Connolly said ‘jewels in the city’s crown’ such as Merlin Woods would be at risk of being cut up, provided that it was as part of the transport strategy, and all without due process.

(Image: the proposed change to College Road which prompted the request to change the wording of the Galway City Development Plan)
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story and details of the proposed wording, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.