Council planning major facelift of Galway city centre

Galway City Council has plans to dip into multi-billion euro fund over the next nine years to completely change the face of the city centre.

From next year, €2 billion in Government funding will be available to Ireland’s five regional cities to make a series of major infrastructural investments – with the potential to draw down up to €40 million in 2019 alone.

Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, said the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund will be the kick-start projects in the city that have been on hold since the economic crash hit.

Many projects, including a new ‘Cultural Quarter’ in Dyke Road, the redevelopment of Sandy Road, the Docks and Nuns’ Island have all had the brakes on while the economy recovered.

However, Mr McGrath said this fund could be the catalyst for huge investment in the city, the first of its kind in over a decade.

The scheme will ensure a more structured approach to the city’s development – and an attempt to halt city sprawl by bringing people back into the city centre.

“With this fund, the provision of infrastructure will be in tandem with development. It targets growth, not just in the suburbs but in the actual city centre,” explained Mr McGrath.

“Roughly 50% [of development] should be in the city centre and the balance will be in the suburbs, like with the new suburb in Ardaun,” said Mr McGrath.
This is a preview only. To read the rest of this article and details of the plans, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
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.