CITY TRIBUNE
City Council raises concerns over building and fire regulations
The owners of the majority of the North Point retail and office development on the Tuam Road are planning a major overhaul to the scheme – most of which has been vacant since it was built more than a decade ago.
However, Galway City Council has raised concerns about the building’s non-compliance with fire and building regulations and ordered a full structural survey.
The new proposals involve the change of use of the upper floors of the building to medical clinic use and specialist office space for around 400 workers.
An objection has been lodged by a Dundalk businessman, who argued that there is a notable absence of information about the proposed ‘clinic’ and its use – the objection refers to it as a ‘renal dialysis unit’.
ALC (Glenamaddy) Ltd – which is owned by Galway brothers Michael and Albert Conneally of Glenman Corporation – applied to the City Council for changes to the basement and ground level parking to include electric vehicle charging points, motorbike parking and bike spaces.
They have also sought permission to change the first floor from industrial usage to medical clinic use and to change the permitted wholesale retail usage to office space.
On the second floor, the owners propose to construct specialist office space, with solar panels on roof level overhead.
There are also proposals to give the facades of the building an overhaul and new signage.
“Unfortunately, this development has suffered from periods of high vacancy. In an effort to eliminate this, the owners have been in consultation with a number of potential clients as to how the space could be maximised or manipulated to cater for differing economic needs.
“It is after this consultation that this application has been arrived at, whereby the building owner is seeking to provide the maximum floor space within the existing building with associated uses that the market is seeking at the moment.
“The proposed development also allows for improved landscaping, electric vehicle charging stations, solar panels at roof level and all-round improvements to the existing building.
“The proposal seeks to remedy legacy vacancy issues that the North Point development has suffered from by maximising the development’s potential, improving the general external areas and diversifying the unit uses. This would be positive for the area,” the application reads.
An objection the plan has been lodged by Sean O’Hanlon, with an address in Dundalk, who argued that there is a notable absence of information about the clinic and a land use of this nature is not compatible with the ‘CI’ (Enterprise, Light Industry and Commercial) zoning.
“The applicant refers to a medical clinic but does not state what type of medical clinic is involved. Is this a private hospital such as the Hermitage in Lucan, Co. Dublin, is it an urgent care clinic, a primary care facility, a dialysis clinic, a GP clinic or some other type?
“The type of medical clinic involved is critical from a planning perspective in order to get a handle on the numbers of patients, staff, likely frequency of visitors, opening hours etc,” the objection reads.
It goes on to state that the Tuam Road is “notoriously busy” and the development would be car-dependent, as evidenced by the 270 car spaces provided.
The City Council has sought a structural report on the existing building and pointed out “significant non-compliance” with building and fire regulations.
“It is noted that the existing North Point building raises a number of concerns regarding compliance with building control and fire safety regulations and standards.
“Concern regarding the structural capability of the building is also raised. A structural report which assesses the existing building structural capacity is required. This report is to be written buy a Chartered Engineer. Calculations on foundations (soil bearing pressures/piles), columns, floor plates, roof structure, stability are carried out to confirm that the structure is in accordance with relevant codes and capable of supporting the proposed changes of use. Any deficiencies in the existing structure are to be highlighted with proposed recommendations.
“There [are] serious deficiencies with the means of escape and significant noncompliance with aspects of Part B (fire safety certificate) including non-compliant stairways and Part K and M of the Building Regulations. In addition, the fire service has not required perimeter access to this building for firefighting purposes as the building structure (over basement) has not the carrying capacity for a fire tender(s),” the Council said.
The developers now have until the end of next March to submit the further information, or the application will be deemed to have been withdrawn.
The entire North Point complex was developed in 2008 by Tom Considine and Paddy Sweeney at an estimated cost of around €30 million and was constructed by Glenman Corporation.
In an internet auction last year, seven retail warehouse units, three warehouses, six office units and a total of 430 parking spaces in the complex were sold in one lot for €2.25m.
Meanwhile, the City Council has turned down plans for the amalgamation of two units in the North Point development for bulky retail and convenience store use.
Restpoint Ltd, which is operated by Sinead and Billy Millard, had sought permission for the changes to the vacant Units 3 and 4 of the complex, which the company is listed as the owner of.
The application sought for their use for the sale of bulky retail goods and comparison/convenience retailing.
According to the application, an end user had not been identified, but 60% was to be used for bulky goods, 20% for comparison retail and 20% as convenience store use.
Under Retail Planning Guidelines, ‘comparison’ retail uses include clothing and footwear, furnishings, books, newspapers, pharmacy use and household equipment.
The application said the unit “would be suitable for a larger store format comparison retailer with ancillary convenience retail”, with a gross floor area of 1,740 square metres.
In its decision to refuse permission, the City Council said that proposal would be contrary to the zoning objective for the land use under the current City Development Plan, which sets out to “protect and reinforce the strategic role of the city centre as the prime retail area”.
An objection to the application was lodged by RGDATA, the representative group for independent and family-owned grocery outlets, which claimed that the “proliferation” of planned and permitted convenience stores in suburban locations throughout the city is posing a threat to the vitality and vibrancy of the city centre and existing shopping centres.
It added that there would be a shortfall in parking spaces and there would be a significant intensification of traffic in the area.
Tesco Ireland submitted an observation to the Council that expressed concern the development would not be ‘fully aligned’ with Retail Planning Guidelines which state that the sale of non-bulky goods be limited to 20% of the floor area.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
The new Salmon Weir pedestrian and cycle bridge will be officially opened to the public next Friday, May 26.
Work on the €10 million bridge got underway in April 2022, before the main structure was hoisted into place in early December.
A lunchtime tape-cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, as the first pedestrians and cyclists traverse the as-yet-unnamed bridge.
The Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, previously said the bridge, once opened, would remove existing conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and traffic “as well as facilitating the Cross-City Link public transport corridor over the existing 200-year-old bridge”.
The naming of the new bridge has been under discussion by the Council’s Civic Commemorations Committee since late last year.
One name that has been in the mix for some time is that of the first woman in Europe to graduate with an engineering degree – Alice Perry.
Ms Perry, who was from Wellpark, graduated from Queen’s College Galway (now University of Galway) in 1906. The university’s engineering building is named in her honour.
The bridge was built by Jons Civil Engineering firm in County Meath and was assembled off-site before being transported to Galway. Funding for the project was provided in full by the National Transport Authority and the European Regional Development Fund.
(Photo: Sheila Gallagher captured the city’s new pedestrian footbridge being raised on the south side of the Salmon Weir Bridge in December. It will officially open next Friday, May 26).
From the Galway City Tribune – Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell was labelled a “disgrace” for overturning councillors’ decisions to rezone land in the new City Development Plan.
Minister O’Donnell (pictured) confirmed in a letter to Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath last week that he was reversing 25 material alternations made by councillors to the CDP 2023-29. He made the decision on the advice of Office of Planning Regulator (OPR).
Minister O’Donnell directed that 14 land parcels that were subject to land-use zoning changes by councillors as part of the Material Alterations to the Draft CDP should be reversed.
He directed that a further 11 land parcels in the city should become “unzoned”.
The Minister found that the CDP had not been made in a manner consistent with recommendations of the OPR, which required specific changes to the plan to ensure consistency with the national planning laws and guidelines.
At last week’s Council meeting Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG) asked for clarity on the process by which councillors could rezone the lands that had been changed by the Minister’s direction.
Cllr Declan McDonnell said, “What he [Minister O’Donnell] has done is an absolute disgrace”.
And he asked: “Do we have to have another development plan meeting to deal with it?”
Both Cllrs Hoare and McDonnell wondered what would become of the lands that were rezoned or unzoned by the ministerial direction.
Mr McGrath said the Council had put forward an argument in favour of retaining the material alterations in the plan, but ultimately the Minister sided with OPR.
He said if councillors want to make alterations to the new plan, they could go through the process of making a material alteration but this was lengthy.
The Save Roscam Peninsula campaign welcomed the Minister’s decision.
In a statement to the Galway City Tribune, it said the direction would mean the Roscam village area on the Roscam Peninsula will be unzoned and a number of land parcels would revert back to agriculture/high amenity.
A spokesperson for the campaign said: “the material alterations made by city councillors following lobbying by developers continued the long-standing practice of councillors facilitating a developer-led plan rather than an evidence- and policy-based plan that meets the needs of the city.
“The Minister’s direction is an important step in restoring confidence in the planning system. It is clear from the City Council’s own evidence on future housing projections that there was no requirement to zone these lands for residential purposes in order to meet the needs of the targeted population increase up to 2029,” the spokesperson added.
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