CITY TRIBUNE
Draft plan outlines new neighbourhood park for Knocknacarra
The broad outline of a new neighbourhood park to serve Knocknacarra has been unveiled by Galway City Council.
A draft framework plan for Kingston recreation and amenity lands was published this week following an extensive public consultation process.
The plan, in its conclusion, says it “makes sense” to explore linking the existing facilities at Millar’s Lane to the development of new facilities at lands at Kingston – adjacent to St John the Apostle National School.
The plan includes huge input from local sports groups, community organisations, residents’ associations, and individuals.
The lack of public parks and open spaces in Knocknacarra caused “great frustration” for a large number of people who gave feedback.
There was a “general feeling of being victims of poor planning . . . alongside a fear that the proposed project may take too long to happen for a generation of children,” according to the draft plan.
“A large number of submissions received highlighted the desire to see an open space facility accessible to all members of the community,” it states.
The draft plan says a large number of submissions highlighted the need for Knocknacarra National School to have access to the proposed park and sports facilities.
Many residents are unhappy.
Kingston Gardens Residents’ group were not opposed to the development but had “serious concerns” around access to it, parking and traffic.
Whiteoaks Residents’ Association had “strong objections” to access to the lands through an existing gate, which has been subject to ongoing legal action, the report states. Clybaun Court residents submitted a “strong objection” to accessing the Kingston lands through their estate.
Gort Siar Residents’ Association emphasised the need for a “mixed-use recreational facility” as part of a proper plan for the entire area.
Gleann na Coille want the facility to cater for children, taking into account the growing population of Knocknacarra.
A number of submissions, including from Galway Hockey Club, outlined the need for a shared surface suited to hockey due to an “acute citywide under-provision of hockey facilities” compared with other sports.
Barna Knocknacarra Rugby Club outlined an “urgent need” for a suitable facility to host mini rugby.
The lack of pitch provision for rugby within the city was highlighted compared to the “wealth of provision of GAA and soccer facilities”.
“The absence of changing and toilet facilities in McGrath’s Field is a particular issue for the continuation of girls’ participation in the sport, while the limitation of space is preventing the club expanding to meet demand and potential,” the report said.
Salthill Knocknacarra GAA made a submission emphasising “how bereft the locality is of public parks and the importance of retaining and developing lands as community park”.
Knocknacarra AFC welcomed the proposal for a park and sports facilities but also looked for “improved communication” with the Council over Cappagh Park.
Galway Archers made a submission highlighting a for indoor and outdoor facilities; and Galway Orienteers outlined a desire for the development “to be suitable for orienteering incorporating suitable control sites.”
Other submissions called for a biking track and trail, a handball alley, a walking and running track, a sensory garden, bowling and boules.
Galway St Patrick’s scout group outlined how it offers a constructive alternative for children not suited to sports and made suggestions based on its need for an indoor and outdoor facility.
The public consultation process, according to the report, has confirmed a “clear deficit of provision” of facilities for many sports, most notably hockey and rugby.
“The public consultation has highlighted the flexibility and willingness of sports clubs to enter into shared provision arrangements if required, however the differing surface requirements for various sports means this may not always be feasible,” the report notes.
The Kingston lands undoubtedly hold the potential to meet a significant level of demand, it “makes sense to explore the idea of expanding the parameters of this project to examine the potential synergies between the Kingston lands and the nearby Millar’s Lane facilities.”
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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