Errors prompt Council to map its properties

Galway City Council is to undergo an extensive mapping of its property as councillors voted to sell a piece of ground which had a boundary wall built on it by a private developer.

The land running along the side of  No 63A Upper Newcastle Road came to light when the 2008 house was bought by a couple. They discovered that the builders, Dangan Developments, had erected a boundary wall for their property on land owned by Galway City Council.

The council also owns land at the back of the house which is leased to the Newcastle Combined Community Association.

The strip which is 132 square metres in size was independently valued at €3,500.

The new owners wanted to purchase the land so that their property went as far as the boundary wall.

Director of Services Joe O’Neill said the piece of ground was land locked and could not be used by the council for any purpose.

Cllr Frank Fahy (FG) said there were serious questions raised by the land about how the local authority was managing its property and land portfolio. This property had been given planning permission and never checked that it matched the original drawings.

He knew of one city pub which had built a shed and had car parking, taking over a plot of local authority land. Other council land was being used without permission as there was no central body charged with managing it as land came under the remit of different councils.

Cllr Peter Keane (FF) said the anomaly is in the planning regulations where applicants did not have to show who owned land in order to make planning applications.

Galway City Chief Executive Brendan McGrath said a project was now in place which would map all land being looked after by the different departments.

It would take 12 months to complete but once done it would ensure tight control over council property.

Mr O’Neill said the problem in this instance was not that the land was unregistered but that it was not reconciled with the situation on the ground.

He said any land purchased by the council was registered but it could take up to four years for the process to be finalised.