Eyesores Out By November

Date Published: 29-Aug-2008

THE oil tanks at Galway Docks are to be relocated by November. Preparation work is already being carried out on part of the 40-acre site, known as the Galway Harbour Enterprise Park which will be home eventually to all the oil tanks.

This is all part of redeveloping the Docklands though initially the site at the Docks will be used as the location of a festival village for the Volvo Ocean Race next May, while part of an existing carpark, also owned by the Docks, will be used as a repair area for contestants’ vessels during the Galway stopover next June.

CEO of the Galway Harbour Company, Tom O’Neill confirmed that the existing six oil tanks on the Docks Road would be relocated by this November. However, the relocation of other tanks nearer to Lough Atalia may not be as seamless for a number of reasons.

This week, Galway businessman John Sweeney announced he would be just as happy locating his oil tanks at Ros a Mhil Harbour in the Connemara Gaeltacht — though that could only happen if it was developed as a deep sea berth.

Though the Ros a Mhil harbour received national status as a major port over 20 years ago, the Government has not matched that with the investment.

Rivalry between the two ports has increased in recent years, especially since a marina proposal for Galway was mooted.

Many developers would welcome a deep sea berth for Galway so that the docklands could be developed commercially. However, Mr Sweeney has now said he would be interested in building a hotel at Ros a Mhil, if…