Former laundry to be demolished to eliminate vandalism

The owners of the derelict Connacht Laundry site in ‘the West’ are planning to demolish all the buildings there, in order to eliminate vandalism and trespassing.
The site clearance paves the way for the construction of an upmarket €10 million hotel.
Padraic and Martina McHale from Clonbur have applied for planning permission to demolish everything on the 2.1 acre site, except the boundary wall, and an unoccupied dwelling on St Helen’s Street.
The plan involves a complete clearance of the site – rubble and stones will be segregated from other waste components and placed in individual skips pending removal by contractors.
“The proposed development involves the removal of the existing buildings and structures to eliminate issues related to vandalism and unauthorised access and the associated problems relating to public safety.
“The existing paved areas, including carparking areas, will remain in place. The existing boundaries, including entrance gates, will also remain intact as part of this proposal,” the planning application reads.
According to the applicants, public roads will be inspected regularly for cleanliness and cleaned as necessary and a street cleaner will be available as required.
The developers have already told planners they expect to have a luxury €10m hotel built on the site by 2018.
The McHales purchased the site out of receivership last year for an estimated €2m – a fraction of the €30m paid for it in 2006.
A decision on the demolition application is expected from planners at the end of November.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.