Galway City Council urged to plan for Salthill overhaul

Salthill businesses have urged Galway City Council to include a ‘cycling solution’ as part of the local authority’s proposals for flood defences to be built along the coast.

The Village Salthill business association said that “a properly engineered cycling solution for Salthill [should] be incorporated” into the Coirib go Cósta, Galway City Flood Relief Scheme.

“This would ensure that major structural work is undertaken only once and the public realm is enhanced and settled quickly,” the group said, in its submission to the Galway City Development Plan 2023-29.

It said that a Local Area Plan should be developed for Salthill, to include flood defences; and it called for a series of changes to improve the offering of Salthill.

It said that the LAP should incorporate plans for Leisureland and Salthill Park, which it described as “two of Galway’s greatest amenities”.

The business association has asked that Toft Park and the redundant ‘old tourist office’ in Salthill be added to the Council’s brief of plans for a study of Leisureland as part of the City Development Plan.

“Public spaces and amenities in Salthill are vitally important and we see their upgrading and preservation as critical to our future,” its submission said.

It argued that the Salthill Prom is Galway’s “jewel in the crown”, but it has suffered from a lack of investment over a number of years.

“We propose that now is the time for a comprehensive upgrade to be put in place for the lifetime of this development plan,” it said.

The Village Salthill made a number of suggestions including the reinstatement of tidal pools at Ladies’ Beach; rerouting of all overhead cables underground in the village centre; the creation of an area for boules along the Prom; the creation of a ‘photo opportunity sign’ on the Prom; the creation of a sculpture trail to link Salthill with the West End and City; the installation of pontoons at Palmers Rock; and enhancement works to improve connectivity between the village and Prom.

The submission highlighted the importance of Blue Flag beaches.

“Currently we have Blue Flag status in Salthill Beach. We propose that Galway City Council upgrade Grattan Road Beach to Blue Flag status also as a ‘connector’ to the city and an extension of the ‘clean coastal area’,” the Salthill Village group said.

(Photo: Image from vision document for Salthill prepared by Patrick McCabe Architects)