Connacht Tribune
Galway County Council launches new housing schemes
A sum of €25 million will be ploughed into tackling the county’s housing shortage with the construction of three social housing schemes this year.
This figure is on top of the €15 million spent last year on refurbishing and building new Council houses across Galway.
And Galway County Council last week unveiled a new plan to set up a dedicated team of experts to draw down more money from the State to continue to invest in housing projects to ease the housing and homelessness crisis.
Director of Services for Housing, Michael Owens said the Council was pumping €25 million into building social houses in the county this year and next. He detailed three housing projects that were at design, contract and construction stage and which would increase the social housing stock by over 110.
Some 68 homes are under construction in Tullahill in Loughrea, and these will be delivered on a phased basis between now and the end of 2020, he said.
Another four homes are to be built in An Cheathrú Rua; and the contract for this project was awarded to Finna Construction earlier this month.
The €25m cash will also allow for the appointment of a design team for the construction of approximately 40 houses in Tir an Bhuí in Tuam.
Mr Owens also informed County Councillors on Monday that some €15 million had been invested already in the Tuam regeneration area which comprised of the refurbishment of 21 houses on Gilmartin Road, the construction of 40 new homes in Cúil Ghréine (28) and Gort an Chláir (12), which are all due for completion in July and the approval for the 40 houses in Tir an Bhuí.
Other projects – including new social houses in Clifden and Roundstone – were also being progressed, Mr Owens assured Connemara Councillors Eileen Mannion and Gerry King.
Chief Executive of Galway County Council Kevin Kelly outlined his vision to create an ‘urban and rural regeneration team’ made up of engineers and Council staff, which would be dedicated to drawing down grants for more housing projects.
Mr Kelly said the County Council has been very successful in the recent past at tapping into funding streams but a dedicated team that targets grant applications could reap even more rewards for the county.
He was awaiting approval from the Department to fund the team, he said. He explained that Government funding streams have increased in recent years to tackle the homeless crisis facing the country and the Council needed a dedicated team to capitalise and get its fair share of the additional funding.
Cllr Mary Hoade (FF) said it was a good idea and suggested that priority was being given to projects that were ‘shovel ready’. Cllr Liam Carroll (FG) said a dedicated team to draw down funding would be welcome.
Mr Kelly said the Council needs to get Government approval for the new team, and there was no budget yet for it. “The question is not whether we can afford it, but can we afford not to,” he asked.
Cllr Joe Byrne (FG) said there were a lot of positive developments on the housing front in the county, and he asked that Mr Owens give a presentation to elected members about all of the housing projects that are being progressed at the moment.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
