News
Housing planning restrictions lifted on Crown Square site
Councillors have voted to accept recommendations which could see a 20% cap on residential development lifted at the former Crown Control site in Mervue.
Described by one councillor as “the biggest hole across the city”, the future of the five hectare piece of land turned out to be divisive during lengthy meetings to discuss the Draft City Development Plan 2017-2023.
In their submission, joint receivers Kieran Wallace and Patrick Horkan, had sought amendments to the specific development objectives included in the previous plan.
They stated that the 20% cap (140 units) on residential development had limited the viability of the site, and they sought for this to be lifted.
They further called for a removal of restrictions on site access, which they said compromised connectivity. And, they wanted the reference to a four-storey building height restriction removed, on the grounds that there was capacity to accommodate higher buildings in less sensitive locations within the site.
City Council Chief Executive, Brendan McGrath, had recommended an amendment to the draft plan as follows: “The majority of retail floor space to be dedicated for bulky goods retailing and the balance for local retailing needs . . . parking shall be kept back from Monivea Road, and separated from the Monivea Road by buildings. The design of frontage facing Monivea Road shall be of a high architectural standard.”
He further recommended removal of the current restrictions on residential development (20% cap), access to the site from the Monivea Road, and building heights.
Mervue-based councillor, Declan McDonnell, told fellow members that this was “a very sensitive situation for a lot of us”, but he agreed that the site was not viable without some changes.
“I met the receiver and asked him had NAMA ever advertised the site with the existing restrictions – he said no,” the councillor said.
“They said the site won’t work unless the restrictions are lifted and there is an exit onto the Monivea Road.”
He expressed concern at Mr McGrath’s recommendations that the cap on residential development be lifted altogether.
“I worry that if you don’t put restrictions on residential, you are going to have difficulties,” he said. “I’d like to limit it to 40% (280 units). A full-lifting is too much.”
Fellow City East councillor, Terry O’Flaherty, said that she, too, had had a lot of consultation with residents in the area and, in keeping with their wishes, she sought to keep the plan as it was, except to remove the building cap of 20%.
Senior Planner Caroline Phelan reminded members that the restrictions they were now complaining about had been placed on the site either by themselves or their predecessors on the previous Council.
She agreed with Cllr McDonnell that allowing a greater number of homes would make the site “more acceptable and attractive to get it developed.”
However, she cautioned against leaving the Monivea Road side without an entrance/exit to the site.
“It is a huge site, and you are not going to avoid traffic on the Monivea Road,” she said.
“If you don’t allow access, you’re inviting rear elevation onto that road.”
Brendan McGrath agreed, and said that the changes proposed “probably constituted bad planning.”
“The Crown site is one of the biggest holes in the ground in Galway City, and you could look at it and do nothing. It is a site that adjoins GMIT campus, is proximate to the broader city centre, it will be on the bus corridor, and rather than tying yourselves up in knots, see what will work best for the community.”
He said it would be much better for the community to have a well-designed residential development at this location, rather than a large retail one that closes down in the evenings.
“This is a huge site, in the Galway context, and we do want to limit the intrusion to residents, but as councillors you have to look to the future,” he said.
Cllr Michael Crowe agreed that there were wider matters to be considered when deciding the future of this site. “We have to act in the best interests of the whole city,” he said. “The amendments are in the best interests of this process.”
He proposed that Mr McGrath’s recommendations be adopted, which was seconded by Cllr Niall McNelis. This passed on a narrow margin – nine in favour, eight against, and one abstention (Declan McDonnell).
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.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
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.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
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
