Connacht Tribune
Housing plans in Oranmore rejected despite record demand
Applications to collectively build 200 new homes in Oranmore have been rejected by planners in recent months – despite demand for accommodation hitting new highs.
Three separate applications have turned down by Galway County Council – the latest for a proposed development of 70 residential units for Oranhill, Oranmore was rejected by planners on density, traffic and environmental grounds.
And that brought a furious reaction from local Councillor Liam Carroll, who said described the grounds for refusal of some of the applications as ‘spurious’ – at a time when the housing waiting list is at crisis point.
“This is crazy stuff,” he said – and he now believes that the higher planning authority, An Bord Pleanála, need to rule on such matters.
“Since we passed the County Development Plan last year and zoned lands in the Oranmore area for housing, three separate applications have been rejected by planners.
“It is not that these lands are on flood plains as I would not support any areas zoned for residential development that would be prone to flooding. It is a matter that I will be raising with Galway County Council,” added Cllr Carroll.
He also refuted claims from one objector to the Oranhill plan that primary schools in Oranmore were so full that parents are forced to bring their children to other towns and villages.
Instead Cllr Liam Carroll pointed out that primary schools in Oranmore had accepted 29 children from Ukraine as well as accommodating children from 27 different nationalities.
His comments come after planners saw problems with the density of a proposed development of residential units as they refused permission for the scheme. Environmental issues – as well as a lack of public open space – wee also given as reasons for the refusal of the proposed 70 dwellings at Oranhill.
Planning permission was sought by BRTW Oranmore 2 Ltd – headed up by publican Jonathan Duggan – for the construction of 70 residential units. These included the provision of two-, three- and four-bedroom houses along with 30 apartments.
It was also proposed to provide car and bicycle parking along with the provision of public open space as well as shared communal and private open space.
The site is located less than half a mile from the Oranmore town centre and is adjacent to the existing Oranhill housing estate.
It is situated in a mix of agricultural lands along with detached and semi-detached dwellings and is not too far from the main N67 Galway to Kinvara road.
However, Galway County Council has turned down plans for the development of the 70 residential units on the basis that the layout, density, bulk and massing would negatively impact on the visual amenity of the area.
They said that it would represent an inappropriate form of development and added that as it occupies a prominent location on the approach to Oranmore, the apartment building was deemed inappropriate.
According to planners, the internal layout of the site is dominated by vehicular access routes as well as poor quality and insufficient landscaping and open space.
Furthermore, the planners say that the application does not adequately demonstrate that the existing road network, including a junction onto the N67, can accommodate the proposed development.
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.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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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
