Investigation demanded into rezoning plans

Date Published: 20-Feb-2009

THE Minister for the Environment has been urged to intervene in planning matters at Galway City Council and investigate “incredible” and “ludicrous” proposals to rezone large tracts of land in the city that could more than double the value to the developers.

At a special meeting of the Council on Monday night, councillors will be asked to vote to rezone more than 24 acres of land, currently zoned Industrial and Residential, to Commercial – Cllr Daniel Callanan (Ind) claims that, if passed, the rezoning will enrich developers ‘at the stroke of a pen’.

The proposals involve rezoning 17.5 acres of Industrial zoned land near Trapper’s Inn on the Tuam Road to Commercial; and rezoning 6.5 acres of Residential zoned land at the former Corrib Great Southern Hotel on the Dublin Road to Commercial.

This is in addition to an earlier proposal to rezone more than eight acres of land in Knocknacarra, which is the result of a land-swap deal between the Council and a developer that is tied-in with…