Knocknacarra residents to petition against 300-apartment complex

Residents have begun a petition against the proposed development of 330 apartments at the entrance to the Gateway Retail Park following a second public meeting which was attended by 120 people.

There are plans to bring the petition door-to-door at the eight estates likely to be most affected by the extra traffic generated by hundreds of extra residents living along the Western Distributor Road in Knocknacarra if the plan gets the green light.

Local resident and Councillor John Connolly said traffic is the most issue worrying people about the project, which involves five separate apartment blocks on a 2.4 hectare site to be rented out to tenants.

Everybody at the meeting has been urged to lodge individual submissions to An Bord Pleanála by January 3.

“When we went door-to-door we found people weren’t even aware this had been submitted for planning and then Cllr Donal Lyons suggested we call a public meeting, which we did, when around 40 people attended,” explained the Fianna Fáil Councillor.

“After that we decided to call another meeting for last Monday and at least 120 people up and, again, people were saying they had very little knowledge about this – yet there is a very short window for the public to give their views on it.

“So, a petition was started and people have volunteered to go around their own estates to raise awareness and ask people to sign the petition. We already have 130 signatures which will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála.”

In his own submission, Cllr Connolly argues that the proposed density breaches national guidelines contained in the Sustainable Urban Housing Design Standards.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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