Local concern over height of new PorterShed hub

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Local residents have expressed concerns about the height of the proposed PorterShed technology hub on Market Street and the potential for noise from social events on a roof garden there.

The Bowling Green Residents’ Committee has said that while it was informed by PorterShed earlier this year of the plans to redevelop the Connacht Tribune building to create 220 co-working office spaces, it was not aware of the plan to build another storey with a roof garden.

The residents said that while they do not object to the plans for the Tribune building, they want strict conditions enforced on any events which take place in the roof garden, and told Galway City Council that it was difficult to assess the height of the building based on drawings included in the planning application.

In April, Galway City Investment District Ltd, which owns the PorterShed tech business incubation hub behind Ceannt Station, sought permission for the redevelopment of the Tribune building, including the addition of a lightweight floor over the existing two-storey building and a small extension to cater for a lift and stair core. The plans also involve will be a roof garden/decked area overhead.

The overhaul of the building will also include a new frontage onto Market Street and will see co-working space created for up to 220 people.

The Connacht Tribune – which also publishes the Galway City Tribune – sold the building in 2018 and will be moving to new offices in Liosbán Business Park later this summer.

In a submission to the Council, Máire Ní Chionna, Chair of the Bowling Green Residents’ Committee, said a meeting had taken place with PorterShed last January, but locals had not been made aware of the full extent of the plans.

“We were not aware of the proposal to have a further storey added to the existing block along with a roof garden on top of it. We wish to point out that the use of the roof garden for any social events in the evening needs to take into account that there is a residential street in Bowling Green within 30 metres of the proposed that will be affected by noise and music carrying across the roof of the former printworks.”
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read it in full, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.