New accommodation complex in city centre for 150 students

Galway City Council has given the go-ahead for the construction of a new accommodation complex at the Fairgreen – with space for nearly 150 students.

Galway businessman and developer Michael Maye sought permission through his development vehicle Cwc Webworks Ltd (Connaught and Whitehall Capital) to develop the six-storey ‘void’ which currently exists alongside the private coach station.

He has also been granted permission to add five new coach parking spaces.

Mr Maye bought the site in 2014 for a figure believed to be in the region of €4.5 million.

The company is now planning to replace previously-approved apartments with a total of 46 units in a managed student accommodation complex.

Each unit will contain between one and six bed spaces, and there will be beds for a total of 147 students in five storeys above ground level.

The plans will see the completion of the Webworks and Sean Duggan Centre development, which stalled after the original developer, Bernard McNamara, declared himself ‘bust’.

The previous permission on the site was for 28 apartments.

The development was originally built at a cost of around €35 million by Workcast, a company belonging to Bernard McNamara. The site had been purchased from Galway City Council for €6.1m.