New cultural centre set for heart of city

A planning application for a new cultural building, and eleven new social houses, will be published before March.

Progressing plans for a City Council-owned site at Merchant’s Road comes after Government rubberstamped a pre-planning proposal for the project – and approved a budget of over €4.2m to deliver the mixed-use development.

Chief Executive of Galway City Council Brendan McGrath has confirmed that the project should be ready to go to planning by the end of the quarter one of this year.

He said that a mixed development was “considered desirable from a planning perspective”.

The ground floor will contain a unit that will be for “cultural use”.

“This will strengthen the cultural area including the Pálás Cinema and the proposed Galway Museum extension. This will also facilitate the greater movement of people down Shop Street, through Spanish Arch and up Merchants Road back to Eyre Square,” Mr McGrath said.

Public expressions of interest will be sought before deciding on what will go into the ground floor.

Above the cultural room will be eleven social housing units, including three three-beds and eight two-beds.

“This would be considered an appropriate type of development in the city centre location,” he said.

The project involves the demolition of buildings that have been derelict for years. Neighbouring residents have complained of the empty buildings attracting people involved anti-social behaviour in recent years.