New Government agency to drive Dyke Road redevelopment

Galway City Tribune – A massive redevelopment plan for the Dyke Road area – likely to include residential units, student accommodation and commercial units – has been earmarked as a priority by the Government’s new Land Development Agency.

However, fears have been expressed for the future of the proposed concert hall on the site of the Black Box – prompting a call for representatives of the new agency to come into the City Council Chamber and outline their ideas.

The €1.25 billion agency was unveiled last week with the key objective of ‘opening up key sites not being optimally used’ for the construction of homes.

It has secured an agreement in principle with the City Council for the Dyke Road lands (understood to include the carpark and Black Box) for a ‘residential/student/commercial’ development.

The site was previously identified as the location for a new concert hall and bed spaces for hundreds of students – which would be linked to the NUI Galway campus by a pedestrian and cycle bridge running on the piers of the old Galway-Clifden railway line.

A spokesperson for the Council told the Galway City Tribune that the details of the project still had to be determined, and that the local authority would be “tapping into the expertise” of the LDA.

“The LDA with their expertise will allow us to use that expertise, such as procurement specialists, quantity surveyors etc to fast-track the project and deliver it quicker than the Council would by itself,” the spokesperson said.

However, Cllr Michael Crowe said last week’s announcement raises more questions than it answers.
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