Connacht Tribune
Opposition grows to plan for Moycullen social housing estate
Opposition is growing against plans to build a social housing estate in Moycullen village – with Galway County Councillor Noel Thomas leading the charge against the proposal to build 31 homes at a site owned by the local authority in the village centre, adjacent to the playground.
His colleague, Green Party Cllr Alastair McKinstry, also based in Moycullen, told the Connacht Tribune that he hasn’t yet decided how he’ll vote on the Part 8 planning application that will come before elected members to give effect to the plans.
The County Council wants to build 27 two-beds and four three-beds at a site on Mountain Road in the townlands of Coill Bhruacháin and Gort Uí Lochlainn. It’s part of Rebuilding Ireland, the Government’s housing policy.
Residents’ associations, local community groups and clubs are among those opposing the plans, and want the parcel of land kept for recreation and amenity.
They insist they are not opposed to social housing, and that the site is not suitable for any housing. They also argue Moycullen doesn’t have adequate facilities for more housing, and want it kept as a public park.
The closing date for receipt of objections and observations to the local authority is June 25.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Thomas is one of several objectors to the new estate – despite his party colleague, Darragh O’Brien, being Minister for Housing.
“You can’t just look to satisfy Department of Housing figures – X amount of houses to be built, and put them anywhere you want. You have to build in an appropriate site, and you should be building in communities and towns that have plenty of services. We’re seriously lacking in services in Moycullen. The school is bursting at the seams; there is no real bus service; no proper community facilities or community centre. And this is where they want to go loading more houses, it just doesn’t add up,” said Cllr Thomas.
He said that it is “a beautiful mature, natural, broad leafed deciduous woodland” site in the village’s heart.
“It is a unique and valuable addition to any village and lends itself naturally to being preserved as a site for community recreation,” said Cllr Thomas.
He pointed out that a majority of people living locally want the land to be used for community, including recreation and amenity.
This is reference to research led by Dr Patrick Collins of NUIG, which formulated Moycullen 2030, a plan with input from over 800 people living locally.
Cllr Thomas said that ‘almost everyone’ who contributed to that plan opted for a community aspect for that site.
“It would be very disappointing if our local authority chooses to continue down its planned path of destruction to go against a community’s wishes,” he said.
Cllr Thomas added: “Apart from the fact that the woodland will be destroyed, even the design of those houses should not be allowed – 31 crammed in together. But unfortunately our local authority currently only cares about achieving numbers to tick boxes for the Department, and zero concern is shown for our community. I can assure you I will be standing by my community on this issue as I have always done. There are many aspects of this development that are wrong and I believe it should not go ahead.”
Cllr McKinstry said he was still undecided; he acknowledged that he has been getting phone calls from people who are against the development. He said he is checking with Council officials about potential flooding issues.
“The site is a resurgence of a spring, and the woods have absorbed much water before. My vote will likely hang on that,” Cllr McKinstry said.
Cllr McKinstry said he had worked with Cllr Tomás Ó Curraoin to oppose what locals deemed excessive housing development in Bearna.
That proposal ultimately bypassed the Council, and was granted by An Bórd Pleanála (ABP).
He pointed out that in Moycullen, too, the Council refused permission for 49 homes at Kylebroughlan, in part due to flooding, but it was granted on appeal by ABP. The Council subsequently bought the houses.
“The Council and locals had no say in the shape of the eventual development,” he said.
“If we don’t grant permission, I fear we will be overruled and the result will not be good development . . . If we vote for the development, we get to specify conditions such as ensuring correct drainage.”
He said that 211 people in the Moycullen area are on the housing waiting list and this is the first time the Council itself will build social housing in the village.
He said the development is primarily for elderly and disabled, and some affordable housing.
Cllr McKinstry said that there are ‘unfounded fears’ that all trees will be removed – he insisted that the plan is to ‘retain trees behind most of Páirc na gCaor’, an adjacent estate.
“People want facilities in Moycullen – the community centre, basketball court, school. I strongly agree and am working on each of these but it needs to be understood these are separate budgets – the funding comes nationally. Failing to build the houses does not make money available for them.
“This is the only public housing planned to be built in Moycullen in the current plan, before 2028. Not building it means telling people who’ve been waiting up to a decade that there is no plan to build houses for them before 2030. I’m extremely reluctant to do that.
“However, there are hydrology concerns that the sewage treatment plant is already suffering, potentially from storm water overflows, possibly from new developments at Kylebroughlan. I need to be sure that this is not an issue and my vote will hang on that,” he said.
Moycullen-based Senator Seán Kyne of Fine Gael did not respond to requests for comment.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
