Planning battle brewing over housing land near Merlin Woods

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – A planning battle is brewing over the potential to develop housing on land near protected woodlands at Merlin.

Galway City Council has acquired a parcel of land near Merlin Woods that could pave the way for it to build up to 150 houses.

Brendan McGrath, the Chief Executive, confirmed the local authority has paid €600,000 for 1.38 acres known as Quarry House Lands.

It is zoned for Residential use and is beside a larger site of 5.2 acres at Merlin Lane, which the City Council bought in 2018.

The larger site acquired three years ago is zoned Low Density Residential, but planners have indicated that they may seek to rezone it to Residential, which would allow for a higher density of housing.

When the new land purchase is combined with the existing land owned by the Council, the 6.58 acres plot could accommodate up to 150 new homes, if the larger site was rezoned.

The new plot contains an old Quarry House, which is a listed building; the plot bought in 2018 contains old Merlin Quarry, which is protected as a County Geological Site.

Mr McGrath has signalled the land was purchased earlier this year in order to develop both sites.

The Green Party has indicated it will oppose the rezoning of the land bought in 2018 to Residential.

Councillor Niall Murphy said he is also opposed to developing housing on this site because it is “an extension of Merlin Woods”.

“Nature doesn’t recognise the boundary – it is all woodlands,” he told the Galway City Tribune.
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