Plans drawn up to redevelop derelict Blackrock cottage

Plans have been drawn up to restore the derelict 19th century cottage at Blackrock and create a restaurant with adjoining bicycle hire shop to serve as a stop-off along the Wild Atlantic Way.

The proposal includes the refurbishment of Blackrock Cottage to a café/restaurant and the construction of a single-storey detached bicycle rental and repair shop, and 18 parking spaces with access onto the main Salthill Road. 

Cork-based McHugh Property Holdings Ltd – where former Galway footballer Finian Hanley serves as Chief Operating Officer – lodged the application at City Hall last week.

“This site has sat for many years as a derelict eyesore on one of the city’s busiest recreational amenities, used by the local and visiting public.

“The aim in this application is to secure the restoration and long-term future of the existing cottage and to do so by means of a use which is complementary to the area.

“The bicycle rental and repair element is also complementary to the established recreation use and will support an alternative means of experiencing the coastal areas in the city in a sustainable way.

“Both the café and the cycle elements will add to and enhance the prominent role of Salthill and Blackrock in the city as the primary year-round recreation areas.

“Additionally, the proposed development will enhance the public realm of the area through the restoration of the disused cottage, the reduction in the boundary wall and extensive landscaping, in particular, the access track to the existing public toilets which is currently overgrown.

“The conservation and refurbishment will be done in a manner sympathetic to the historic nature of the building. The proposal involves the construction of a new building and elements that are entirely contemporary in design. This is proposed as a low, flat-roofed building so as to respect the sensitivity of views and to be subservient to the traditional character of the restored cottage.

“The project allows for a sustainable rejuvenation of this derelict eyesore with an attractive restoration of the cottage to its former glory, while offering a much-needed ancillary facility,” architect Sean Dockry said.

Mayor Niall McNelis told the Galway City Tribune that he fully supports the plans. “I think it’s a fantastic idea. Galway City Council should have bought it and developed it themselves. It will be great for tourism on the Wild Atlantic Way at what is one of the city’s biggest attractions.”

The company behind the plans is owned by Cork businessman Brian McHugh, who also owns McHugh Insulation and Envirobead.

A subsidiary company, Clearwater Ventures, owns the former Spinnaker Hotel and adjoining retail units, which were rezoned for ‘R’ usage, which would allow for residential development, hotel, guesthouse, local shops, offices and community buildings.

Clearwater is 75% owned by Mr McHugh, while Galway businessman Francis O’Flaherty – the Chief Operating Officer at Declan Ganley’s Rivada Networks – owns the remainder.

In 2008, the then owner of the Spinnaker, Ronan Lawless, was granted permission for a €30 million upmarket boutique with 26 bedrooms and bar and 16 apartments over three and four storeys (plus basement). That planning permission expired last December.