Residents oppose Council move to allow houses up to 15 metres from seafront

Over 1,000 signatories have put their names to a petition resisting a Council proposal to reduce the setback from the shore for development in Barna village to just 15 metres.

The petition will be submitted to Galway County Council by the residents who fear that a 15-metre setback – as was agreed recently by local public representatives – would result in flooding.

Many residents in Barna were horrified when it was voted as part of the recent County Development Plan that the building line be moved closer to the seashore.

They now fear that if this becomes part of the 2022 to 2028 County Development Plan, it could also have implications for flood insurance costs for the whole village, it is claimed.

A submission by local residents Ruth McDonagh and Ian Foley states that as flooding occurred back in 2014 during a lengthy storm, it was not advisable that the building line be moved so close to the shore.

And now more than 1,000 local residents have signed a petition resisting the 15-metre setback; they want it extended further back from the sea.

The residents are also hoping that the area close to the shoreline can be adapted to a community amenity park as they feel that any housing or development is inappropriate.

Members of Galway County Council have voted to allow development to take place in Barna village just 15 metres from the foreshore – as opposed to the 30 metres recommended by senior officials.

During that development plan debate, one local councillor told a meeting of Galway County Council that he never witnessed flooding in Barna in his lifetime.

The nearest threat, according to Cllr Tomas O Curraoin, came from a prolonged storm in 2014 but this resulted in just one boat being detached from its mooring.

He made his remarks while councillors were discussing the County Development Plan which proposed that there be a 30-metre setback from the foreshore to allow for the development of a coastal amenity park as well as the proposed Oranmore to Barna cycleway.

But the independent councillor was not for moving and he proposed that a new setback of 15 metres for development from the sea be applied for Barna.

“There has never been a recording of flooding on these lands and there is no evidence that properties are at risk,” he stated.

But Ruth McDonagh and Ian Foley disagreed by stating that there were at least seven boats that lost their moorings from the storm and two boats ended up in a field adjacent to Mags Boreen.

They stated that a photo shows one of the boats being lifted a good 40 metres onto a field from the sea wall.

“The impact of rising sea levels, coastal erosion and coastal flooding cannot be ignored. To say this is a retrograde step is an understatement, I feel disgusted by it,” Ian Foley added.