CITY TRIBUNE
Residents win planning battle against Chinese restaurant
Residents in Knocknacarra have won their battle to prevent a first-floor apartment in Shangort being converted to a Chinese restaurant.
Jack Chen had sought permission for a change of use of the apartment at the small shopping centre at Seacrest on the Shangort Road – opposite McGrath’s Field – to a restaurant with seating for 48 people.
However, Galway City Council ruled that such a use would contravene the current City Development Plan because it would adversely impact adjacent dwellings and their private amenity space and cause an increase in traffic.
They added that there would be insufficient parking and the restaurant would be likely to lead to illegal parking on adjacent roadways and housing estates, which would create a traffic hazard and endanger public safety by reason of obstruction.
Planners added that Mr Chen failed to show sufficient legal interest or permission for the construction of a rear fire escape stairs and for work to the attic and roof, which would render it a hazard to public safety.
Mr Chen had proposed to have opening hours of 5.30pm to 10.30pm, and that the busy period for the restaurant would be 7pm to 10pm, when all other businesses in the building are closed.
“The carpark in the evening will be virtually free from 6pm and this will eliminate any parking or traffic issues.
“Chinese restaurants by their nature are usually very quiet as the music is low and soft, so the noise levels will be kept to a minimum,” the application reads.
A total of eleven objections were received, as well as petitions signed by almost 50 residents of the adjacent Woodview Court and Seacrest estates on the grounds that it is a residential area; it would create traffic problems; there is already a lack of parking in the area and that it may lead to anti-social behaviour.
Residents also referred to a decision by An Bord Pleanála in 2001, overturning permission for a Chinese restaurant in one of the shop units in the development.
An objection to Mr Chen’s application was also lodged by local area councillor Donal Lyons, who said: “As a local representative, I have not received any representations requesting that such a change of use is needed in the area. Alternatively, I have received a large number of representations requesting my support in objecting to this planning application.
“As outlined, I believe that the character of the area would be seriously affected. This is an established residential area.
“The proposal would result in an increase in late night noise and disturbance, to the serious detriment of the adjoining occupier,” wrote Cllr Lyons.
A resident of Woodview Court said: “There is the potential for anti-social behaviour with people congregating at the restaurant and take away late at night causing disturbance and vandalism.
“I am concerned that people would gather in the shared laneway at the back of Seacrest shopping centre. The laneway is shared by the residents backing onto the shopping centre.”
In 2001, the current Mayor of Galway, Cllr Pearce Flannery, had planning permission refused by An Bord Pleanala to convert the former Quinn’s shop unit to a ‘Bamboo Hut’ Chinese restaurant and take-away.
The Board noted that the proposed restaurant was located within an area zoned primarily for residential purposes and that it would result in “a material increase in late-night noise and disturbance to the serious detriment of adjoining occupiers”.
Mr Chen lists himself in the planning application as the owner of the 4/5-bed apartment, which was on the market last year with a guide price of €235,000.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
The new Salmon Weir pedestrian and cycle bridge will be officially opened to the public next Friday, May 26.
Work on the €10 million bridge got underway in April 2022, before the main structure was hoisted into place in early December.
A lunchtime tape-cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, as the first pedestrians and cyclists traverse the as-yet-unnamed bridge.
The Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, previously said the bridge, once opened, would remove existing conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and traffic “as well as facilitating the Cross-City Link public transport corridor over the existing 200-year-old bridge”.
The naming of the new bridge has been under discussion by the Council’s Civic Commemorations Committee since late last year.
One name that has been in the mix for some time is that of the first woman in Europe to graduate with an engineering degree – Alice Perry.
Ms Perry, who was from Wellpark, graduated from Queen’s College Galway (now University of Galway) in 1906. The university’s engineering building is named in her honour.
The bridge was built by Jons Civil Engineering firm in County Meath and was assembled off-site before being transported to Galway. Funding for the project was provided in full by the National Transport Authority and the European Regional Development Fund.
(Photo: Sheila Gallagher captured the city’s new pedestrian footbridge being raised on the south side of the Salmon Weir Bridge in December. It will officially open next Friday, May 26).
From the Galway City Tribune – Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell was labelled a “disgrace” for overturning councillors’ decisions to rezone land in the new City Development Plan.
Minister O’Donnell (pictured) confirmed in a letter to Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath last week that he was reversing 25 material alternations made by councillors to the CDP 2023-29. He made the decision on the advice of Office of Planning Regulator (OPR).
Minister O’Donnell directed that 14 land parcels that were subject to land-use zoning changes by councillors as part of the Material Alterations to the Draft CDP should be reversed.
He directed that a further 11 land parcels in the city should become “unzoned”.
The Minister found that the CDP had not been made in a manner consistent with recommendations of the OPR, which required specific changes to the plan to ensure consistency with the national planning laws and guidelines.
At last week’s Council meeting Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG) asked for clarity on the process by which councillors could rezone the lands that had been changed by the Minister’s direction.
Cllr Declan McDonnell said, “What he [Minister O’Donnell] has done is an absolute disgrace”.
And he asked: “Do we have to have another development plan meeting to deal with it?”
Both Cllrs Hoare and McDonnell wondered what would become of the lands that were rezoned or unzoned by the ministerial direction.
Mr McGrath said the Council had put forward an argument in favour of retaining the material alterations in the plan, but ultimately the Minister sided with OPR.
He said if councillors want to make alterations to the new plan, they could go through the process of making a material alteration but this was lengthy.
The Save Roscam Peninsula campaign welcomed the Minister’s decision.
In a statement to the Galway City Tribune, it said the direction would mean the Roscam village area on the Roscam Peninsula will be unzoned and a number of land parcels would revert back to agriculture/high amenity.
A spokesperson for the campaign said: “the material alterations made by city councillors following lobbying by developers continued the long-standing practice of councillors facilitating a developer-led plan rather than an evidence- and policy-based plan that meets the needs of the city.
“The Minister’s direction is an important step in restoring confidence in the planning system. It is clear from the City Council’s own evidence on future housing projections that there was no requirement to zone these lands for residential purposes in order to meet the needs of the targeted population increase up to 2029,” the spokesperson added.
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