News
Tennis Club to install air dome to keep weather at bay
Galway Lawn Tennis Club has served up plans for an inflatable ‘air dome’ over four courts, which will allow play during bad weather.
However, city planners have stipulated that the dome can only be in place between September and April each year for the next three years.
In April last year, the club sought permission for the air-supported structure on its land on Threadneedle Road.
The dome will be 64 metres long, 34 metres wide and 11.2 metres high, and there will also be a single-storey structure to house the associated fan, as well as providing seasonal storage when the dome is removed.
Following a lengthy process of seeking further information and clarifications, planners approved the application, although concerns were again voiced about the proposals.
The Council’s Executive Planner John Doody wrote: “There is a concern regarding the temporary/seasonal element of the dome as it is clear that the erection and demounting of the dome structure is a significant undertaking, involving 15 persons and seven hours to complete (105 hours), occurring twice a year.
“Taking this into consideration, the effort involved in the erection and demounting of the structure, its cost, as it can only be carried out by trained persons, leads to the question: once erected will it be ever demounted? In this case, a specific condition should be attached which would require the demounting of the dome within a specified period.
“It is considered that a temporary permission issue, limiting the erection of the dome to a period of three years.
“This time period would allow for the assemble of empirical data involving the erection and demounting of the dome, the actual operational noise levels generated by the blower over this period and allow for the examination of compliance by the applicant with any conditions controlling the development.
“It would also allow any third parties to comment on any issues which arise during the operational period to be examined,” Mr Doody wrote in his planning report.
Permission was granted, for a period of three years (unless a subsequent permission is granted), on condition that the dome only be erected between September and April, and the erection and demounting should occur at the start and end of those months.
“This, however, may be weather dependant, if so, the applicant shall inform the planning authority in writing of any early erections or delays in demounting, all such agreements shall be in writing,” the decision reads.
Each time the dome is erected or dismantled, a “suitably qualified person” must prepare a report on the dates and times and the number of people involved, along with photographs of the works.
Noise monitoring must also be carried out once every two months, day and night, with a report being submitted to the Council every six months.
According to the application, the dome will cover four of the nine tennis courts, and is not aimed at generating increased revenue.
“The proposed development is to provide shelter from inclement weather conditions for tennis players from the club, local schools and charitable organisations. It is not intended to be used mainly for profit or gain,” the application reads.
A further submission to planners stated: “Future net profits should not increase by more than 10% from the dome structure.”
The club was founded in 1900 and now has nine tennis courts, seven championship badminton courts and six international squash courts, as well as a gym.
“The primary activity in the club is tennis, which is played on the nine outdoor floodlit courts with artificial grass.
“However, given the club is located in the west of Ireland, the weather – especially in the winter months – causes major disruption for the club.
“It is proposed that a temporary air-supported dome structure be constructed over four tennis courts, allowing tennis to be played in any weather conditions,” the application reads.
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.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
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.
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.”
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
