This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

It’s being claimed that Galway City Council didn’t carry out “due diligence” on alternatives to buying its new headquarters at Crown Square in Mervue.

The €45m deal was agreed in 2022 – but three years later, and it’s widely feared it could end up costing up to an extra €20m to €30m before it’s ready to occupy.

At that time, it was argued that spending €40m on a radical upgrade of the existing City Hall at College Road wasn’t a good investment.

But Councillor Alan Cheevers claims it now very much appears that idea was never looked at in depth – and the Crown Square decision was rushed through.

David Nevin has been speaking to him to find out the reasoning behind that claim.