The developers of the massive Crown Square development in Mervue are seeking planning permission to make changes to two of the unfinished commercial office buildings there.

Similar in size to the neighbouring two completed office blocks fronting the Monivea Road, the buildings will not change substantially from the original four-storey proposals for which permission was granted in 2019, according to the applicants, Crown Square Developments.

The company has applied to Galway City Council for permission to change the layouts of the internal areas of both blocks to omit the previously approved internal atria, and to reposition the vertical cores and services to the centre of the buildings.

“Each floor has the ability to be subdivided, which allows for greater flexibility and can promote quicker occupation of the building in a smaller multi-tenancy scenario,” a submission from consultants acting for the applicants said.

The overall height of one of the buildings, Five Crown Square, will increase by one setback storey “to align with the other office buildings along Monivea Road”, but there will be no change to the height of the other, Four Crown Square.

Also planned is a new façade for both buildings – which will have a combined gross floor area of 15,328 square metres on a site of almost two acres (0.77 hectares) – with greater use of tall glazing.

An enlarged retail/café unit in Five Crown Square, increasing from the originally planned 460 sq m to 770 sq m, will be accessed from the Monivea Road, should the latest planning application be approved.

There are two levels of basement space under the whole development, most of which has already been constructed.

A bus shelter is planned for the bus stop on Monivea Road to encourage the use of public transport.

Combined with the three other commercial office buildings in the overall Crown Square development, there will be space to accommodate 3,500 workers.

Crown Square also includes the completed Radisson Red hotel and under construction are 345 apartments, most of which will be cost rental and the rest social housing.

Being developed by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and builders JJ Rhatigan, they will include 86 one-beds, 240 two-beds and 19 three-beds, with the first tranche of them expected to be completed in late 2026.

City planners are due to make a decision on the latest planning application by January 24.

Pictured: The Crown Square development: the planning application relates to Block D and Block E (to be known as Four and Five Crown Square respectively) under construction in middle foreground.