Councillors have been urged not to slash funding allocated to retrofitting buildings in the Draft Budget for 2025 presented by senior management at City Hall.

In a lengthy plea at Monday’s Budget meeting, Derek Pender, Director of Services for Project Development, said it was important Galway City Council set an example to the private sector, and households, in retrofitting its landmark buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Pender, formerly of Galway County Council, said the retrofitting plan that was budgeted for in 2025 would help the Council meet its Climate Actin Plan targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030, and to become carbon neutral by 2050.

He said he needed a “robust retrofitting budget” to meet those targets.

Among the projects the Council planned to retrofit next year were Galway City Museum (€1m), Town Hall Theatre (€800,000) Black Box Theatre (€110,000), and the Knocknacarra and Ballinfoile Community Centres (€300,000 each).

Cllr Mike Cubbard (Ind) said the Black Box was earmarked to be knocked in the coming years, and he questioned whether they should spend money on retrofitting it. And he asked if they could retrofit over two years, rather than all next year.

Mr Pender said the Council would get 50% matched funding for projects carried out next year, but this Government retrofitting grant from SEAI could drop to 30% the following year. That’s why they were pushing to get as much retrofitting done in 2025 as possible, he said.

Mr Pender said Galway City Council was responsible for just 1% of carbon emissions in the city but it had to show leadership — be exemplars — to encourage the other 99% to make changes to reduce their carbon footprint.

Meanwhile, his colleague, Patrick Greene, Director of Services for Operational Development defended the €2m budget allocation for progressing three masterplans in 2025.

This included roughly €550,000 for phase one and two of the Kingston/Millar’s Lane master plan; around €560,000 for the South Park master plan; and almost €800,000 for the Renmore master plan.

Councillor Cubbard said all that money was going on consultants to design plans and not one brick or sod will be laid.

“For €2 million – that’s not value for money,” he fumed.

Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) said he couldn’t understand why Renmore was so expensive, because it already had pitches.

Mr Greene said each of the three masterplans were unique and complex. They were not just about building pitches but creating parks that catered for young and old with a range of facilities.

He listed a range of professional consultants and experts that were required to carry out the master planning, including engineers, ecologists, environmental consultants, landscape architects, who will come up with overall concept designs for the plans.

Their job was to get the masterplans to a ‘shovel ready’s stage so that they can attract national funding to build them, Mr Greene said.

Pictured: Galway City Museum: €1m retrofit programme in the pipeline.