CITY TRIBUNE
Retailers’ group appeals plans for Lidl in Knocknacarra
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – The independent retailers’ group RGDATA has appealed against plans for a new Lidl supermarket in Knocknacarra, claiming that it would pose a threat to the future viability of the city centre.
The representative group told An Bord Pleanála the fact that Galway City Council has approved 11 planning applications for discount foodstores in the past 10 years is “most concerning”.
It added that the city centre retail sector has been “catastrophically affected” by Covid-19.
The group – which represents independent, family-owned grocery outlets – said it is “particularly concerned with the proliferation of planned and permitted large convenience stores in suburban locations throughout Galway City in recent years”.
Last month, the City Council gave the green light for a €5 million Lidl supermarket on a greenfield site beside Aldi in Knocknacarra.
It was the retailer’s fourth attempt to secure permission for a new store in Knocknacarra – and they were ordered to carry out a series of revisions to their plans for the site at the Bóthar Stiofáin.
In its appeal, RGDATA said that in the past ten years, eleven planning applications for discount stores were lodged and “more concerning” was that the City Council approved each of them.
“If left unchecked, the high growth rate of discount stores is likely to result in a significant adverse retail impact on the city centre and existing centres.
“In this context, we consider that there is a need to appeal these applications in order to safeguard the future retail primacy, vitality and viability of Galway city centre,
“The retail sector in Galway city centre has been catastrophically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with a huge increase in retail vacancy in the city centre, the appeal reads.”
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – An extensive gorse fire in the Tonabrocky area this week – which raged for over 12 hours – at one stage threatened a number of houses in the area.
Fire Brigade resources were stretched as they battled on Wednesday evening to contain the fire which burned across several acres before being brought under control in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Fire brigade units from the city, Athenry and Carraroe fought the blaze, which at one point led to fears that residents in nearby houses would have to be evacuated.
Up to six fire tenders were involved in fighting the blaze which is thought to have started around 4 or 5pm on Wednesday – it was one of a series of gorse fires which occurred around the county over the course of the past week.
Fire Brigade personnel fought the blaze through the evening and into the early hours of the morning before eventually having it fully contained by 6am on Thursday morning.
The fire – which sent plumes of smoke several feet into the air and also across local roads – occurred at an area of commonage between Boleybeg and Tonabrocky.
Local councillor, John Connolly, has urged Galway City and County Councils to come together and launch an awareness’ campaign about the dangers of fires during extended periods of dry weather.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – The HSE has paid €11.85 million for the building to house its new ‘Integrated Care Hub’ in Knockncacarra – which is €1.35m over the open market value of the office block.
Confidential HSE documentation seen by the Galway City Tribune shows that Block A in Galway West Business Park – the former Aviva Insurance building – was independently valued at €10.5m.
The HSE subsequently paid €11.85m for the property.
According to the documentation, the building will cost €14.85m to fit out – however, that figure was based on construction costs in February 2022 and is expected to rise again due to inflation. Just seven months prior to that estimate, the fit-out works were costed at €10.8m.
A planning application is currently being put together for a new ‘Enhanced Primary Care Centre’ in the building, which will house Primary Care Teams as well as a unit for chronic disease management. A total of 105 staff will be based there.
When the matter was brought to the Board of the HSE nationally, they were told the purchase price was €1.3m above market value.
The other option shortlisted by the HSE was a ‘new build’ on lands at Merlin Park – this was costed at €33.1m because it would involve “considerable site upgrade works” and would much longer to deliver.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Gardaí in the city are investigating two reported incidents over the weekend of indecent exposure and offensive sexual conduct – one of them at a beach in Salthill and the other in the Eyre Square area.
In the first of the incidents in Eyre Square on Friday last, a man approached a woman at around 5.30pm and exposed himself.
The woman reported the incident to the Gardaí who are carrying out an investigation into what happened.
The second incident – which is understood to be unrelated to the first one – occurred at a busy beach in Salthill on Bank Holiday Monday.
One mother who contacted the Galway City Tribune said that she saw a man ‘writhing up and down in the sand’ before putting his hand down in the front of his Bermuda shorts.
She said that about 10-minutes later, the man moved along to the next beach – which was also crowded with people – while another woman nearby, who saw the same actions, contacted the Gardai.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
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