The green light has been given for a major revamp of the park in Woodquay – but the area will not be fenced off by railings, as had been strongly urged by local residents.

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to Galway City Council for the upgrade and enhancement of Woodquay Park, which is expected to cost €1.2 million.

But the planning authority went against its own Inspector’s recommendation, and submissions from many local people, concerning the most contentious aspect of the project.

It decided not to amend the council’s plans, which will see the removal of the existing railings around the park and their replacement with hedging along the sides of the new-look park, leaving the riverside and Headford Road ends open.

More than 33 public submissions were made to An Bord Pleanála by individual residents, the Woodquay Residents’ Association, and the Mercy Primary and St Nicholas’s Parochial schools, Inspector Donogh O’Donoghue revealed in his report to the board.

“The main thrust of the public submission is that they are not in favour of the proposed open plaza design and are particularly aggrieved at the removal of the railings around the park.

“They are of the view that the proposed plaza like area diminishes the park’s function as a safe, green sanctuary in the city and will invite anti-social behaviour given its city centre location and proximity to a number of pubs.”

He said that local residents had cared for the park over the years, and it was they who took it upon themselves to redevelop the park. Many of them had pointed to a design drawn up at the behest of the local residents’ association by garden designer Mary Reynolds in 2017, which had included railings.

“They feel that in moving the project forward there was a lack of meaningful engagement by the council and any concerns raised by them were disregarded.”

An Tasice, in a submission, also urged that the facility be retained as an enclosed garden park with railings, maintained that the proposed design had too much hard landscaping and wanted to avoid an open Eyre Square-type development dominated by hard surfaces.

Mr O’Donoghue agreed that the railings were part of the unique character of the area, defining and enclosing the space and offering an element of security to the houses facing the park.

“In this regard it may be appropriate to consider retaining a section/element of railing particularly on the boundaries facing the houses.

“This may be viewed by some as tokenism, but it is my opinion that it would give a level of comfort and security to the residents while also retaining a feature of the park that is part of its unique character,” he added.

However, the Board of An Bord Pleanála decided against the suggestion of erecting railings around much of the new park.

“The Board did not concur with the Inspector that providing a metal rail, along the length of the proposed mixed native hedge on the eastern and western park boundaries while retaining the ungated entrances, enhanced the design.

“The Board considered that the hedges provided a boundary and that the railings as proposed would detract from the overall design and would be superfluous,” its ruling said.

The Board considered the proposed upgrades would “enhance the public realm, retaining the park’s integral role in defining the character of the area while improving links to adjoining neighbourhoods”.

Pictured: The layout of the revamped Woodquay Park.