Christmas market gets the go ahead from Council

 BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

City councillors have given the planning ‘green light’ for the German-style Christmas market in Eyre Square – despite concerns about public drinking as well as grim predictions of failure from one councillor.

Just one councillor – Labour’s Colette Connolly – voted against the proposals for the market, which will see around 70 wooden alpine chalets and stalls set up on November 19 in Kennedy Park and Eyre Square.

Cllr Connolly said: “I don’t think Galway in a recession is a suitable venue to host it. There is talk of 300,000 visitors, I don’t know if people are living in cloud cuckoo land. This will be the worst Christmas of all for taxpayers in the city.”

Councillors had to vote on a ‘Part 8’ planning application for the continental market, Santa’s grotto, entertainment area and German ‘bier keller’, which is being brought forward by the Council and the Galway City Business Association (GCBA).

Several councillors expressed anger at the way in which the plans had initially been handled, and accused Cllr Declan McDonnell (who was absent from the meeting last night) of ‘going on a solo run’ to the media.

Acting Director of Services for the Environment, Kevin Swift, told councillors that the market operators, Market Place (Europe) Ltd – which operates up to 60 such markets around Europe – are already over-subscribed for the Galway market, such was the interest.He said the market would be worth an estimated €10,000 to the City Council in fees this year, and agreed there will be a review process at the beginning of next year before further permissions would be granted to the operator.

Cllr Peter Keane (FF) said he was not too enamoured with the idea of a bar, when the city was trying to discourage public drinking on the streets.

Cllr Niall McNelis (Lab) asked how the bier keller would operate, taking into account the public drinking bye-laws, but said the city had to do everything to attract shoppers.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.