City Hall site rezoned despite housing and ownership concerns
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Galway City councillors have voted to rezone the City Hall site, paving the way for a wider range of future development options, once the local authority leaves the property.
Members agreed to vary the Galway City Development Plan and change the zoning of the city centre lands from Community and Institutional to Commercial and Industrial – despite strong opposition from Cllr Alan Curran (Soc Dem).
“We are widening the net on what we can explore in the masterplan,” said Chief Executive Leonard Cleary.
“Why would we not widen the net to look at all options? Community, social, cultural and civic. This is a four acre site in the city centre. If it generates additional income, that would be reinvested in services. The masterplan will include all stakeholders and a decision can only be made by elected members.”
The decision relates to a 1.55-hectare site that includes City Hall (and adjoining lands).
The building is expected to become vacant over the coming year as Galway City Council relocates to its new headquarters at Crown Square.
We are not flush with money. We have to examine the full potential of the site.
Council officials said the rezoning would allow them to begin drawing up a masterplan for the future of the City Hall site.
They explained that the proposed Commercial and Industrial zoning is already used in Salthill village.
"It presents an opportunity for considered redevelopment," officials said. "It allows us to start to masterplan the succession to the city council being on this site. If you look at Salthill village centre it is a Commercial and Industrial zoning."
Officials stressed the new zoning would not determine the eventual use of the lands but would provide greater flexibility.
“We are not flush with money,” said Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind), “we have to examine the full potential of the site.”
While many councillors supported the location of a new public library there, Cllr John McDonagh (Lab) questioned whether the land would be kept in public ownership.
This was queried too by Cllr Michael Crowe (FF) who said he “finds it hard to believe that we will be able to keep it in public ownership”.
The majority of councillors backed the proposal. However, Cllr Alan Curran (Soc Dem) opposed the rezoning.
He referred to discussions in 2022 when the City Hall lands were identified as a possible location for approximately 230 social and affordable homes.
“There was an acknowledgement that it be kept for social and affordable housing,” he said.
"I don't think it requires a rezoning. I don't think it needs a commercial interest and I propose it stays as it is.”
Responding, Chief Executive Leonard Cleary said the earlier housing discussions had identified social and affordable housing as one possible use rather than a binding commitment.
"It was an option that could be explored,” he said.
“It would be wrong for it to be binding. It was a comment as a potential option. It may be one component but not the only component.”
Two submissions received during the consultation process would be taken into account when preparing a masterplan, officials said.
The proposal was approved by councillors, with Cllr Curran the only member to vote against the rezoning.
Speaking afterwards, he said that public assets should not have to generate a financial return.
“We obviously know the potential of this site,” he said.
“There's opportunities to put in civic, community, cultural and artistic spaces, as well as housing.
A public site like this should stay within public ownership. I don't think we need a commercial element to the site.
He also feared that the City Council might sell assets to finance public debt including the debt arising from the relocation to the new headquarters at Crown Square on the Monivea Road.
“We've taken a lot of loans out over the last couple of years, which are substantial, and there are payments for that which are, again, quite substantial,” he said.
“My concern is that we're going to start selling off certain portions of public lands or public assets to finance that debt. And that's not what public land should be used for. I don't believe that we need to privatise public land to pay off a historic debt.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme