City neighbourhood to get facelift in regeneration plan

A number of established neighbourhoods in the city are to get facelifts in regeneration projects set out in the new Draft City Development Plan.

The aim is to protect and improve the quality and character of Galway’s older neighbourhoods and to regenerate the city centre’s neighbourhoods.

Home Zones, too, are to be included in newer neighbourhoods to encourage community activities and interaction.

The long-protracted debate over a proposed home zone project for the Small Crane and Henry Street area was mentioned by a number of councillors who wondered if it was going to be revisited after local people rejected proposals put forward by the City Council.

That rejection by the residents of Small Crane eventually led to the City Council allocating the money reserved for that project to be spent elsewhere in the city.

Cllr Pádraig Conneely said that it was an old part of the city but that it needed some upgrading but any work would have to be agreed with local residents.

Cllr Catherine Connolly said: “Whitehall is totally neglected with no mention of it in this plan. People living in those houses in the city centre have no light in their sitting rooms because of the tall developments built all around them.

“It is an amenity that has declined because of development that took place afterwards.

“I also notice that Bowling Green is not included, though we had spoken of developing what is now being used as a public car park in that area. It would be ideal for social housing.”

A number of areas will be subject to Local Area Plans (LAPs) which will encourage high quality urban environments and new communities within sustainable neighbourhoods, integrated with sustainable transport system, according to Helen Coleman of the City Council.