Approval for tech centre expansion
Plans for a four-storey extension to the Galway Technology Centre in Mervue Business Park – which will increase the building’s size by almost one third – have been given the go-ahead by Galway City Council.
The centre’s management told planners that since late 2015, they have been forced to turn away potential clients because it is operating at capacity.
The 2,122 square metre extension will include additional office space and meeting rooms.
In a submission to the Council, the centre’s chairperson, Frank Greene, said: “In 2016, over 1,000 businesses were formed in the Galway region providing a steady pipeline of start-ups looking to scale up in the local region.
“The lack of suitable and affordable commercial space is acting as a hindrance to the natural progression of start-up and scale-up companies who find themselves unable to move on from facilities such as GTC, creating a bottleneck effect and reducing opportunities and space for the next generation of innovators.
“Expansion of the existing GTC facilities will help alleviate these issues and will assist in the continued development of the innovation eco-system, which will have a positive impact on a regional and national level.
“There is a clear demonstratable need for additional serviced office space to service scaling technology companies in the Galway region. The capacity issues being experienced in GTC and other service providers, as well as the lack of available office space on the commercial market is a hindrance to the natural progression of start-up companies, creating a bottleneck effect which has a ripple effect on other stages of the company life cycle as earlier stage service providers are unable to free up the necessary space to accommodate the next generation of start-up,” the planning application reads.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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