City Council queries Galway’s status under new regional plans
A proposed regional development plan needs to be overhauled to ensure that Galway City is given its rightful place as the economic hub for the West of Ireland.
That’s according to Galway City Council Director of Services Ruth McNally who told councillors that the Council Executive had serious concerns that Galway was not being given adequate prominence as part of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) currently being developed by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA).
This came as councillors were told it was too late for them to make submissions to the plan as they had failed to reach a report on the matter at their September meeting – and the deadline had since closed on October 11.
However, Ms McNally said the city had two representatives on the NWRA in Cllr Donal Lyons and Cllr Declan McDonnell, who is Chair of the Assembly.
“Our biggest concern is that this is a strategic document and Galway should be in up in lights. We were originally stuck in the middle of the document. We had not got the prominence some of our sister cities had,” said Ms McNally of the first draft, which has since been materially altered.
“From our perspective, the level of consultation with officials was quite poor. The submission came to us as a fait accompli and when we had to work backwards.”
The RSES will dictate the City Development Plan once it comes into force and, now on its second draft, the assembly is currently considering submissions.
Ms McNally said that initially, the plan had limited future uses for Galway Airport – which is owned by Galway City and County Council – by drawing a “red line” through it which would have divided the site and limited its future uses.
She said national policy in the shape of Project Ireland 2040 would dictate the RSES, which would in turn have to be incorporated into the Council’s future plans for the city.
“Our Development Plan will have to be altered to incorporate the regional strategy,” she said.
City Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath said they were seeking to ensure that Galway’s primacy as a key economic driver in the region was evident in the plan.
There was also an issue with the Metropolitan Area Special Plan (MASP) boundary for the city, said Mr McGrath, which he said should have been based on the extent of the Galway Transport Strategy.
“We’re just really anxious to ensure [the RSES] highlights and focuses on the primacy of Galway in the region and as the only city in the Northern and Western region.