Park of Shantalla park set to become bus corridor

The six-acre park is already home to a ‘temporary’ helipad, which the Health Service Executive is operating for years on lands it does not own, and has no planning permission for.

When the total area of the helipad site and the proposed bus route is considered, the neighbourhood park will be reduced in size by almost a quarter.

This is despite the fact that it is zoned for Recreational and Amenity use, and its R&A zoning is included in the City Development Plan as a specific objective.

Councillor Collette Connolly (Ind) raised the issue at a meeting of the City Council, which was told that University Hospital Galway (UHG) will not give the go-ahead for the corridor through its land at Newcastle.

Cllr Connolly said that there is little enough amenity land in the city and that it should be “sacrosanct”. Shantalla Neighbourhood Park should be developed as a recreational amenity, she said.

Chief Executive of the City Council, Brendan McGrath, confirmed that the Browne roundabout in Westside (to the rear of the hospital at Corrib Park) will be removed to make way for a five-arm traffic light junction.

He also confirmed that some of Shantalla Neighbourhood Park would be used to facilitate a bus corridor linking the Browne roundabout/junction with Newcastle Road.

This public transport corridor – part of the Galway Transportation Strategy – could not go through the UHG lands because the HSE West already had plans to build a €100 million new Emergency Department, which is included in the National Debvelopment Plan, he said.

He was working with the HSE on the final route for the public transport corridor, he said. Mr McGrath said decisions had to be made not just for the good of Shantalla, but in the interest of the common good.

He did not respond to queries about the unauthorised helicopter pad at the meeting, but in an email to Cllr Connolly during the Summer, Mr McGrath said: “You are correct in your assertion that the planning consent that was granted for a helipad has expired. This matter has been consistently raised with the HSE/Saolta hospital group in the intervening period.”

Meanwhile, Uinsinn Finn, Senior Executive Engineer, confirmed that plans to remove Browne roundabout will proceed once Compulsory Purchase Orders issue for the removal of Kirwan Roundabout (at Menlo Park Hotel). Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will fund the cost of the works.

Mr Finn said also confirmed that plans are in the pipeline to remove the Martin roundabout (at Galway Clinic) and convert to a signalised junction; to remove Skerritt Roundabout (at GMIT) to replace it with traffic lights; and to remove D’Arcy Roundabout (Seapoint) and put in traffic lights