No welcome on the mat for Salthill Knocknacarra GAA club's plans
Opposition is growing in Rahoon against Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Club’s plans to build pitches at a 22-acre site in Mincloon.
As officials from Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Club met with Minister for Rural Development Dara Calleary last weekend to outline their vision for three floodlit pitches in Mincloon, posters outlining local opposition to the proposals sprung up around Rahoon.
Two 8x4 posters were erected at Clybaun Cross and Ballymoneen Road last weekend, and it’s understood a handful more were delivered this week for Corcullen, Letteragh, Tonabrucky, Drom and Rahoon.
One of the signs reads: “Mincloon Rahoon says no to Salthill pitches in Rahoon, wrong place. Our roads can’t take any more traffic”. Another said: “No to super club traffic. Protect our heritage and environment”.
Salthill Knocknacarra GAA, the city’s biggest and most successful club, lodged a planning application for the new playing facilities at Mincloon earlier this month as part of a €10m development.
Previous proposals attracted opposition from neighbouring GAA clubs – Rahoon/Newcastle, St Michael’s and Bearna/Na Forbacha – including that the development was outside Salthill Knocknacarra's boundaries and within the other clubs’ catchments.
Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Club has always insisted that locating pitches in Mincloon was compliant with GAA bye-laws and rules on catchment areas.
When it announced its latest iteration of the plan some weeks ago, club officials said that the proposed development had “the full support of Galway GAA and Galway Camogie”.
Sources in Rahoon/Newcastle GAA Club this week confirmed to the Galway City Tribune that it would again be lodging an official objection to Galway City Council planners against the latest proposals.
The primary grounds for objection are that this will be a car-dependent development generating additional traffic; it is premature and it is a health and safety hazard because the Clybaun junction is not safe; and the development is premature until a decision is made on the proposed Galway City Ring Road.
Another major plank of the objection will be environmental and will outline the impact the development will have on nearby sensitive habitats and species.
Sources in Rahoon/Newcastle GAA confirmed they have had talks with St Michael’s, the local football club, and had contacted the executive in Bearna/Na Forbacha GAA.
As well as official objections, the source said “opposition was rising” to the proposals among the wider community in Rahoon primarily due to the lack of proper roads infrastructure, a dangerous junction at Clybaun, and the inevitable increased traffic it will generate. There are also concerns about floodlighting in a rural area.
After a special meeting in mid-February where members overwhelmingly backed the new plans, Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Club contacted all six Councillors in City West to lobby them to row in behind the facilities.
Salthill Knocknacarra said the development was essential to meet the needs of its 2,200 members across 65 teams.
Its clubhouse and pitch at the Prairie will “remain the centre” of its activities but Mincloon will add “much needed facilities to meet the challenges of our growing club”.
Salthill Knocknacarra in a statement this week said the development had the backing of Minister Calleary, Minister Hildegarde Naughton and Mayor of Galway, Councillor Mike Cubbard (Ind).
It said that a ‘high-level meeting’ between Salthill Knocknacarra GAA and national and local representatives was held ahead of the official switching-on of new floodlights at the Prairie last Saturday afternoon, at which the club outlined its vision for new playing facilities and its funding application under the next Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).
The plans include two grass pitches and one all-weather synthetic pitch with dugouts, floodlighting and ball-stop netting; a covered viewing stand, single storey facilities building and single-storey maintenance building; public playground; parking for 95 cars and three coaches; and bicycle parking for 144 bikes; a new vehicular and pedestrian access to the site at Clybaun Road; and other works.
The club said that the project was designed to address the growing shortage of playing space facing juvenile boys’ and girls’ teams across football, hurling, ladies football and camogie.
“We were very encouraged by the strong engagement and backing shown by Ministers and local representatives,” said John Tyrrell, Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Mincloon Development Committee.
"This project is about investing in the future of young people in our community and ensuring we have the facilities required to meet continued growth across all four codes.
"Seeing such a large turnout from parents and children — even in challenging weather conditions — showed just how strongly our members feel about delivering Mincloon. It is a vital step in addressing the pitch pressures that are negatively impacting our members.”
Club chairperson Gerry Halloran, said that the support expressed by the politicians present last Saturday “sends a very positive signal as we move forward with this once-in-a-generation project for our club”.
Submissions and observations on the application for planning permission remain open.