Plans for €130m office, hotel and apartment scheme
Plans have been lodged with Galway City Council for a €130 million hotel, office, apartment and leisure centre development off the Coolagh roundabout in Doughiska. Already, the developers have held discussions with a number of “high profile” potential tenants for the office space.
The ‘Evolution Gateway Galway’ scheme will include 100,000 square feet of office space, 130 apartments and a 122-bedroom hotel with adjoining suites providing another 24 bed spaces.
It will also feature a gym, six-lane 25-metre swimming pool, tennis court, astro turf pitches, creche and a café, with a mix of under-croft and multi-storey parking. If approved, the development would create around 250 jobs during the construction phase, and “multiples of this number” when up-and-running.
Evolution Asset Holdings – which is headed by Mike Pender (formerly of the Kenny Group) – lodged the application with the Council for the seven-acre site last Friday. The greenfield site is located off the Coolagh roundabout alongside the Sraith Fhada development, and stretches back towards Doughiska Road.
According to the developers, they have already engaged extensively with the local community and business leaders “in order to design a scheme which provides necessary additional commercial, leisure and residential units for the community and at the same time increase opportunities for employment and business locally”.
A statement from Evolution Asset Holdings added: “[The company] has already established considerable engagement locally to ensure this project has been designed to meet the needs of the community and all related stakeholders.
“Detailed discussions have already been held with a number of high-profile end users, both domestic and international, in respect of the office and hotels developments, which will add significantly to the future profile and employment potential of Galway. “The scheme represents a paradigm change in urban living and as proposed is designed to support a ‘live, work, play’ concept, based on a series of high-quality plazas connecting to the core office, hotel, residential and leisure uses.
“Whilst extensive carparking facilities are included, the scheme is intended to make full use of the well-established public transport nodes available including the high-frequency bus corridor, and convenient Oranmore train station, providing access to Ceannt Station and mainline rail throughout the country."
The company went on to say it expects to create a significant boost in employment. “The successful delivery of the project would generate significant employment potential during the construction stage and once completed. It is expected that in excess of 250 local jobs would be generated during the building phase, with multiples of this number anticipated post construction."
“The hotel is to be managed by a leading operator and will provide for much-needed bed spaces to service the growing Galway business and tourism needs. Local employers will benefit from the extensive mix of business centre and meeting rooms planned whilst the local community can enjoy the extensive leisure facilities proposed.
“The residential units are deliberately designed to support the full aspirations of the community with a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms apartments on offer to cater for all stages of family life,” the statement reads.