Galway Bay fm newsroom - The long-awaited city arthouse cinema is finally set to open its doors to the public in the coming weeks.
The controversial PÁLÁS project has cost an estimated 9 million euro - including a contribution of 2.41 million from Galway City Council.
Galway City's arthouse cinema has been dogged by controversy since development began almost ten years ago in 2009.
Works were repeatedly stalled over the years amid a wide range of concerns.
These include the original developer entering receivership, persistent funding issues, management problems and even structural issues with the building itself.
The long-running debacle left many wondering if the project would ever see the light of day - despite millions of euro in public funding being poured into the project.
According to the Sunday Business Post, management company Element pictures says the building is now set to open it's doors to the public in a matter of weeks.
It's also been revealed that the total cost of the project now stands at 9.3 million euro - an increase of over 50 percent on the original estimated cost.
The Department of Arts supplied 3.4 million euro; Galway City Council 2.4 million; The Irish Film Board 1.1 million; the Cultural Cinema Consortium 767 thousand and the Western Development Commission provided a loan of 650 thousand euro.
