Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway City Council is to make a submission to An Bord Pleanála highlighting its concerns over plans to develop over 300 apartments in Knocknacarra.
An application was submitted to the planning authority by Glenveagh Developments for the construction of six blocks, ranging from 4 to 7 storeys, at Knocknacarra District Centre, Gort na Bró in Rahoon.
The planned development would consist of 93 one-bed apartments, 219 two-bed apartments and 20 three-bed apartments, 16 retail units, a creche, a courtyard, and space for communal use.
At a meeting of the city council, local representatives raised concerns about the density of the development which they agreed was not in line with the area's character.
Independent Cllr Donal Lyons said the provision of 85 car parking spaces at the development, included in the plans, is insufficient and would add to the parking chaos already existing in Rahoon.
Green Party Cllr Pauline O'Reilly acknowledged the urgent need to develop housing in the city, however, she argued this proposal does not consider the welfare of people who would live there and insisted there needs to be more homes in the city - not just houses.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael Cllr Eddie Hoare suggested more public transport would need to be provided to accommodate the number of residents that would live in the block.
According to Fianna Fáil Cllr John Connolly, to fit the criteria required to build such a development, the developer must show the site is a central, and/or accessible, urban location.
Cllr Connolly proposed a motion that the members of the city council determine that the location of Knocknacarra District Centre does not meet this criteria as it is not located within one a half miles of a hospital and is not served by bus routes that operate every 10 minutes - which was passed unanimously.
City officials will now make a submission to An Bord Pleanála, on behalf of the elected representatives, outlining their concerns.
The planning authority is due to make a decision on the development on March 20th.
