Galway Bay fm newsroom - City councillors have paved the way for an Aldi development at a site on the Monivea Road that has been derelict for almost 20 years.
The site is a brownfield one that has previously been excavated, following the demolition of Comer Machinery in 2005.
German retailer Aldi has applied for planning permission on the site, however a considerable portion of the land that would be used for car parking is zoned industrial.
This means councillors have to approve the contravention of the Galway City Development Plan to allow it to be used for retail purposes.
At this week's meeting of Galway City Council, there was widespread agreement that it was a very positive development, and the vote was passed unanimously in favour.
This mean the proposed development can go ahead in principle with no changes to the zoning of the land.
Aldi Ireland says it hopes to start construction in 2022, and to open the new €9 million store in Autumn 2023.
It says 30 new permanent jobs will be created when the store opens, while up to 50 jobs will be supported during the construction phase.
Councillor Declan McDonnell says after being just a "hole in the ground" for almost 20 years, there's now a huge opportunity for development.
