Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway City Council has confirmed that it has deferred accepting bids for the use of the former tourist office in Salthill due to a safety audit.
It comes as in March the council announced it would seek fresh expressions of interest for the site.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm news, the Local Authority said to inform decision making on the future use of the building and its management in the short term, it has been decided that a safety audit should be undertaken at this point.
Last year the City Council received seven bids for the building, however, none were considered to be of a sufficient quality.
The City Council says the focus of the economic department at this point is the development of outdoor dining and facilitating businesses getting back to work and a new call for expressions of interest will take place shortly.
It says, in the meantime, a new temporary art exhibition will be added to the Áras Fáilte site with additional seating and bike parking to improve the space for locals and visitors to Galway.
It comes as Galway West TD Catherine Connolly has voiced her disappointment that the Áras Fáilte building remains empty for close to ten years.
Deputy Connolly argues that while the safety work is essential, it should have been carried before the initial call for applications.
She says the City Council must do everything in its power to find a suitable use for the building as quickly as possible.
