Galway Bay fm newsroom - A Castlegar woman has told an oral hearing on the proposed Galway City Ring Road that the project will completely destroy one of the oldest communities in the city.
Brookes Timber and Building supplies at Ballybrit also made a case for how their business could be saved from demolition; while the Galway Race Committee is due to make a presentation this afternoon.
Opening today's proceedings, a submission was made to An Bord Pleanala on behalf of Brookes Timber and Building Supplies at Ballybrit, which stands to be demolished as part of the ring road project.
It was argued that while a small part of the building would have to be demolished and a portion of the site sacrificed, it could be reconfigured to allow Brookes to remain open and continue trading in a down-sized operation.
This, it was argued, would result in hardship for the duration of the 3 year construction phase, but it would ultimately avoid Brookes being put out of business.
However, Arup consultants were adamant that this proposal was not viable and Brookes would have to be demolished to accommodate works on a tunnel section of the ring road.
A suggestion that Galway Racecourse was being accommodated to the detriment of Brookes was also roundly rejected.
Meanwhile, a Castlegar resident told the hearing that the road would 'decimate' her community, which is one of the oldest in the city.
Marie O' Donovan became emotional as she strongly criticized a previous human health assessment that said affected residents would eventually 'recover' from the loss of their homes, and settle in new communities.
She asked why people were not afforded the same consideration as businesses, bats and horses - and claimed the assessment of the human impact of the ring road has been completely insufficient.
Elsewhere, another resident spoke of the unusual situation he found himself in.
Dermot Hearney said both of his next door neighbors are set to have their homes demolished, but his own home has not been CPO'd, even though the proposed road will 'tower over' his remaining property.
He also raised concerns about plans to build a bathouse 'right at their back door'.
He contended that while bats may not traditionally have been something to fear, Covid-19, and the origin of the virus, have changed everything.
Mr. Hearney said all of these factors would not only have a significant impact on the value of their home, but also his family's enjoyment of the property.
Today is earmarked as the last day of the online oral hearing on the Galway City Ring Road, though further days may be allocated as required.
That may be the case as submissions to An Bord Pleanala today have run significantly over-time.
