Galway Bay fm newsroom:
The oral hearing into plans to build a new Galway Hospice on the grounds at Merlin Park University Hospital opens later this morning
The project would involve a daycare and residential healthcare unit with a focus on palliative care services.
The new build would have 36 inpatient ensuite bedrooms, together with all ancillary facilities, including reception area, daycare and therapy spaces, family accommodation and associated amenities, as well as 159 parking spaces.
The city council granted planning permission for the project in summer.
However that approval is now subject to a third party appeal to An Bord Pleanala from parties included An Taisce and The Friends of Merlin Woods.
Opponents argue the plan goes against sustainable development at the only EU habitat of its kind in the city and that vital biodiversity will be lost.
The oral hearing gets underway at the Connacht Hotel on the Dublin Road tomorrow at 10am.
