Planning application lodged for new ambulance base in Recess

Galway Bay fm newsroom – A long-awaited planning application has been lodged for a new ambulance base in Recess, Connemara.

The plan has been in the pipeline for several years – and campaigners have voiced their frustrations in recent weeks over the long-running saga.

The new base will use an existing Community Health Centre that requires significant refurbishment work to accommodate two ambulance bays.

The annoucement of the base in late 2021 was the culmination of a local campaign spanning a long number of years.

Locals argued they were being treated like ‘second class citizens’ – with response times often reaching up to an hour or beyond.

The new ambulance base was expected to be fully operational by the end of last year, but planning difficulties put paid to that timeline.

Nonetheless, a significant milestone has been reached with the lodging of a planning application – with county planners to make a decision in September.