Corporation fails in bid for old school

Galway Corporation has failed in its attempt to buy a historic building and restore it as an arts and cultural centre.

Galway Corporation has failed in its attempt to buy a historic building and restore it as an arts and cultural centre.

The corporation's bid of more than £1 million for the 19th century Grammar School, beside City Hall on College Road, was not accepted, the city manager, Mr Joe Gavin, confirmed yesterday.

Expressing disappointment at the news, Mr Gavin said the local authority had told the owners that the building would have to be protected under the new heritage legislation. The land is zoned residential, but Mr Gavin said he did not envisage that the building would be demolished.

The 19th century school was damaged by fire shortly before Christmas - the second time in so many years. It is the subject of a derelict buildings order since a fire in 1996.

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Built in 1815 by the prominent architect, Sir Richard Morris, it was run by the Erasmus Smith foundation. The Protestant community in Galway sold it to the university in the 1950s for use by the college's department of oceanography.

In 1992 it was bought by a local development company, which sought planning permission for apartments on adjoining land. When it was put up for sale recently it was described as having "residential zoning" and a location "only 200 yards from Eyre Square" with car-parking - fuelling fears among environmental and heritage groups that it would be lost to yet another housing construction venture.