AN BORD Pleanala opens a two day public hearing today on a controversial £30 million development proposed for Galway city docks.
The proposal envisages a 125 bedroom hotel, 139 residential units, offices and a multi storey car park. It is opposed by An Taisce a local heritage body, Cirde na Gaillimhe the Western Regional Fisheries Board Green Party members and a number of individuals. The hearing is at Galway City Hall.
According to an environmental impact statement (EIS) drawn up for the developers, the hotel would cater mostly for coach tourists, increasing pedestrian traffic in a mostly derelict area, much of which fronts on to Long Walk at the mouth of the Corrib river near the historic Spanish Arch area.
The EIS, carried out by H.G.L. O'Connor & Co, architects, claims the cultural resources of the sea will be developed by renovating the Old Dock to blend suitably with the area. The development would improve the area's character and be a starting or finishing point for tourists' itineraries, the EIS claims.
The objectors vigorously contest this, saying the development will permanently scar the landscape at the mouth of the Corrib and be out of scale with buildings already there.
It has been claimed that the plans for sewage discharge from the development into the river mouth are inadequate. The area already caters for large volumes of raw sewage.
The developers say repair work would be carried out on the sewer pipe at Old Dock. They say discharges result in a sludge build up around the out fall area, and their works would improve the smell and the outfall's visual impact.
While the developers acknowledge that some parts of the large site may be of archaeological interest, they insist that an archaeologist would be on site during the two year development.