Lough Atalia 100 acres of untapped amenity

noelogara · 31-10-2015 12:44am #1

Driving through Galway is always slow and difficult and Lough Atalia a shallow lake within walking distance of the city centre is the most underutilised and wasted asset sitting on the city's doorstep which could provide 100 acres of the most modern amenities such as swimming pools, play grounds, sports centres, car & coach parks, parks, dog walks, etc etc.
With the lorries we have today and quarries just a mile away the lake could be filled in a few months for very small money and topped with gravel. A gift from God to Galway.

D Trent · 31-10-2015 4:59am

*patiently awaits thread closure* ðŸ˜‚

sully2010 · 31-10-2015 5:09am

noelogara wrote: »

Driving through Galway is always slow and difficult and Lough Atalia a shallow lake within walking distance of the city centre is the most underutilised and wasted asset sitting on the city's doorstep which could provide 100 acres of the most modern amenities such as swimming pools, play grounds, sports centres, car & coach parks, parks, dog walks, etc etc.
With the lorries we have today and quarries just a mile away the lake could be filled in a few months for very small money and topped with gravel. A gift from God to Galway.

Its a good point in fairness to you but not going to happen. First you'd have the heads on Lough Atalia going mental about losing their "lake" views and the council there are utter clowns....Lets put in a roundabout...lets take out a roundabout...Lets not let anyone drive in bus lanes off peak, and do them if they are caught in one at 9pm on a Sunday. Love Galway though.

stampydmonkey · 31-10-2015 8:49am

What about the otter..would some please think of the otter!!

Red_Wake · 31-10-2015 9:34am

Nothing yet about Lough Atalia being an open sewer?

Unrealistic · 31-10-2015 11:46am

noelogara wrote: »

Driving through Galway is always slow and difficult and Lough Atalia a shallow lake within walking distance of the city centre is the most underutilised and wasted asset sitting on the city's doorstep which could provide 100 acres of the most modern amenities such as swimming pools, play grounds, sports centres, car & coach parks, parks, dog walks, etc etc.
With the lorries we have today and quarries just a mile away the lake could be filled in a few months for very small money and topped with gravel. A gift from God to Galway.

I think you're on to something there but you should be more ambitious. We could excavate the Twelve Pins, the Maumturks and any other hillock higher than 50m in Connemara and dump the whole lot into Galway Bay. Then with all that extra usable land, both in the former Galway Bay and and the now flat Connemara, we could build hundreds of miles of extra roads, car parks, shopping malls etc. No more need for controversies about the route of a bypass north of the city or what aircraft to use to fly to the Aran Islands. We can just build a 10 lane highway from Oranmore to Kilronan instead.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers · 31-10-2015 12:08pm

Red_Wake wrote: »

Nothing yet about Lough Atalia being an open sewer?

Shur the Prince's Street gardens in Edinburgh used be a huge open sewer, till they drained it.

perfectisthe · 31-10-2015 12:25pm

Unrealistic wrote: »

I think you're on to something there but you should be more ambitious. We could excavate the Twelve Pins, the Maumturks and any other hillock higher than 50m in Connemara and dump the whole lot into Galway Bay. Then with all that extra usable land, both in the former Galway Bay and and the now flat Connemara, we could build hundreds of miles of extra roads, car parks, shopping malls etc. No more need for controversies about the route of a bypass north of the city or what aircraft to use to fly to the Aran Islands. We can just build a 10 lane highway from Oranmore to Kilronan instead.

Proper order.

Eyre Square and the Spanish Arch are just sitting there as well. Plenty of scope for a few extra car parks.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers · 31-10-2015 1:23pm

Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've till it's gone..

outsidein98 · 31-10-2015 2:11pm

It is fair to say it's a wasted asset. At the very least there should be some form of water sports facility. Even a park laid out on the shoreline. But as ever there seems to be a lack of vision and ambition in Galway.

Mrs OBumble · 31-10-2015 2:17pm

outsidein98 wrote: »

It is fair to say it's a wasted asset. At the very least there should be some form of water sports facility. Even a park laid out on the shoreline. But as ever there seems to be a lack of vision and ambition in Galway.

Have you smelt it in summer?

pmasterson95 · 31-10-2015 2:19pm

We shoud look to the skys. So much wasted potential there.

outsidein98 · 31-10-2015 2:22pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Have you smelt it in summer?

Easily sorted if the will was there.

McTigs · 31-10-2015 9:40pm

sully2010 wrote: »

Lets not let anyone drive in bus lanes off peak, and do them if they are caught in one at 9pm on a Sunday. Love Galway though.

why on earth would anyone want to drive in the bus lane at 9pm on a Sunday when there is loads of space in the regular lane?

outsidein98 · 31-10-2015 11:38pm

McTigs wrote: »

why on earth would anyone want to drive in the bus lane at 9pm on a Sunday when there is loads of space in the regular lane?

You haven't driven in the regular lane very often have you? 9pm gets quiet but only 3am is quieter.

J.pilkington · 01-11-2015 3:37pm

McTigs wrote: »

why on earth would anyone want to drive in the bus lane at 9pm on a Sunday when there is loads of space in the regular lane?

You are taking the next left and want to slow down but not interfere with other drivers?

You want to drive at 50ks(speed limit) and not have drivers up your arse

You are driving a tractor and do not want to hold other motorists up

01-11-2015 3:41pm

Isn't the whole purpose of Lough Atalia to act as an overflow for the docks?

gordongekko · 01-11-2015 8:43pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Isn't the whole purpose of Lough Atalia to act as an overflow for the docks?

Certainly smells like that.

joeKel73 · 02-11-2015 9:33am

Deleted User wrote: »

Isn't the whole purpose of Lough Atalia to act as an overflow for the docks?

No

02-11-2015 12:43pm

We're talking about the body of water down by the Docks & the Huntsman? I could have sworn that it was purpose built to be an overflow for the docks - it's manmade, is it not? Unless I'm misremembering.

biko · 02-11-2015 1:43pm

The Lough actually helped defend Galway back in 1651, be kinda a shame to concrete it over now.

joeKel73 · 02-11-2015 1:54pm

Deleted User wrote: »

We're talking about the body of water down by the Docks & the Huntsman? I could have sworn that it was purpose built to be an overflow for the docks - it's manmade, is it not? Unless I'm misremembering.

How would that work?

The docks is opened to the sea shortly before high tide and closed shortly after high tide. Lough Atalia is also filled and partially drained with the tide.

The only way the docks would "overflow" when closed is if there was persistent torrential rain between high tides, and I'm sure in this case it can overflow at the gate back out to the sea. It would take a huge amount of rain to make a noticeable impact.

02-11-2015 2:27pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

We're talking about the body of water down by the Docks & the Huntsman? I could have sworn that it was purpose built to be an overflow for the docks - it's manmade, is it not? Unless I'm misremembering.

The lough is a tidal bay but the flow was restricted when the railway embankment was built - the poor flow and smell is man made.

It used to be open to the sea - there is a small quay across from the Eye cinema.

Thargor · 03-11-2015 11:53am

biko wrote: »

The Lough actually helped defend Galway back in 1651, be kinda a shame to concrete it over now.

How?

Brendan Flowers · 03-11-2015 12:01pm

Second Toughest in_the Freshers wrote: »

Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've till it's gone..

A song in which Joni complains they 'Paved paradise to put up a parking lot', a measure which actually would have alleviated traffic congestion on the outskirts of paradise, something which Joni singularly fails to point out, perhaps because it doesn't quite fit in with her blinkered view of the world. Nevertheless, nice song.

noelogara · 03-11-2015 12:37pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The lough is a tidal bay but the flow was restricted when the railway embankment was built - the poor flow and smell is man made.

It used to be open to the sea - there is a small quay across from the Eye cinema.

Agreed. Galway has developed all around this wastewater inlet and its conversion into a flatland hard surface would unify the city dramatically. It could have great potential as a city park with all amenities including a shuttle bus to connect to Eyre Square.
The city owns it and would have a hundred acres of prime city centre parkland to rival Stephens Green for the price of farmland.

03-11-2015 12:50pm

There's a load of undeveloped land already around the city that should be developed ahead of this.

You would be talking millions and many years to get this to the stage of even being ready for building foundations (look at the new docks proposal)

ben.schlomo · 03-11-2015 1:13pm

noelogara wrote: »

Agreed. Galway has developed all around this wastewater inlet and its conversion into a flatland hard surface would unify the city dramatically. It could have great potential as a city park with all amenities including a shuttle bus to connect to Eyre Square.
The city owns it and would have a hundred acres of prime city centre parkland to rival Stephens Green for the price of farmland.

We would be better filling in the Shannon, more land to be gained.

noelogara · 03-11-2015 1:15pm

Deleted User wrote: »

There's a load of undeveloped land already around the city that should be developed ahead of this.

You would be talking millions and many years to get this to the stage of even being ready for building foundations (look at the new docks proposal)

but this land would be right in the heart of the city. you could turn an eyesore into a valuable asset.
I reckon I could fill it myself in six months and it wouldnt cost the bomb you talk about if the councillors and planners could be kept at bay.

Private Joker · 03-11-2015 1:22pm

it has massive flood storage which would be lost . galway has bad enough flooding issues without adding to it

SeanPuddin_ · 03-11-2015 2:29pm

Thargor wrote: »

How?

It was part of the Eastern shoreline back then, helping to restrict Coote to a siege rather than attack. Defeat was inevitable though really.

https:// upload. wikimedia. org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Old-Galway.jpg

Lough Atalia 100 acres of untapped amenity

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