The City Council have approved a plan to buy an office building in the Crown Square in Mervue and eventually redevelop the current City Hall site for social housing https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/councillors-approve-loan-to-move-city-hall-to-crown-square-in-mervue/
Its going to be odd that the County Council have a very central building but that the City Council will now move to the outskirts.
As usual now its been agreed, some of the Councillors seem to be rolling back their support https://connachttribune.ie/no-procurement-process-for-galway-city-council-move-to-crown-square/
A point was made earlier about green spaces for recreation.
Both sites have plenty of green in close proximity. Mervuesis the pitches and assoc land in Mervue. Current city hall site have the playground in lough Attalia Rd, Eyre Square, and the area at the back of Forster Court.
The poster isn't all there, replying to posts after 6 months. Best ignored and left unengaged.
Cause the proposed use of the old city hall site is 100% social housing.
I said this is not recommended and the site itself isn't suitable for that type of building considering how far it is from a medium sided park.
Personally I think this is madness… The current city hall is close to a lot of public transport and they are moving it to a subarb which will be far harder reach… This what pushes more and more private vehciles around the city..
That proposal only lasted as long as it took the previous council chief executive to persuade the Councillors to vote for the move. Within weeks the chief executive had back pedalled and said that social housing was only one of multiple possible uses and the Councillors were saying they'd been tricked and would not have voted for it if they had known.
OK I get ya. Ya 100% agree that current City Hall location is better than the Crown Site.
But as they are moving perhaps a decent Public Library or a decent size arts venue/ theatre (as Black Box is to be demolished for apartments) could be built on College Road? Good transport links and all that
opinion in Tribune
As we’ve been writing here for years, Galway City Council’s move to Crown Square solved a problem that the public was unaware existed until three days before a plenary meeting in 2022 in which councillors approved a €45.5m loan to purchase the building, only to discover months later that another undisclosed amount needed to be borrowed to fit it out. The final figure for all this remains unknown.The big problem now for the Council – and the communities it is supposed to serve – is that Government is cottoning on to this mistake.
As we’ve been writing here for years, Galway City Council’s move to Crown Square solved a problem that the public was unaware existed until three days before a plenary meeting in 2022 in which councillors approved a €45.5m loan to purchase the building, only to discover months later that another undisclosed amount needed to be borrowed to fit it out. The final figure for all this remains unknown.
The big problem now for the Council – and the communities it is supposed to serve – is that Government is cottoning on to this mistake.
Are printed calendars not soooo 20th century? City Council defends spending €13k on promotional Galway calendars
Is the Calendar full of photos of the EMPTY Office up in Mervue?
You'll have to buy it to find out!
I wouldn't have a problem with that in fairness. They got a good deal. If it was FF/FG organising it it would have cost twenty times as much and last year's calender just might be published in 2033 if there aren't any hiccups in the meantime.
I got 2 that I sent to 2 Galwegian people abroad. I sent ones from the Galway Races too. Do it every year.
Council planted many trees & shrubbery on a greenery opposite playground on Lough Atalia Road. Fenced it off. Now it has been all removed, and is growing fresh grass. Why? google maps
Legal dispute with the owner of the kip of a house beside that patch of grass. I believe the house owner took over that land and was interfering with Express Framing next door. It was in local media in the last cupla months.
https://www.connachttribune.ie/news/harassment-accused-allowed-to-return-to-college-road-in-galway-5614640
That's one. Google his name and more comes up.
You need search three different spellings of his first name to get the full picture.
How is he linked to the council move to Mervue?
I posted it in-thread, instead of starting anew. Thought the Council planted the trees, etc
Ok back on topic, I understand the confusion, live and let live though
Perhaps Council will move into NEW office when the ALL the block of apartments at the Crown Plaza site are occupied.
The Monivea Road shure going to get busy busy!
Approaching 4 years on from this horrific decision and still nobody has moved in
And likely won't in the next 12 months anyway.
This really is a scandal of the highest order. At least 100 million of tax and ratepayers money gone into this black hole Id wager.
Nothing to back up the business need to move sites, no sign of any study done to identify an appropriate site, public procurement guidelines almost definitely not followed and still no concrete timings of when the move will happen OR what is to happen on the old site.
A fcking disgrace.
I can't remember a publicly funded project in this city that wasn't mired in some sort of controversy. They seem to excel in money wasting incompetence.
Is there any way the cities citizens can hold a referendum to ask the government to remove the power held locally.
The council addressed some of those things.
External reports confirmed it was good value for money and the best option versus building on a greenfield or renting offices, the council expects to move in by Christmas, and there will be consultations on the college road site.
Don't have a clue about public procurement guidelines though, but it seems those reports validate the thinking behind the decision made to buy Crown.
I know there was a huge thing with staff apparently not being told anything as well, but not too clued up on that.
Who would you like to see responsible for cleaning the streets, managing most of the social housing, plannning decisions - a commissioner in Dublin who visits once a week?
presumably our elected representatives and not an unelected CEO.
The history of this move is that it was largely an attempt by the last CEO to railroad councillors and staff to get this approved
I don't believe any of those reports were made public, or in fact actually done prior to the procurement was made. I could be wrong on this, if anyone is more familiar with the report would be grateful to see it.
The council has hoped to move in prior to the last two Christmas's as well, you'll see it discussed at various points in this thread.
As for consultations on the college road site, doesn't that sound a bit like an after the horse has bolted job? When are they expecting those to happen?
Staff, were not consulted on any of this and this is part of the reason the move is taking so long.
Agree. Remember the re-vamp of Eyre Square ?
Went millions over budget, years over the timelines, and at the end, a lot of people didnt notice much difference in the before and after. All I could see is the old smelly toilet block was removed and some new paving slabs laid.
I don't care if he only visits at Christmas. What difference does it make if it's someone sitting behind a desk in Dublin who can't see what's going on in this city or the displeasure of its residents or someone sitting behind a desk in Galway who can't or won't see what's going on in this city or the displeasure of its residents.
Time after time, project after project it's the same story. Over budget, behind time, poorly designed, poorly finished. Maybe there's a little investigation. There's report published. Find an appropriate rug to sweep the mess under. On to the next circus.
They don't seem to have the skill sets to run a city. So why are we letting them?
Press release in the Advertiser today on the fit-out contract. Curious why it was released, this information was already public and announced.
Members agreed to vary the Galway City Development Plan and change the zoning of the city centre lands from Community and Institutional to Commercial and Industrial
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