Plans have been lodged with the city council to tear down two dilapidated buildings on Nuns Island and replace them with apartments.
Halictus Ltd is seeking planning permission to demolish no. 26 and no. 34 on Nuns Island and build a block of 20 apartments in their place.
The two buildings to be demolished are not joined, but are located at the east and west ends of the intended building site.
The new apartment building would be built around a central courtyard, with another open space at the west end of the site overlooked by balconies.
The new homes would consist of 4 studio apartments, 10 one-bedroom units, and 6 two-bedroom units.
No parking has been included in the design, which the application documents say was “previously agreed on with the Council in pre-application discussions”.
On the Nuns Island facing side “the building is three storeys in height and includes a fenestration design to work sympathetically with the architectural style of its immediate neighbours”.
On the canal faciing side the design of the proposed building is four storeys in height “utilising the greater space available to it without the confines of the immediate adjacent, connected buildings”.
According to the planning documents a Heritage Consultant was hired to review the proposal and develop a “balanced acceptable design”.
Six submissions have been made to the city council objecting to the proposed development with concerns related to its size and design.
Nuns Island is an historic part of the city and multiple local residents said that the design of the apartment building is both out of character with the surrounding buildings, and would overshadow them, cutting off natural light.
Concerns were also raised about the lack of parking in the plans, with multiple people saying that Nuns Island already has traffic issues which this development would make worse.
The planning application states that making use of brownfield sites like this one is called for in national and local planning strategies.
They call for “compact growth in cities across the country to avoid urban sprawl and ensure that city and town centres remain vibrant, safe, sustainable places where people live and work”.
A Flood Risk Assessment and Engineering Report from Tobin Consultant Engineers were submitted with this application.
A Natura Impact Statement including with the planning application said that the development would not affect any protected conservation sites.
Some evidence was found of bats roosting in no. 34 in a survey carried out last November, with a recommendation that further surveying take place before any demolition begins.
Galway city council is due to make a decision on this planning application by June 20.
