Galway City Council has given the green light for plans to build a new boutique hotel on Nun’s Island in the city centre.
Hanoview Ltd has been granted planning permission to demolish two buildings on Nun’s Island; No. 26, a commercial building, and No. 34, a dwelling to its rear.
In their place the developer plans to build a a three storey over part-basement boutique hotel, with 34 guest bedrooms.
Of the 34 bedroom, the developer has said that 17 will be “pod” style compact rooms, to make more economic use of the site.
The hotel will contain a compact lounge and breakfast room for residents, neither of which will be open to the public.
The planning inspector’s report said that building would “assimilate well” with Nun’s Island street, and provide a “positive contribution” to the streetscape, noting that the existing building has been in a state of disrepair for years.
The inspector also said that the proposed balcony on the canal side of the building was “visually jarring and is surplus to requirements”, and the council ordered it removed from the plans.
There were eight submission made to the council concerning this development, with objections including that it was out of character with the area, would have a negative impact on visual amenity and built heritage.
Potential traffic concerns and the lack of parking were also highlighted in objections.
There is no car parking proposed for the hotel, but the council inspector said that this would not be merited anyway, given its location, and that more sustainable travel is preferable.
Planning permission for the new hotel was granted by Galway City Council with a total of 28 conditions attached.
Before any work commences, a qualified archaeologist must carry out testing on the site, and a conservation architect must also carry out a record and survey of the buildings on site.
Cycle parking proposed on Nun’s Island street must be removed from the plans, and the area landscaped instead, to improve pedestrian movement and the public realm.
