The need for an overhaul of Eyre Square’s appearance and safety is immediate and must be addressed before the busy summer period, a Galway senator has claimed this week.
Sen Ollie Crowe told the Galway Advertiser that currently, the centrepiece of the city is not meeting acceptable standards in terms of presentation and citizen safety. He said that the City Council crews are doing all they can with limited resources, but more funding needs to be directed to make Eyre Square the attractive plaza it can be.
“Eyre Square is the heart of our city, the first area that greets visitors arriving in on trains or buses. There needs to be minimum standards in terms of the presentation of the area, the safety of the area and unfortunately, we are falling short of those standards currently,” he said.
“I have walked through the square a number of times recently and there are a number of issues, certainly groups engaging in outdoor drinking is one, the general cleanliness of the area is another. Since raising the need for a greater Garda presence in the area at the end of last year, I am happy to see that has been implemented and made an impact, however the potential of using the former tourism office as a Garda Kiosk remains and should be examined in my view.”
Senator Crowe is calling for enhanced resources to be dedicated to the area, particularly with regards to keeping it clean. “We need to do more to ensure the area is clean, the staff there are doing what they can but they need more resources, the area needs to be power washed a few times a week, a greater number of staff dedicated to it and I think a chief warden or something to that effect needs to be introduced who will be responsible for maintaining the area.
Senator Crowe said he has raised Eyre Square with the City Council this week and is calling on the Council to take immediate action, noting that it was important these issues were tackled before the busy summer period.
“The current situation is not acceptable for residents of the city, for businesses in the square, and for visitors to the city. There is a responsibility on the City Council to address this with urgency and I am hopeful they will do so,” he concluded.
