The look and feel of shop fronts in the historic core of Galway city is concerning city councillors as the city swells with summer visitors.
Deputy Mayor Níall McNelis (Lab ) is urging independent shop owners to apply for new grants to restore and declutter existing shopfronts – many on historic buildings – while Councillor Mike Crowe (FF ) is worried about the proliferation of vape stores across the city.
McNelis says shop owners may not be aware of a new €200,000 annual fund to assist retail renovations within Galway city’s three Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs ). These are an area around Eyre Square, the city core from Spanish Arch to Eglinton Street, and Lower Dominick Street.
“This is very much welcomed, and will be a big help to get the city looking well,” he said. “I would encourage businesses to come together and apply for this funding.” Grants of up to €10,000 are available for shopfronts, and up to €20,000 for decluttering, improving accessibility, heritage upgrades and encouraging artistic collaboration.
Online applications to Galway City Council close on July 11.
Meanwhile, Councillor Crowe has submitted questions to city officials on whether gaudy and brightly illuminated facades on vape shops are allowed under city ordinances concerning heritage, signage and aesthetics in conservation areas.
“I believe there are serious questions around ‘vapes’ and I see them as a possible unknown and unquantified threat to people’s health,” Crowe wrote to senior city officials last month, querying whether vape shops must apply for specific planning permissions to operate.
In response, urban development director, Patricia Philbin, said the local authority’s Planning Enforcement Unit will review the planning status of all vape shops in the city.
She pointed out that some works to a shopfront in an ACA may contravene regulations, but ultimately it would be up to central government to amend current rules to force all vape stores to seek specific planning permission if thy are operating in a premises which had already been a retail shop.
