In February, the business running the 322-seat art house cinema closed its doors, and in May the property’s owner, Galway City Council, advertised for expressions of interest to take over the award-winning building for a nominal rent. This week, the council extended its deadline for submissions to July 14.
Spearheaded by the Galway Volunteer Centre, which itself is looking for a new HQ as its landlord is selling up on William Street West, new group LÁR Galway has drawn up a detailed proposal for the Pálás. It has set up an online survey inviting other non-profit groups to join forces and submit their requirements to add to its submission.
Currently, the Pálás on Lower Merchants Road is configured as a three-screen cinema with a canteen, kitchen, box office, kiosk shop and office space. The building is understood to contain all its cinema fittings and fixtures, including a bar with theatre licence.
It will temporarily re-open from July 8, to July 13, for the Galway Film Fleadh.
LÁR Galway organisers say they can deliver a suite of services from the building for social enterprises, while also retaining the largest, 161-seat cinema and a café to generate commercial income to pay overheads. They are finalising a business case to repurpose part of the building, designed by de Paor Architects, into hot desk office space, and an open area for events, meetings, workshops and art exhibitions.
Donnacha Foley, Development Manager with Galway Volunteer Centre, says his team has collated international examples of how this type of building has been successfully repurposed in other cities.
“We see this as an opportunity to outline how such a central and prominent building in the city could be utilised for the community,” he said. “There is a significant lack of accessible space in the city centre for community activities, and LÁR Galway intends to propose a viable - and sustainable - community-run hub for all.”
The Galway Volunteers centre employs 8 staff who coordinate with more than 600 organisations across the city and county. It signs up around 1,500 volunteers each year, runs the Galway Street Ambassadors programme and administers volunteers for a number of events.
Galway City Council had the Pálás Cinema surveyed in March. This commercial review recommended the local authority either re-opens the building as cinema or cultural space, re-purposes the building for tourist use, or reconfigures the building to operate host a mix of rent-generating commercial units alongside space for community use.
Interested parties were invited to tour the building last week. Council officials have communicated to companies and groups making enquiries that although City Hall may offer the building rent free for appropriate use, it will not provide any grants or other financial supports.
Submissions will be marked on criteria including concept, financial capacity, governance, and management, and a short list is expected to be presented to city councillors for their input by late summer.
