Fears that funding for a major ‘Greenway’ for the city would be withdrawn by the Government, causing the project to collapse, appear to be unfounded as both City Hall and NUI Galway are determined to press ahead with the walkway.
A ‘Greenway’ cycle and pedestrian route is proposed to run from NUIG at Dangan to Galway Cathedral, via the Fisheries Field. The route will be a 4m wide walkway with benches, refuse bins, signage, and SOS boxes.
The project was given the green light in June when the Government allocated funding of €250,000. NUIG also contributed by providing land to allow construction of the Greenway through the campus, land for a bridge from the Fisheries Field to the main campus, and the funding for the design of the bridge.
Evidence of the determination to see the project completed is that work has started on a pedestrian and cyclist bridge between the Fisheries Field and the main campus at NUIG.
However it appeared momentum on the project had stalled and that no progress was made since the summer, causing concern to Labour councillor Billy Cameron, for whom this has been a pet project.
At the December meeting of the Galway City Council, Cllr Cameron raised the matter but claimed “the issue was fudged over”. His concerns were exacerbated following a meeting with junior minister Alan Kelly, where he was informed that the grant had to have been spent by the end of the year and because this had not happened, it would have to be returned to the Department of Finance.
“A quarter of a million euro in funding in times of austerity is not to be sneezed at and should be grasped with both hands,” said Cllr Cameron. “NUIG and the Galway City Council should have pulled out all the stops to ensure that the project was delivered.”
In order to receive an official explanation of the situation, Cllr Cameron wrote to City Hall, seeking answers under the Freedom of Information act. He is due to receive a reply in the coming weeks.
However, the city council’s director of services Ciarán Hayes said the project is not stalled and that the council intend to see it completed by the end of this year.
Speaking to the Galway Advertiser, Mr Hayes said any arising issues result from the length of time it takes such projects to go through the expected and demanded legal channels.
“We have to go through a planning process, a procurement process, and a tendering process before work can start on a project,” he said. “When funding is made available mid-year with a deadline that the money has to be spent before the year is out, it is very difficult to meet that deadline with the length of the process that has to be gone through.”
As a result the Galway City Council is currently in discussions with the National Transport Authority with a view to putting together a ‘multi-annual programme’ that would deal with projects involving such time scales or deadlines.
“We are in discussions at the moment and hopefully we will know within the next month to six weeks,” said Mr Hayes.
If approval is given for the multi-annual programme, it will allow City Hall to complete the planning process, etc, and still access the funding for the ‘Greenway’. “We still have the project in our sights and it is an objective for next year and we’ll hopefully be able to access the funds,” he said.
Keith Warnock, NUIG’s vice-president for capital projects, also pointed out that the planning and procurement process could not meet the extremely tight deadline.
“The bridge and the campus Greenway are seen as the initial phases of a major greenway from the city to Moycullen,” he said. “Such a project requires comprehensive planning and design, particularly in view of the environmentally sensitive location of the campus element in or beside a Special Area of Conservation along the River Corrib.
“Requirements for the appointment of a design team, the design of the project, an environmental assessment, planning permission and the procurement of contractors – all of which would have to be carried out in advance of the incurring of any non-consultancy costs – made it impossible to satisfy the grant requirements for a campus greenway element before the end of the year. All of this was agreed in discussions with city council officials.”
Mr Warnock said NUIG has “worked and continues to work “with City Hall on the development of the project.
“Evidence of the close cooperation is evident in the construction of the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists between the Fisheries Field and the main campus, work on which has recently started,” he said. “NUI Galway’s long-term commitment to the Greenway development is clear from its determination to press ahead with this project, in cooperation with the council.”
Like City Hall, NUIG is determined to see the project through to completion.
“Both the city council and the university wish this project to continue to go ahead,” said Mr Warnock. “The national financial situation makes the availability of future funding uncertain, but the university will continue to work with city council officials to maximise the prospect of utilising any funding that might become available to extend the project beyond the new bridge
