It is “madness” and “inappropriate” to build a Tesco hypermarket in a heavily residential area on the Rahoon Road. The developer must withdraw the planning application and instead work with the IDA to develop a business park on the site similar to that in Dangan.
This is the view of the Rahoon Residents’ Association, which made its call after 78 submissions on the planning application for a large-scale retail development on the former O’Higgins timber yard site on Rahoon Road were lodged last week.
Detailed submissions on the application highlighting concerns about traffic, noise, and retail impact were made by residents’ associations representing Highfield Park, Rahoon Road, and Maunsells Road/Park, as did the Galway Chamber of Commerce, the Galway City Business Association, RGDATA, and local businesses. Scoil Bhride, Shantalla, which is close to the proposed development, made two submissions.
“This is not an appropriate development for the location,” said RRA spokesperson Donall MacAodha. “We believe it is madness to propose a retail operation of this scale and intensity so close to where people live.”
Mr MacAodha said the proposed hypermarket “would irreparably damage the residential amenity of the neighbourhood and the right of local residents to the enjoyment of their own property”.
He also argues that it would create noise and car pollution and significant additional traffic with its related traffic hazard.
“Residents are concerned that the additional traffic generated by the proposed development would overwhelm the local road infrastructure and pose unwarranted safety hazards to schoolchildren,” he said.
He pointed out that Rahoon Road, Maunsells’ Road, Highfield Park, and Taylors’ Hill are used by children attending Scoil Bhríde (Shantalla Road ), St Mary’s (Shantalla Road ), Scoil Fhursa (Nile Lodge ), Scoil Róis (Taylor’s Hill ) and the Dominican Secondary School (Taylor’s Hill ).
“The proposed development is located in an area with an inadequate road infrastructure and would create too many junctions along a short stretch of road which is already busy, and compromise the safety of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to an unacceptable degree,” he said.
He also said the provision of 468 car parking spaces for both workers and customers is “totally inadequate”.
“This would result in car queuing on already congested roads at peak times and in on-street parking along Rahoon Road in adjacent residential areas, compromising road safety,” he said. “This is madness and not acceptable.”
As a result the RRA is calling for the application to be “withdrawn immediately” in favour of more sustainable development in line with the Galway City Development Plan and National guidelines.
The suggestion to develop a job-creating business park was first put forward by An Taisce, which in its objections to the proposed development, highlighted the dangers of net job losses arising from such a massive retail project in an area and a city, which it believes, is over-supplied with retail space.
According to An Taisce, building a compact office type development which could house a call centre, or a computer software developers unit, etc, and would be “a preferred and positive outcome”.
“If the developer is, as reported in local media last July, genuine about making a social contribution to our area after doing business here for over 40 years,” said Mr MacAodha, “he should now withdraw this application for a development which is totally inappropriate for this mature residential area.
“Such a gesture would demonstrate initiative, courage, and concern for local residents and their children and be would be warmly welcomed. Residents in our areas are not anti-development, but are in favour of development that is for the common good.”
The RRA is now calling on the area’s four city councillors - Independents Catherine Connolly and Donal Lyons, Fianna Fáil’s Peter Keane, and Labour’s Niall McNelis - to “row in behind the job-creating business park proposal”.
