The provision of a new cemetery site is a matter of urgency, according to Independent city councillor Declan McDonnell who warned that the new cemetery in Bohermore was already running out of space.
Cllr McDonnell made his concerns known at a special meeting of the Galway City Council last money after it was noted in a progress report on the Galway City Development Plan that a number of sites for a new city cemetery have been investigated in terms of their suitability and that it was a “long term objective” in the plan.
“The plans for new cemeteries are long term? You would want to go up to the new one in the city. It’s certainly not long term, it is running out of space and there are no sites coming forward,” said Cllr McDonnell.
In reply, director of services Ciarán Hayes confirmed that the council has been looking at potential sites, the last one being just last week, and that members will be told if this site is successful in the coming weeks.
The report also included plans to establish and develop a new cemetery site to serve the city which will accommodate services such as a crematorium. Mr Hayes said that such a service would require significant investment and attempts have been made to set up a public/private partnership but that so far it has been unsuccessful, however, it is still a long term objective.
