Plans for a new two-storey Sisters of Mercy convent in Renmore have failed to receive the blessing of local residents who have lodged an objection against the proposed development with An Bord Pleanála.
The application by the Sisters of Mercy - Western Province is proposing to demolish an existing detached bungalow at Cnoc Mhuire, Ballyloughane Road, Renmore, to erect a new two storey convent which will consist of six one bedroom apartments and two visitors’ bedrooms. The application was granted planning permission by Galway City Council, however Renmore Residents Association has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála which is due to make a decision on the matter on August 5 next.
According to the application by the Sisters of Mercy there are currently 530 sisters in the Western Province and the numbers are being sustained/supplemented by sisters returning from the missions in Africa, South America, and the United States. Of this 530, there are 170 sisters in Galway and “while the provision of new accommodation over the last five years has contributed to addressing the accommodation shortage, there are still a considerable number of sisters in unsuitable and rented accommodation.” The application goes on to explain that there is an “immediate requirement” in Galway city for the development as there are currently six sisters in rented accommodation awaiting convent space, six are waiting to move to Galway due to the closure of houses and other reasons, and seven sisters are returning from overseas requiring accommodation in Galway in the next two to three years. The option of converting the existing building into apartments had been initially explored, however the bungalow was found to be “inherently obsolete for adaptation or modification”.
The appeal against the development was lodged on the grounds that the six self-contained apartments and two visitor bedrooms are “excessive” and “out of character with the adjoining family homes”. The residents felt the development is “unduly obtrusive and detrimental to the visual amenities and character of the area of Ballyloughane Road”, that it would overlook existing homes in the immediate area by nature of its “height, scale and bulk”, and that at peak times it would create an additional hazard to traffic. One resident questioned “why the sisters now require individual apartments considering a convent almost invariably refers to a community of nuns living ‘together’” and requested the Sisters of Mercy to declare any other lands in Galway suitable for development.
