Indoor food hall planned for Market Street

joeKel73

Plans will be submitted to Galway City Council in the coming months for a 200-room hotel and an indoor food hall on Market Street in the city on the combined Market Street Car Park and Connacht Tribune sites.

The food hall will cover 17,000 square feet under a double height ceiling and will be modelled on similar food markets in Europe.

The company expects to submit a full planning application during the summer.

Full Story: http://connachttribune.ie/indoor-market-hall-hotel-planned-market-street-site-322/

joeKel73

Bing Maps' Bird's Eye view of Market Street for comparison...

What is in the shed to the left of the car park now?
Is it part of the tribune site as it is included in the plan.

The building looks slightly less out of place than the one proposed on Bohermore.

ScumLord

Something that would go down well in Galway. The spot is nice and central for locals, but as with all things Galway until they figure out the traffic I'll be avoiding it. I won't go into Galway unless I absolutely have to these days. The N17 is like a never ending meetup of the slowest drivers in the country.

Mrs OBumble

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What is in the shed to the left of the car park now?
Is it part of the tribune site as it is included in the plan..

I noticed that shed the other day and though that it looked new or different.

Google maps street view from 2014 shows it as a row of old houses, but looking at it in satellite view ( which is now dated 2017) it looks like one big building.

biko

Food market - great, it'll be there or Hynes Yard I hope.
Another hotel - blergh but what can ya do..

ronnie3585

I always thought Silke's would be a perfect location for such a market.

joeKel73

A search for "Royal Horizon Ltd" brought up this letter to the council planning department in March 2016 in relation to the draft city development plan.

It has more detail on their intention to use the site for a food market.

http://apps.galwaycity.ie/DevPlanSubmissions/DPP.17.106.pdf

Deleted User wrote: »

What is in the shed to the left of the car park now?
Is it part of the tribune site as it is included in the plan.

Yes that seems to be part of the same site...

The parcel has a long established use for a car parking (30 years +) and includes an adjoining shed / industrial building along the southern boundary.

what_traffic

ScumLord wrote: »

The spot is nice and central for locals, but as with all things Galway until they figure out the traffic I'll be avoiding it.

The 120 Car Parking spaces in the Underground Car Park of the proposed Development wont help here either.

Zzippy

Looks like the car park entrance/exit will be on the Bowling Green side from that graphic. Between cars possibly queueing to get in, and cars stopping at the front entrance to drop off guests, the whole area could get gridlocked very quickly. They could remove all on-street parking on Market St. to make an extra lane, but they would probably have to offer spaces to residents to compensate.

ronnie3585

Zzippy wrote: »

Looks like the car park entrance/exit will be on the Bowling Green side from that graphic. Between cars possibly queueing to get in, and cars stopping at the front entrance to drop off guests, the whole area could get gridlocked very quickly. They could remove all on-street parking on Market St. to make an extra lane, but they would probably have to offer spaces to residents to compensate.

It's very hard escape the fact that it's one of the busiest, narrowest roads in the city. Any development would have a negative impact on the already chronic traffic.

Mrs OBumble

How on earth would coaches get to the hotel?

Or delivery wagons for the food market, for that matter.

Does anyone influential live in Bowling Green? I cannot see residents there being happy with the idea.

The car entrance is on Market Street - in the top right hand corner of the picture. There might be a service entrance to the rear.

120 spaces is only about 40 more than is currently on that site - the current car park is for short stays and does generate congestion as people wait for spaces to turn over.

Edit: There is on street parking or loading bays on both sides of Market Street - set down areas will presumably be available.

I imagine it would be a tight squeeze for a 52 seat coach to get out of there - maybe coach tourists might not be the target customer.

Food service trucks presumably already service the businesses in the area.

joeKel73

This was intended as a good news thread! An indoor food market will be a a great addition to the city.

The city center is meant to be a lively urban environment with lots of different entertainment and food options - not a critical road network and access routes to massive car parks.

I'd rather see market street restricted to pedestrian and bike traffic. We need to let go of the demand to be able to drive directly to where we want to go and park outside it - it's a luxury that just doesn't scale with the city. Not every city center hotel can expect to facilitate lines of coaches pulling up outside.

The proposed market is 300m from Eyre Square - the central transport hub of the city, a 4min walk for most people.

ScumLord

what_traffic wrote: »

The 120 Car Parking spaces in the Underground Car Park of the proposed Development wont help here either.

Good point.

J o e wrote: »

This was intended as a good news thread! An indoor food market will be a a great addition to the city.

One of these markets would be ideal for Galway, as much as I say I would avoid it, it would be a big draw, I like to cook a bit and it's impossible to find decent ingredients, even stuff as basic as chillies, the best they do is a variety pack as a novelty which isn't much good for cooking.

I'd rather see market street restricted to pedestrian and bike traffic. We need to let go of the demand to be able to drive directly to where we want to go and park outside it - it's a luxury that just doesn't scale with the city.

If it's going to be a shop they're going to have to have access for cars or visitors will be restricted to one or two carry bags of shopping. Galway centre is already encouraging parking outside the centre and walking in. But they need to get access to that place for cars, even if it's just letting them in the back way and keeping the front pedestrian. To allow cars in means that whole area is going to need a rethink.

Mrs OBumble

J o e wrote: »

. Not every city center hotel can expect to facilitate lines of coaches pulling up outside.

The proposed market is 300m from Eyre Square - the central transport hub of the city, a 4min walk for most people.

There is a tourist demographic which happily drags wheelie bags to and from the coach station. But they usually stay in backpacker hostels, not hotels.

The only exception is stags and hens for whom the parade from the bus to the hotel is part of the weekend's entertainment. But you cannot run a hotel just on them.

seklly

ScumLord wrote: »

it's impossible to find decent ingredients, even stuff as basic as chillies

Try Terryland Fruit & Veg and Terryland Asian Foodmarket, I work nearby and use them regularly for chillies, spices etc.

connemara man

Would it be viable as a local traffic only area

Daisy78

So cars queuing to get into a carpark is okay. But not a hotel or food market? Have I missed something here?!! This would be a great addition to the city. If it is intended to be a boutique hotel I doubt they will be chasing the coach tours.

Arghus

Could be a great addition to the city.

gordongekko

biko wrote: »

Another hotel - blergh but what can ya do..

It could have been a coffee shop

We have actually lost a lot of hotel rooms in Galway.

Off the top of my head

Corrib great southern
Glen oaks
Foster court
And next year the Westwood

inisboffin

gordongekko wrote: »

It could have been a coffee shop

We have actually lost a lot of hotel rooms in Galway.

Off the top of my head

Corrib great southern
Glen oaks
Foster court
And next year the Westwood

Yeah, there is a gap in that middle market for hotels that Airbnb has pounced on. Hostels have increased but it's a slightly different market. The knock on effect is contributing to the shortage of rentals and increase with ruthless landlords. Looks like planning for the one on Shannon Dry Cleaners site won't happen for a while either.

Mrs OBumble

Daisy78 wrote: »

If it is intended to be a boutique hotel I doubt they will be chasing the coach tours.

If it was intended to be a boutique hotel, it would not have 200 rooms!


Galway is short of hotel rooms: the company I was working for last year had problems finding rooms for travelling staff even at this time of the year.

But that does not mean we should put them in crazy places without thinking thru the traffic issues.

Daisy78

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If it was intended to be a boutique hotel, it would not have 200 rooms!


Galway is short of hotel rooms: the company I was working for last year had problems finding rooms for travelling staff even at this time of the year.

But that does not mean we should put them in crazy places without thinking thru the traffic issues.

So what is the difference between hotel traffic and traffic accessing a car park?!

D Trent

gordongekko wrote: »

It could have been a coffee shop

We have actually lost a lot of hotel rooms in Galway.

Off the top of my head

Corrib great southern
Glen oaks
Foster court
And next year the Westwood

To add to that ;

Spinnaker Salthill
Sacre Couer Salthill
Warwick Salthill
Encore Ramada Oranmore
Amber House Hotel Doughiska
Currans hotel where TK Maxx is now

Mrs OBumble

Daisy78 wrote: »

So what is the difference between hotel traffic and traffic accessing a car park?!

How many coaches have you ever seen in the current Market St carpark?

youngrun

D Trent wrote: »

To add to that ;

Spinnaker Salthill
Sacre Couer Salthill
Warwick Salthill
Encore Ramada Oranmore
Amber House Hotel Doughiska
Currans hotel where TK Maxx is now

Not forgetting the Waterfront , Kingsvalley, American, Monterey and dont mention the Burrenmount...

thesandeman

Jaysus, if ye're going that far back don't forget The Beach, Kincora, Palm Court, Giblins, Ard Rí, Odeon....

Webbs

ScumLord wrote: »

If it's going to be a shop they're going to have to have access for cars or visitors will be restricted to one or two carry bags of shopping. Galway centre is already encouraging parking outside the centre and walking in. But they need to get access to that place for cars, even if it's just letting them in the back way and keeping the front pedestrian. To allow cars in means that whole area is going to need a rethink.

I thought the intention was to be something similar to Covent Garden or English Market in Cork.

Neither of those have access for cars.

I think it would be a great addition to Galway something that would really benefit the city

ScumLord

Webbs wrote: »

I thought the intention was to be something similar to Covent Garden or English Market in Cork.

It is but the English market in Cork was built during a different time, cars didn't exist, people walked everywhere and would have no choice but to go to the English market if they lived near by it.

I don't think a modern business, especially a speciality one can expect to exist on whoevers within walking distance, I don't know that the centre of Galway is known for people with enough money to buy gourmet food everyday.

People will travel for this place, my uncle travels from Galway to Cork on the train every few weeks to buy particular things he can't get anywhere else.

If it's not accessible they simply won't get enough people in the door.

joeKel73

ScumLord wrote: »

It is but the English market in Cork was built during a different time, cars didn't exist, people walked everywhere and would have no choice but to go to the English market if they lived near by it.

I don't think a modern business, especially a speciality one can expect to exist on whoevers within walking distance, I don't know that the centre of Galway is known for people with enough money to buy gourmet food everyday.

The English market is a thriving business today.

ScumLord wrote: »

People will travel for this place, my uncle travels from Galway to Cork on the train every few weeks to buy particular things he can't get anywhere else.

Your uncle has already solved the problem so...