30m-high student accommodation building is ‘too tall’

timmyntc

what_traffic wrote: »

Agree
Very low for both alright, doubt they could say Dyke Road Car park beside it could mitigate against the low number of car parking spaces?

City center apartments next door to all the supermarkets shouldn't need much if any car parking - enough spaces for maintenance types to park if something needs fixed, or if furniture is getting delivered etc.

Living in a city shouldn't need the use of a car. It's time the planners realised that, and encouraging car-driven developments.

timmyntc

timmyntc wrote: »

City center apartments next door to all the supermarkets shouldn't need much if any car parking - enough spaces for maintenance types to park if something needs fixed, or if furniture is getting delivered etc.

Living in a city shouldn't need the use of a car. It's time the planners realised that, and encouraging car-driven developments.

Sorry, I was in fact referring to the bike parking.

timmyntc

Deleted User wrote: »

Sorry, I was in fact referring to the bike parking.

Didn't cop that - yes thats surprising. Surely it doesnt cost much in terms of money or space to add enough bike parking per apartment?

Maybe it's a figure based on the projected average uptake of cycling(?) - assumption then would be everyone else exclusively uses the bus or walks?

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Sorry, I was in fact referring to the bike parking.

It's also next to a city bike share station, would pair up well with the stations next to NUIG.

Galwayguy35

When are we going to realise in this country we need to start building up instead of out.

biko

Sprawl is better than skyscrapers in my opinion.
Skyscrapers concentrate everything "downtown", adding to the traffic problems we already have.
It looks cool in movies from America, but for Galway - no.

What's the upside of a high concentration of tall buildings in the city centre?
What do you think would happen to the tourist industry if the quaint city centre were replaced with glass and concrete boxes, would it increase or decrease?

Decentralise and build high in places like Parkmore and other industrial estates.

timmyntc

biko wrote: »

Sprawl is better than skyscrapers in my opinion.
Skyscrapers concentrate everything "downtown", adding to the traffic problems we already have.
It looks cool in movies from America, but for Galway - no.

What's the upside of a high concentration of tall buildings in the city centre?
What do you think would happen to the tourist industry if the quaint city centre were replaced with glass and concrete boxes, would it increase or decrease?

Decentralise and build high in places like Parkmore and other industrial estates.

Skyscrapers dont add much to traffic problems because people living in them dont need to drive & wont add to traffic.
Take any city in the world and apply Galways population density to it, the sprawl would be immense and the traffic crippling.

I agree glass & concrete boxes arent nice to look at - but thats a different problem.
Entirely feasible to build mid-rise that wont dominate the skyline, and build it out of something that doesnt look like a generic office.

ben.schlomo

biko wrote: »

Sprawl is better than skyscrapers in my opinion.
Skyscrapers concentrate everything "downtown", adding to the traffic problems we already have.
It looks cool in movies from America, but for Galway - no.

What's the upside of a high concentration of tall buildings in the city centre?
What do you think would happen to the tourist industry if the quaint city centre were replaced with glass and concrete boxes, would it increase or decrease?

Decentralise and build high in places like Parkmore and other industrial estates.

You want to build high rise housing in Parkmore and industrial estates?

what_traffic

biko wrote: »

Sprawl is better than skyscrapers in my opinion.
Skyscrapers concentrate everything "downtown", adding to the traffic problems we already have.

This is NOT a skyscraper. If you were not a moderator I would say you are trying to derail the thread?
Its a 30m student block on the Headford Road beside the Industrial style Cinema .Its 7 storys high (https://geo.galwaycity.ie/ePlan5/AppFileRefDetails/20184/0)
+
We have the "car traffic" because we have sprawl. This Development only has 11 car spaces for 250 occupants.

Lost Ormond

biko wrote: »

Sprawl is better than skyscrapers in my opinion.
Skyscrapers concentrate everything "downtown", adding to the traffic problems we already have.
It looks cool in movies from America, but for Galway - no.

What's the upside of a high concentration of tall buildings in the city centre?
What do you think would happen to the tourist industry if the quaint city centre were replaced with glass and concrete boxes, would it increase or decrease?

Decentralise and build high in places like Parkmore and other industrial estates.

Where is the skyscraper? We're talking about 20 storey buildings. We need to stop sprawl. Concentrate in certain areas people living, working better and put in far better infrastructure in terms of public transport, cycling routes, park and ride where necessary and you have a far better city.

Galwayguy35

biko wrote: »

Sprawl is better than skyscrapers in my opinion.
Skyscrapers concentrate everything "downtown", adding to the traffic problems we already have.
It looks cool in movies from America, but for Galway - no.

What's the upside of a high concentration of tall buildings in the city centre?
What do you think would happen to the tourist industry if the quaint city centre were replaced with glass and concrete boxes, would it increase or decrease?

Decentralise and build high in places like Parkmore and other industrial estates.

Quaint is a thing of the past, its not the 1960s any more.

what_traffic

Lost Ormond wrote: »

Where is the skyscraper? We're talking about 20 storey buildings. We need to stop sprawl. Concentrate in certain areas people living, working better and put in far better infrastructure in terms of public transport, cycling routes, park and ride where necessary and you have a far better city.

No its not 20. It is 7/8 story's high building that is been proposed here. The Multi Story car park near by at the Corrib Shopping center will still be looking down on it.

Lost Ormond

what_traffic wrote: »

No its not 20. It is 7/8 story's high building that is been proposed here. The Multi Story car park near by at the Corrib Shopping center will still be looking down on it.

Yeah sorry. Got wires crossed.
And i wouldnt have problem with a 20 storys being built. Main thing to take is the city has to go up and stop always being built outwards

ben.schlomo

Lost Ormond wrote: »

Yeah sorry. Got wires crossed.
And i wouldnt have problem with a 20 storys being built. Main thing to take is the city has to go up and stop always being built outwards

You may have been thinking of the tall hotel plan for the coal yard down the docks.

Jammyd

Plans approved

what_traffic

Jammyd wrote: »

Plans approved

Yup, with 28 conditions
https://plan.galwaycity.ie/VirtualViewerNetHTML5/index.html?documentId=20184_CORRESPONDENCE

Squeeonline

what_traffic wrote: »

Yup, with 28 conditions
https://plan.galwaycity.ie/VirtualViewerNetHTML5/index.html?documentId=20184_CORRESPONDENCE

I'm not so familiar with these documents, but most of these conditions seem very fair and reasonable.

what_traffic

Squeeonline wrote: »

I'm not so familiar with these documents, but most of these conditions seem very fair and reasonable.

Hmmm - read the submissions about the Development and then compare with the conditions. A lot of the conditions attached to the Development by the Council are pretty vague, wide open to interpretation. Overall to me its a positive Development, this area of town needs a big overall, it is a bit of a mess. Still no Local Area Plan for it.....

This has been appealed to ABP by An Taisce

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/309607.htm

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/appeal-lodged-against-254-bed-headford-road-student-accommodation/?fbclid=IwAR3TKL3Ihjz_RlR1Hxe5HP1686HZK4pogUsoQZi5lEylbEYQepreJkUDsF4

Original planning application, with An taisce's original submission is here - https://geo.galwaycity.ie/ePlan5/AppFileRefDetails/20184/0

I wish I could attach an taisce's initial submission to this post but GCC's planning portal makes it a massive pain to find and extract exact pages of correspondence from a planning application

I did not go through all 689 pages of the original application so maybe I missed something but is an Taisce's objection all to do with the quality of water in Galway and there being maybe too much student accomodation? I'm quite surprised they're the ones to appeal this

I agree that there seems to be a glut of student accomodation. A lot has come on stream in the last few years but I would expect one so close to the centre of town to never be struggling to get tenants for the school year and summer. I do have my doubts that some of the others more recently built will be full especially given they don't seem to be any cheaper than ones which are better located.

what_traffic

Deleted User wrote: »

I wish I could attach an taisce's initial submission to this post but GCC's planning portal makes it a massive pain to find and extract exact pages of correspondence from a planning application

Big time, I hope at least "the scanning" of all these documents are somehow automated?
Does make it difficult to find information alright. Would seem to make the process easier if all the documents were digitally uploaded when submissions are been made.

Not sure. I know the county council use a very similar system, even the webpages are identical however you can browse file by file on their system. Way easier to use

Wompa1

Question for anyone able to actually read that document. It's very hard on the eyes...will there be much non-residential parking? I know it's a bit taboo but wondering how attractive those retail spaces may or may not be. With the picture, if they have the retail spaces facing back toward the current student accommodation that will mean there will be Scotty's across the road with very little parking as it is already plus I'd guess depending who takes up the spaces the other space already available there where the small shop used to be and that row COULD become prime real-estate.

But if there's no parking, it might only attract businesses purely focused on the student clientele

There was only to be a handful of residential parking spaces. No non-residential spaces. Keep in mind, you have the Dyke Rd car park right behind this development so there's ample, cheap parking at that location, not to mention the retail park

ben.schlomo

Wompa1 wrote: »

Question for anyone able to actually read that document. It's very hard on the eyes...will there be much non-residential parking? I know it's a bit taboo but wondering how attractive those retail spaces may or may not be. With the picture, if they have the retail spaces facing back toward the current student accommodation that will mean there will be Scotty's across the road with very little parking as it is already plus I'd guess depending who takes up the spaces the other space already available there where the small shop used to be and that row COULD become prime real-estate.

But if there's no parking, it might only attract businesses purely focused on the student clientele

Scotty's across the road? Scotty's is in Dun na Coiribe, this development is opposite Lidl?

what_traffic

Deleted User wrote: »

This has been appealed to ABP by An Taisce

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/309607.htm

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/appeal-lodged-against-254-bed-headford-road-student-accommodation/?fbclid=IwAR3TKL3Ihjz_RlR1Hxe5HP1686HZK4pogUsoQZi5lEylbEYQepreJkUDsF4

Original planning application, with An taisce's original submission is here - https://geo.galwaycity.ie/ePlan5/AppFileRefDetails/20184/0

I wish I could attach an taisce's initial submission to this post but GCC's planning portal makes it a massive pain to find and extract exact pages of correspondence from a planning application

https://connachttribune.ie/plan-for-student-block-on-headford-road-faces-appeal/

The board is due to issue its decision in July (13/07)

ben.schlomo

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/housing/an-bord-pleanala-approves-headford-road-student-accommodation/

Go ahead given for this one.

what_traffic

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117649939#Comment_117649939

Ya - with a condition of getting more appropriate bike parking spaces for the residents here thankfully.

Thanks to the Galway Cycling Campaign for getting that in.

This one is not done yet it seems. The developer wants to increase the amount of beds from 223 to 272, and additional 49 beds

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/housing/developer-seeks-to-add-more-bed-spaces-to-headford-road-student-accommodation/

The developer is now seeking approval from the city council to amend those plans, with modifications to the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth floor layouts of the complex.

This would only increase the number of units by one, to 69, but the number of bed spaces within those apartments would be increased to 272 in total.

Approval is also being sought to replace a gym on the second floor with communal spaces, and for amendments to three retail units, while a forth would be converted to offices.

The number of bicycle storage spaces in the student accommodation complex would also be increased from 134 to 157.

Decision from the council is due end of Nov

Ficheall

Any info on student accom monstrosity beside the river?