The west is set to enjoy two major boosts with news that up to 1,000 temporary construction and permanent retail jobs will be created by the €200m redevelopment of the Galway Shopping Centre.

In addition, a multi-million Euro ward block of single rooms with en-suites on the site of University Hospital Galway (UHG) is also to get underway soon.

The first positive news is that the owners of the shopping centre on the Headford Road have said there is considerable interest among potential anchor tenants, and said the figure of 1,000 jobs was realistic.

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A spokesperson for Harcourt Developments said negotiations are continuing with 'big league' potential anchor tenants for the scheme, which would take around five years to build out and would quadruple the size of the existing shopping centre.

However, the spokesperson said that despite his reassurances, he was unable to give a timeframe for the development, as it depended on the ongoing negotiations with potential tenants.

Meanwhile, the clinical director of hospitals in Galway and Roscommon has told of plans for a €70m ward block of on the site of University Hospital Galway (UHG).

Construction of the new ward would take place in parallel with the development of Merlin Park day hospital facilities and would proceed as a public-private partnership.

The new eight-storey ward block will be predominantly a single-room development with en-suite facilities.

(BMcC)