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Galway City Council has welcomed confirmation from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, of more than €15m in support for the city under the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund, which replaces the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF).
Five Galway City Council applications have been approved to drive urban regeneration and build sustainable communities.
Two major schemes set to reshape the city centre and Knocknacarra will move through detailed design into construction, each receiving €7.5m.
An Tús Kingston Park, a landmark public realm scheme within the recently approved (by An Coimisiún Pleanála) Kingston & Millers Lane Public Parks & Public Urban Realm Project, will begin delivering a transformative community amenity addressing current shortfalls in community, recreational and amenity infrastructure in Knocknacarra. This first phase will provide the northern section of the New Kingston Park, serving a catchment of approximately 14,000 people. The funded works include a new 4G synthetic pitch, a Rounders pitch, a Cricket Batting Cage, new changing facilities, Safe Routes to School measures and a greenway, public spaces and amenities, planting, an Outdoor Classroom & Amphitheatre, and other associated works.
Works at Ceannt - Augustine Hill will deliver over 5,500m2 of enhanced public realm, extending Galway city centre eastwards, improving accessibility and significantly upgrading the arrival experience at the newly redeveloped Ceannt Station. The project underpins the creation of a new city-centre community through the Augustine Hill Masterplan, which will utilise an 8.5-acre brownfield site south of Ceannt Station for residential, cultural, retail, leisure, office and transport development. The public realm will connect key sites including the recently developed Ceannt Station, Augustine Hill and Bonham Quay, in partnership with Galway City Council, Iarnród Eireann and Augustine Hill representatives.
Construction on both of these funded projects is scheduled to begin by September 2027.
In addition, the Department has awarded three allocations of €150,000 to advance strategic plans and preparatory work in other parts of the city.
At Murrough, on Galway's eastern seaboard, funding for the Murrough Coastal Protection and Esplanade will help unlock a strategically located 24.3-hectare site for significant, sustainable housing. Supported by Galway City Council and progressed in co-operation with Atlantic Technological University, the proposal will move to Preliminary Design and develop a coherent plan for a promenade/esplanade, an active travel network and wider infrastructure as part of an integrated, transport-oriented coastal neighbourhood.
The City Centre Delivery Strategy will redesign how deliveries operate in Galway’s historic core, meeting the needs of businesses and residents while making the centre safer, more pedestrian-friendly and better aligned with sustainable travel. The study will align with anticipated traffic changes from BusConnects Galway: Cross-City Link and support further pedestrianisation and improved movement across the city centre, as set out in Galway City Council’s Public Realm Strategy.
Funding for the West of Galway City Movement Study will underpin an area-wide movement framework to guide public realm improvements while balancing access for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, servicing, emergency vehicles and private cars. The study area covers, and will examine the interfaces between, the Thrive West Area Plan, the Cross Street Rejuvenation Project area, the Lombard Street Rejuvenation study area, and the wider routes, junctions, bridges, lanes and public spaces linking these areas to each other, to the pedestrian core and to Nuns Island.
