The new owner of the former Sacre Coeur Hotel in Salthill has told Galway City Council that despite the site’s residential zoning, planners should give the go-ahead for a temporary carpark as it will reduce the risk of anti-social behaviour.
Donegal father and son Colm O’Donnell Senior and Junior of Rockport Limited had sought permission for a temporary carpark on the site for a period of five years, with 61 spaces, CCTV stands and three Pay and Display units.
However, planners pointed out the site is zoned ‘R’ (residential) in the current City Development Plan and there is no provision for such a carpark facility. They added that three of the proposed spaces would be too close to the access/exit point and pointed out that the signage for times of operation and cost of parking were “excessive in scale and visually obtrusive and would lead to visual clutter”.
They also sought clarification on hours of operation – signage included in drawings indicated 8.30am to 6.30pm, but an engineering report with the application said it would be used all day and would cater for bingo in the adjacent Caesar’s Palace casino (which the O’Donnell’s also own).
The applicants responded that the carpark would be for five years only and it is their intention to “redevelop the site for an appropriate development”. They added that it is currently not viable to redevelop it.
They included a letter of support from the resident of the adjacent house, who welcomed the use of the vacant site as a carpark, and said there had been instances of anti-social behaviour in the past.
CCTV, they said, will be managed through Caesar’s Palace, which has a manager on site 24 hours a day.
They added that the carpark will be open 24 hours, and will also be managed through the casino.
“This would provide monitoring of activities in the carpark, reducing the risk of anti-social behaviour and therefore protecting the residential amenities of the adjacent properties,” the applicants said.
The most recently-filed accounts for Rockport Ltd – which also operates Caesar’s palace – (for the year ended August 31, 2015) show the company made a profit of €410,620 that year, and shareholders’ funds stood at just under €1.05 million.
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