Thirteen years after Galway City Council lent a piece of parkland to the HSE for six months, next week councillors will be asked to sell almost four acres of that park for an air ambulance base to serve the west of Ireland.
The Health Service Executive is expected to offer almost €700,000 for the recreational land which borders the western boundary of University College Hospital Galway, and donate €1.1 million to the local authority with the provision it must be spent on community infrastructure for Shantalla.
It is understood the Saolta Group, which oversees seven public hospitals across the west and northwest, attempted to purchase land near Arch Motors on Seamus Quirke Road to offer as a land-swap with the Galway City Council, but this deal fell through based on price.
Councillors will vote on whether to accept €187,500 per acre from the HSE, for 3.69 acres, totalling €691,875 excluding VAT. The current parkland is approximately six acres, meaning barely enough room left for a soccer pitch if the sale goes through.
Hospital managers say upgrading the temporary helipad on Shantalla Park into an emergency airbase will help future-proof time critical patient transfers for the next 40 years.
In documents leaked to the Advertiser last year, aeromedical experts considered locations across Galway for emergency medical aviation, including Westside, Grattan Park, Corrib Park, and Dangan, but Shantalla Park and South Park (The Swamp ) were ranked higher on a number of metrics, with Shantalla selected overall.
At a behind-closed-doors meeting hastily arranged last week, HSE officials and management consultants briefed councillors on proposals to buy up a large chunk of the park, part of which is already fenced off as a temporary helipad. As part of the deal, the HSE proposes to donate a thin strip of land to the council along the eastern side of Shantalla Community Centre to create an access route into remaining parkland from Costello Road.
City Hall’s request for the HSE to provide an avenue through its University College Hospital Galway campus to facilitate the Cross City Bus Connect network were also discussed, but it is understood no commitments were given by HSE representatives, regardless of the outcome of a deal on Shantalla.
The vote of all 18 members of Galway City Council on Monday is likely to be politically fraught, with many residents of the city centre vehemently opposed to the sale of scarce amenity land, while communities across several counties demand swifter emergency access to the region’s top tier hospital.
A telephone survey of a cross section of city councillors by the Galway Advertiser indicates there is a possibility of a nine v nine tie at the council’s July plenary meeting next week, leaving new mayor Helen Ogbu (Lab ) with the unenviable prospect of using her casting vote to decide on an issue bound to upset one group over another.
Councillors have to-date not been furnished with land portfolios or deeds relevant to the proposed sale. A number of residents have requested historic land records be investigated, as there is a persistent folk memory of open ground – formerly referred to as Kirwan’s Park – being donated to the people of Galway, possibly by the Eyre family two centuries ago, or as recently as the 1930s, when farmland in Rahoon changed hands with the Galway Borough Corporation to facilitate building what became the Seamus Quirke Road.
“I have only the greatest respect for the various individual officials and consultants [hired] trying to find a solution for this issue, but I just don’t trust the HSE as an organisation when it comes this land in Shantalla,” says Councillor John McDonagh (Lab ) who, as a community activist in the city centre neighbourhood, has for decades campaigned to develop the Shantalla parklands for recreational use.
“Over the years, a number of alternative options have been suggested, including a raised or rooftop helipad. Before the council votes to dispose of public open space that has served generations of local families, every viable alternative should be independently assessed and publicly explained,” he said.
“I want to acknowledge and sincerely thank the councillors who, over many years and across different council terms, listened to the community and voted to protect this park. Their decisions ensured that this vital public amenity has remained available for families, children, walkers, sports clubs and local residents. I hope the present council will show the same leadership and leave the same legacy for future generations.”
The Galway Advertiser has been contacted by members of the public, concerned that public consultation on this issue has not been publicised. A meeting will be held tomorrow, Friday July 10, in St Joseph’s Community Centre from 1.30pm to 5pm.
“If people want their voices to be heard, Galway city councillors will meet for their July meeting in ATU next Monday, July 13,” said McDonagh.
