A €450 million retail, office and residential development, which has just been given the go-ahead by Galway City Council, will be the largest commercial project the city has ever seen.
The development on the 12.65 acre former Crown Control site in Mervue will create a complex spanning some 57,000 sq m which will include 134 apartments, eight "bulky" retail units, a motor showroom, a mini-warehouse with garden centre and a supermarket.
The complex will include a public piazza - bigger than Kennedy Park in Eyre Square - which will be used for events such as the Mervue Festival, an outdoor market or as an artists' performance area.
It will also feature a 9,400 sq m open-plan office space, a 20-bedroom hotel with restaurant and bar, a leisure centre, a creche and parking for 1,340 cars and 400 bicycles.
The complex is also being mooted as the likely home for a new Garda headquarters for Galway.
The developers of the scheme, Stephen Harris of Harrmack Developments, Walter King, a partner in GK Developments, and Bernard McKeown, say it could be completed in 18 months.
Talks are taking place with DIY store operators such as B&Q, Atlantic Homecare and Homebase to anchor the complex, while others, including electrical goods retailer Harvey Norman, are also understood to be in talks.
Crown Control is now winding down and the plant is due to close in March.
Local Progressive Democrats councillor Terry O'Flaherty welcomed any new jobs, but said she was concerned at the "major impact on the area, particularly where traffic movement is concerned".
"While I, as a councillor, always expressed my concerns at the many resident meetings concerning this planning application, I was guided by the wishes of both Monivea Road residents and, in particular, the officers of the Mervue Residents' Association."
