Ireland: Galway Port Development Plans Move Forward

Galway Harbour Company is expected to lodge its planning application for the first phase of the port expansion plans in May, with construction to begin in 2015, reports galwaynews.ie.

The 50 million euro plans for an extended port of about 57 acres will accomodate substantial trading ships and allow for the docking of all major cruise ships.

The plans will be lodged with An Bord Pleanala under article 6 (4) of the European habitats directive otherwise known as IROPI.

It’s the first time that an organisation has gone through the IROPI route, and if it gets the go ahead construction could begin within 3 years.

Background

Galway Harbour Company has applied for planning permission for use of the dock as a shipping berth and the construction of a channel access sea wall and storage yard. The use of the dock and adjacent storage yard will primarily be used to facilitate the relocation of the current scrap steel berth and the current coal berthing from the inner docks to the dock site.

The storage yard will house a stockpile area, which will facilitate the relocation of the current scrap metal stockpile from the inner city docks to lands adjacent to the deepwater dock.

The current application relates to development of the lands adjacent to the dock to facilitate loading, unloading, stockpiling, storage, HGV manoeuvring and crane operation.

The development will also incorporate the reclamation of 4,912 square meters of land from the sea. Effectively, the reclamation will be a minor extension to the existing Galway Harbour Enterprise Park. It also encompasses the construction of a 7,050 square metres of concrete slab for cranage and HGV manoeuvring and a 1,800 square metre bunded area within the concrete slab area, with a 4.5m high retaining wall at one end of the bunded area for storage and stockpiling.

This area will house the scrap metal stockpile and other materials.

Finally, the development will include for the installation of a weighbridge on the lands adjacent to the permitted deepwater dock.

[mappress]

Dredging Today Staff, March 27, 2013