Salthill businesses rally against plans to rezone former Tourist Office site

The Salthill business community has rallied to save one of the area’s last remaining green spaces from a rezoning that could see a three or four-storey building developed on the former Tourist Office site.

Published 10th Oct 2026, 08:15 BST The Village Salthill The Salthill business community has rallied to save one of the area’s last remaining green spaces from a rezoning that could see a three or four-storey building developed on the former Tourist Office site. “There is a huge feeling that we will lose what makes Salthill valuable,” said Elaine Doyle of Jameson Court apartments.

“Once a building goes on it, then it is gone. It will never be recreational.”

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Local businesses in the area have come out strongly in favour of retaining the existing Recreation and Amenity zoning on the council-owned site, arguing that Salthill needs to hold on to its open spaces rather than lose them to further development.

Galway City Council is seeking to change the zoning of the 0.15-hectare site from Natural Heritage, Recreation and Amenity to Commercial/Industrial.

The council has said the existing zoning restricts the potential of the prominent seafront site and leaves limited options for viable redevelopment.

Its proposal envisages a new three or four-storey landmark building, which could accommodate uses including shops, hospitality, community facilities, cultural or educational uses and workspace for start-up businesses.

Landmark building proposed for former Salthill tourist office site But for Ms Doyle and other Salthill business owners, the priority is protecting the site from development and keeping it as green space.

“We have had a collective opinion and voted in favour of keeping the zoning as it is,” she said.

“It has been that way for years. To turn around now and ask for rezoning – to whose benefit?”

She said the open spaces along the Salthill coastline are a major part of its appeal, providing somewhere for people to meet, exercise or simply get away from the city.

“It offers open space by the seaside for recreation, meeting friends and getting away from the whole city vibe,” she said.

“It is important that we maintain it. People now have smaller gardens, some have no gardens, there is an increase in apartment living and people need these green spaces.”

The Village Salthill Ms Doyle said businesses are particularly concerned about what could happen to the site once its existing protection is removed.

There are no detailed designs for a building at this stage and exactly what would occupy the site has yet to be decided.

“The problem is, if this zoning happens, no one knows what is going to go there,” she said.

“The only thing we know is that if this is kept as a green space, it will be kept as that. Once it is rezoned, no one knows.”

Galway’s Leisureland admission fees rise for second year in a row Leisureland sees revenues rise to €2.6m but rising costs impact profits Rather than seeing the land built on, Ms Doyle believes it could be developed as an amenity in its own right.

“There is a big feeling that it should be maintained as a green space,” she said. “It could be a park, a sensory park.

“There are a lot of things it could be for a lot of people. There are suggestions of a basketball court to facilitate disabled people, something that we give to the community of Salthill.”

She said there are other places where development could be accommodated without sacrificing the green space.

Flooding is another major concern for Ms Doyle, who questioned the prospect of putting a substantial new building on the seafront site.

The Village Salthill “That site is so prone to flooding, it beggars belief why they would build on it,” she said.

“The drains in Salthill can’t cope during flooding. There are a lot of issues. Last Tuesday, with no warning, that site flooded.”

The council has acknowledged that any future development at the site would have to take account of flood risk because of its seafront location.

Ms Doyle said the strength of feeling over the rezoning has united businesses across Salthill.

“We have had a poll in the business community,” she said. “The support has been incredible. The passion has been overwhelming for us.

“With every business – the person that owns that business is there. They are emotionally invested. We are not big business people. Everyone is involved in the community. Everybody wants Salthill to be what Salthill is.”

Originally from Donegal, Ms Doyle said she has come to particularly appreciate having the coastline and open space on the doorstep of Galway city.

“I so appreciate Salthill,” she said. “I am from Donegal, I am from a town, and to have it on our doorstep – to think we could destroy it.”

Study backs plan to restore Salthill’s historic tidal pool She stressed that the businesses are not opposed to Salthill’s commercial development, but believe its recreational spaces are equally important to its success.

“It is a very big tourist area. Business and recreation are both combined,” she said. “We do need a strong voice. It is very important to everybody. People are passionate about it.

“Everybody uses Salthill as a break from life. It offers everything to us.”

The proposed rezoning is currently out to public consultation, with submissions open until Thursday, October 15.

The council has said the public would have further opportunities to have their say if plans for rezoning the site progress.

Local businesses and Salthill residents are now urging people to make their views known during the statutory consultation and to call for the site's existing Recreation and Amenity zoning to remain in place.

Submissions can be made through Galway City Council's consultation portal and by post.