Galway's rivers and canals are a defining characteristic of the city that are mentioned over twenty times in the Public Realm Strategy; have contributed to Galway's commercial and recreational development over one-thousand-years; and represent significant potential for improved civic amenity as well as for recreational, touristic, and clean energy development. Yet, the City has no plan for them, no specific policies, and a poorly defined governance structure that has left responsibilities vague and made it exceedingly difficult for the users of these waterways and the public at large to acquire and to contribute information about them, to participate in their upkeep, and to contribute to their development.
The people of Galway have a democratic right to express their wishes for the management and development of their waterways and this should be expressed in the City Development Plan
In view of the comments and observations above the City Development Plan 2023 - 2029 should include the following statement:
“In cooperation with the statutory agencies that have legally defined responsibilities for Ireland’s rivers and canals the Galway City Council will create a strategic plan for Galway’s waterways that expresses the will of the people for this unique resource, as described in the Public Realm Strategy and in the Blue Space comments in section 5.5 of the draft City Development Plan, 2023 - 2029. It will be created in a waterway’s forum comprising representatives of the Local Authority, the responsible agencies, and the public.
The organisation of this forum in no way presumes the legal functions of agencies such as the OPW, IFI, NPWS, Irish Water, and the LCNT, nor of the executive functions of the Local Authority. It is to be understood as an expression of the wishes of the people of Galway for their waterways and as input into the other responsible agencies”
Galway City has no plan for its waterways, no specific policies for them, and a poorly defined governance structure that has left responsibilities vague and made it exceedingly difficult for the users of these waterways and the public at large to acquire and to contribute information about them, to participate in their upkeep, and contribute to their development.
The people of Galway have a democratic right to express their wishes for the management and development of their waterways. Therefore, a statement describing how this will be achieved should be inserted in the City Development Plan.