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Groups and organisations from across Galway city have had their say on the new City Development Plan 2023-2029 by attending a series of consultation workshops in February.
The 14 workshops, organised by Galway City Community Network, were attended by over 400 people, including GCCN members, city councillors and a range of local groups.
Each workshop also included the attendance of members of the Galway City Planning Office to give an overview of the planning process.
Ann Irwin, GCCN Co-ordinator, said that they are delighted with the level of participation in the workshops, both from the community and officials.
“The workshops provided a space for dynamic discussion on future visions for the city,” said Ann Irwin.
“One of the critical aspects of this consultation process led by GCCN was the involvement of staff from the Galway City Planning Office and GCCN would like to acknowledge, thank, and commend the Planning Office for facilitating this valuable engagement.”
The workshops captured the views and the development priorities of the communities in Galway City on each of the areas covered by the City Development Plan.
These views and priorities are included into the GCCN Submission on the Galway City Development Plan 2023-2029.
At the consultation events, GCCN members emphasised the need to ensure that the new City Development Plan will represent the interests of the diverse communities in the city, and that it will tackle issues of deep concern such as the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, the housing crisis, sustainable transport and economic inequality.
In line with this, the GCCN Submission highlights the urgency for the new Plan to embed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
“The GCCN Submission calls the attention to the opportunity that Galway has in showing leadership on sustainable development by developing the new City Development Plan with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) at its core,” Ann added.
“The Submission also shows that the Galway City communities need a Plan that takes cognisance of the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty in its design implementation and monitoring, a Plan that ensures the full equality of people with disabilities by embedding the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.”
The GCCN Submission on the Galway City Development Plan 2023-2029 and further information on this are available on the GCCN website.
