Galway City Council to pay UK architects €700,000 to design Street rejuvenation plans

Galway City Council has agreed to pay a London architect firm almost €700,000 to oversee plans for the rejuvenation of Lombard Street and the area surrounding St. Nicholas’s Church.

The local authority has awarded a contract for urban planning and landscape architectural services to Allies and Morrison, which has previously worked on projects involving the British Embassy in Dublin and Adamstown.

The company will be tasked with delivering a high-quality streetscape experience in Lombard Street, Churchyard Street, and Church Lane as part of the project, according to Galway City Council.

The Lombard Street Rejuvenation Project is intended to enhance the “walkability” of the city through a series of public realm renewal works. It is being delivered by the council under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund.

The project will involve upgrades to streets and public spaces, with previous artistic impressions showing an expanded market, broader pavements, and additional greenery in the area.

The contract has an estimated value of €698,483 and works are expected to be carried out over a four-year period. The contractor will be required to assemble a large multi-disciplinary team as part of the project.

This will include planning, architectural heritage, and project management personnel, as well as employing archaeologists and experts in the areas of marine coastal engineering, bridge design, ecology, and marketing.

According to the local authority, the scheme is aligned with international best practice as well as the Galway City Development Plan 2023–2029, the Galway Transport Strategy, and the council’s Public Realm Strategy.

The design process is expected to involve a series of consultations and engagements with key stakeholders and members of the public as plans for the historic medieval streetscapes take shape.