Eyre Square renovation could now cost city €20m

The controversial Eyre Square project in Galway could cost up to €20 million as a result of a High Court ruling, the city’s mayor has predicted. Mayor of Galway Cllr Pádraig Conneely says that it is time to “seriously question” Galway City Council’s professional management abilities” following the High Court judgment. The judgment, issued on Friday, rejected the city council’s legal efforts to overturn an arbitrator’s finding that it had behaved unreasonably towards a construction company hired to renovate Eyre Square. Mr Justice Bryan McMahon upheld all the arbitrator’s findings. The contractor, Samuel Kingston Construction (SKC), ceased work on the site on June 27th, 2005, some 17 months after it had started the refurbishment project at Eyre Square. Three weeks before, on June 4th, 2005, the city council had withdrawn all sums paid to the company under an acceleration agreement.

The Irish Times