RESIDENTS in The West area of the city are calling on Galway City Council to act fast before a popular local landmark is lost forever.

A thatched cottage at No. 9 Henry Street has been slowly deteriorating since the owner of the building died a number of years ago. The structure, which dates back to the early nineteenth century and was known to many as the location of the old Lydon’s shop, has since been bought by the owners of the Massimo bar, which backs onto the site.

However, failure by the new proprietors to get planning permission to extend the bar to the cottage has meant that no work has been done to maintain the premises, which now suffers from broken windows and a decaying thatched roof.

While the building is listed on Galway City Council’s Register of Protected Structures (RPS), giving them the ability to force the cottage’s owners to maintain the structure, the Council has so far done little to make sure the building survives, a fact that has angered the local Residents’ Association.

“The cottage is a piece of the living past,” said Residents’ Association member Catherine La Farge. “If we allow these things to go, Galway would lose its distinctive look.”

In its efforts to...