An Bord Pleanála has overturned planning permission for a new hospice building on the outskirts of Galway.

The decision follows objections to the development, close to Merlin Park Hospital, on environmental grounds.

Parties involved in the process were notified about the ruling from the planning authority this morning.

Galway Hospice had planned to construct a 36-bed facility on land adjacent to Merlin Park on the eastern fringes of the city.

The development would also have included a number of enhanced therapy areas and associated buildings.

Last August, Galway City Council granted permission for the project on HSE owned lands, which are zoned as recreational, subject to a number of conditions.

The Chief Executive of Galway Hospice, Mary Nash, said she was extremely disappointed by the ruling by An Bord Pleanála.

The decision will be considered in detail in the coming days but it seems certain that the adjudication will lead to a lengthy delay in the provision of a new hospice facility in the city.

At present, Galway Hospice operates from an 18-bed property on the Dublin Road.

However, many services are provided in temporary buildings and increased demand has led to pressure on available resources there.

Ms Nash said the proposed development was aimed at future-proofing the hospice, so it could cater for the needs of people in the area in the coming years.

Work on the project has been in train for almost five years. This was preceded by a lengthy search for a suitable site.

Objectors raised a number of concerns, chief among them being the decision to grant permission for a development on a site that is designated as an Annex 1 lowland hay meadow.

They contended that the proposal would impact on several species of flora and fauna, as well as reducing community access to a green field amenity.

Caroline Stanley of the Friends of Merlin Woods group said numerous species of butterflies, orchids and native wildlife would have been threatened by the development.

She said she was delighted with the decision but saddened that campaigners had to go this far to protect community land.

Ms Stanley said she felt opponents could have worked with the Hospice to identify other sites on the Merlin Park campus to identify suitable areas for the development, away from recreational and amenity land.