The company behind the Galway development says it will continue to grow despite City Hall, but it won’t further challenge a recent ruling against it.

DEWCor took St. John’s to court over a decision by the city requiring it to construct what owner Danny Williams characterized as a “roundabout,” a very expensive traffic control structure. The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador ruled that the city had the authority to require such means.

Williams, who was seeking building approval for two commercial entities, says Galway already has five roundabouts in a half-kilometre stretch, and that would have been number six in about a two-km stretch, something which he sees as over the top.

He says it’s a lot easier doing business in neighbouring municipalities.

He says he presented a second opinion from a reputable mainland engineering company that concluded the traffic light solution they were proposing was satisfactory. It pointed out six examples from other jurisdictions across the country but the city did not accept it. “They didn’t tell us we had to build a roundabout but we would’ve had to build a roundabout at significant cost,” said the DEWCor president and CEO.