How could Longford improve??

JimmyR · 08-12-2011 11:05pm #1

I'm just starting up this thread to talk about how it could be possible to regenerate Longford.

I think that the works they are starting by knocking down the old swimming pool and allowing the Canal to come into the town will definitly be a start but I think the time scale for completion is about 5 years... I could be corrected on that.

We need jobs in the town and surrounding areas but unfortunatly Longford is unlikely to get any multinationals due to a number of factors:
1. the lack of a decent Dail representative since Albert Renyolds.
2. the unatractiveness of the location to foreign multinationals.

That means that we're unlikely to get someone to come in and employ 50-200 people in one swoop, so we need a lot of small industries to start up in Longford and surrounding area, the €1,000,000 question is what are these industries going to be?

Would it be possible to encourage some sort of Financial Services to locate in the area, there are alot of people with adequate qualifications working in Dublin with Longford connections?

What about the IT sector, any chance of something happening here?

Its all very unlikely but just throwing out a few ideas, as far as I know Longford has had the highest uneployment rate for a town in Ireland for the last ten years at least, I can only imagine what the percentage is at now.

On a positive note if the Chinese project goes ahead in Athlone it is bound to employ a lot of Longford people and the area is bound to benefit.

Dizraeligears · 10-12-2011 12:25am

The reopening of the Canal Spur would be a great boost.I've just heard that Longford CoCo have given the goahead to release funding for the first stage of this-huge positive news for LD.

ballsymchugh · 10-12-2011 1:39am

one thing i've thought about the past few times i've walked around the town is if they could find a way to bunch up the shops. i know it would be practically impossible, but take the shops at the far end of main st, beyond the traffic lights. who goes near them these days? they should be encouraged to move to an area that would see a greater amount of footfall. same for earl st.
the empty units all around ballymahon st, dublin st, and main st just look depressing and make the town fairly unappealing to the majority of traffic that flows through.

so, when was the last time anyone was ever in the mans shop? i think i chanced it in the mid 90s as a last resort.

JimmyR · 10-12-2011 11:08am

ballsymchugh wrote: »

one thing i've thought about the past few times i've walked around the town is if they could find a way to bunch up the shops. i know it would be practically impossible, but take the shops at the far end of main st, beyond the traffic lights. who goes near them these days? they should be encouraged to move to an area that would see a greater amount of footfall. same for earl st.
the empty units all around ballymahon st, dublin st, and main st just look depressing and make the town fairly unappealing to the majority of traffic that flows through.

so, when was the last time anyone was ever in the mans shop? i think i chanced it in the mid 90s as a last resort.

Good point, there are a lot of shops in the town that are not done justice by their location, if they were all grouped together then they'd all benefit....how to do that is another thing!

One good news story for the town is http://www.longfordleader.ie/news/business/retail_outlets_set_to_bring_jobs_boost_to_longford_1_3321900

anyone any idea where the two shops are going?

MrPirate · 11-12-2011 4:33pm

Convert the "new shopping center" into an Airsoft/Paintball site. It's been done with office blocks in the past, why not an abandoned shopping center? Hell, you can even just use PART of it for Airsoft, and allow the rest to be there for shops, if anyone ever decides to go for it...

SEANIE1 · 11-12-2011 5:55pm

The town Needs more public art and derelect/semi derilect buildings should be painted....oh and the paths need to be widend on main st dublin rd well all the main shopping areas should have wider paths...maybe I would bring in more shoppers if this was looked into
Like so many places the car is king and eventually we all maybe be doing more walking in the future....

How about the locals buy produce from nationsl shops...so many Large British stores only suck the money out of our economy...Buy irish!

JimmyR · 11-12-2011 10:27pm

There needs to be something serious done with the derilict buildings alright, I'm suprised the council haven't pulled the owners up on this, There are two many buildings that look unkept. The banks in the town, Bank Of Ireland in particular could really do with a lick of paint and change the gutters.

Fixtures on all building like clocks should be working and signs should be cleaned and painted if need be, there all simple things but it would improve the image of the town.

Is there any justification in paid car parking in the town either? free parking would really help businesses in the town, I know its a a bug bearer for alot of towns but can the Town Council really justify that its to keep workers taking up parking spots for customers by parking in shopping areas all day. The reality is that its now the councils main income apart from rates and the way things are going they'll helped to close businesses and have less income from rates and parking fees in total. They should just have the parking wardens fine people that park for over 2 hours in the one place.

Hal Emmerich · 12-12-2011 9:00pm

JimmyR wrote: »

On a positive note if the Chinese project goes ahead in Athlone it is bound to employ a lot of Longford people and the area is bound to benefit.

Permission Granted for first phase.

I don't think it'll do longford much good.

garfieldsghost · 13-12-2011 12:42am

Iceland are going to open a supermarket (and a seperate convenience outlet) in the town, according to the Longford Leader. Here's hoping they become an anchor tenant at the Town Centre!

Hal Emmerich · 13-12-2011 1:21am

garfieldsghost wrote: »

Iceland are going to open a supermarket (and a seperate convenience outlet) in the town, according to the Longford Leader. Here's hoping they become an anchor tenant at the Town Centre!

Aye, that's the link in post 4.

I don't think there's room for another Supermarket myself, they just take jobs from other supermarkets or close little shops down. These sort of jobs aren't real jobs at all.

Manufacturing jobs are the only ones that count and we let them all go.

garfieldsghost · 13-12-2011 1:26am

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

Aye, that's the link in post 4.

I don't think there's room for another Supermarket myself, they just take jobs from other supermarkets or close little shops down. These sort of jobs aren't real jobs at all.

Manufacturing jobs are the only ones that count and we let them all go.

D'oh... missed that earlier link.

I don't think Iceland's presence will have too much impact on the current supermarkets in town (or smaller shops, for that matter) as they're a little bit different from the rest. If you've ever been in one of their stores you'll know what I mean.

The ship may have sailed in relation to manufacturing (the town was losing such business even during the boom years in any case), but it should still be possible to attract foreign business in the services sector... I don't have much faith in the people sent out to secure such opportunities, though.

ballsymchugh · 13-12-2011 1:27am

while an announcement of jobs is always a good thing, iceland moving in to the town is never a good sign of where you are economically.

SEANIE1 · 14-12-2011 10:59pm

Iceland will give the town jobs but again another UK chain only drains the money out of the country....besides the food is so bad... We should have local produce sold in the area every day! LIKE A LONGFORD SHOP WITH LONGFORD PRODUCTS FOR LONGFORD PEOPLE!!

garfieldsghost · 15-12-2011 1:03pm

SEANIE1 wrote: »

Iceland will give the town jobs but again another UK chain only drains the money out of the country....besides the food is so bad... We should have local produce sold in the area every day! LIKE A LONGFORD SHOP WITH LONGFORD PRODUCTS FOR LONGFORD PEOPLE!!

You must've picked up a dodgy pack of frozen peas so, because I can't fault Iceland's range.

There is local produce sold in town, but people will always gravitate towards the cheapest sources and, unfortunatley, local produce ain't as cheap as the imported fruit & veg you can buy in the supermarket.

messrs · 15-12-2011 8:27pm

ballsymchugh wrote: »

one thing i've thought about the past few times i've walked around the town is if they could find a way to bunch up the shops. i know it would be practically impossible, but take the shops at the far end of main st, beyond the traffic lights. who goes near them these days? they should be encouraged to move to an area that would see a greater amount of footfall. same for earl st.
the empty units all around ballymahon st, dublin st, and main st just look depressing and make the town fairly unappealing to the majority of traffic that flows through.

so, when was the last time anyone was ever in the mans shop? i think i chanced it in the mid 90s as a last resort.

Didnt think the mans shop was still going!! havent been down that end of the town in years, usually when i do go home for weekend i tend to stay round main st/ballymahon st - never venture down that far!

markbld65 · 04-01-2012 10:25pm

agree with a above poster on parking in the town its a joke i know it generates a lot of revenue for the council however i think 6 traffic wardens in a town the size of longford is ott

i do know it puts a lot of people off going to town and trying to get parking and pay for it then move to another area and have to pay again in a different zone althought the first ticket would have covered all their visit

quickrack · 02-04-2012 9:37pm

Well I spoke to a friend who USED to have an active business in the town and had to close. Reason was the COUNCIL RATES.
If they were profit linked then it would be fair but she used a lot of space and was charged accordingly but footfall is slow as we all know and she had to choose between paying and hoping, or closing.
Not the only place either.
Anyone else ever hear 100% of nothing is ZERO?
What use is a Council that is that inflexible? Which is weird cos the town is generally well looked after.
The MALL is brilliant and I use it often. But closed businesses limit influx of spenders!
A section of small cheap premises with FIXED charges for a FEW years would also encourage those afraid to set up business under the current set-up???
The wee yard behind Luigi's and the Post Office springs to mind. What a waste they are.

garfieldsghost · 03-04-2012 12:17am

quickrack wrote: »

Well I spoke to a friend who USED to have an active business in the town and had to close. Reason was the COUNCIL RATES.
If they were profit linked then it would be fair but she used a lot of space and was charged accordingly but footfall is slow as we all know and she had to choose between paying and hoping, or closing.
Not the only place either.
Anyone else ever hear 100% of nothing is ZERO?
What use is a Council that is that inflexible? Which is weird cos the town is generally well looked after.
The MALL is brilliant and I use it often. But closed businesses limit influx of spenders!
A section of small cheap premises with FIXED charges for a FEW years would also encourage those afraid to set up business under the current set-up???
The wee yard behind Luigi's and the Post Office springs to mind. What a waste they are.

Agreed, but isn't the yard behind the post office used for storing vehicles and for the loading/unloading of mail?

quickrack · 03-04-2012 8:05pm

garfieldsghost wrote: »

Agreed, but isn't the yard behind the post office used for storing vehicles and for the loading/unloading of mail?

Not that one. If you turned in as if to go to Post Office Yard but took the left turn you will see the place I mean. Big paved yard inside a fenced area with about 20 garage type buildings.

_Lady_ · 04-04-2012 9:29am

Hey folks, seriously agree with the intentions of the OP in terms of the need to do something for Longford. What's the current status of the new Longford SC beside the cinema? It's such a fantastic building and would be a great boost to the town - are there just no interested tenants? Such a pity.

There are lots of great people in Longford and plenty of small specific retailers that are being choked by rates - anything - even a good sentiment or suggestion - has to be a step forward in the current environment. Even a minority of positive people could create some nice changes to boost people's attitudes towards the town.

JimmyR · 04-04-2012 10:08am

_Lady_ wrote: »

Hey folks, seriously agree with the intentions of the OP in terms of the need to do something for Longford. What's the current status of the new Longford SC beside the cinema? It's such a fantastic building and would be a great boost to the town - are there just no interested tenants? Such a pity.

There are lots of great people in Longford and plenty of small specific retailers that are being choked by rates - anything - even a good sentiment or suggestion - has to be a step forward in the current environment. Even a minority of positive people could create some nice changes to boost people's attitudes towards the town.

A bit of a mad idea and not one that I could realistically see been taken up but... There are a load of shops in the town like the Manshop which probably don't do a lot of business because of their location and then there are other shops which aren't doing particularly well, just because of the current economy and the affect it has had on Longford in particular which had grown to rely on the construction sector for jobs both directly and indirectly, but how about giving these shops an option of opening a second shop at no extra rate or rates in the new shopping centre. The building is lying ideal anyway therefore the council is not going to be getting any rates from it but would continue to get rates from the original premises. The building itself is now owned by Nama therefore its just another empty property owned by the state.

I think if alot of the shops were under the one roof they'd all benefit as people checked out shops they'd never stepped in before. They could leave two or three units free for new businesses to start up with no rent or rates for six months. There would possible be alot of demand for just a few units but they could hold a lottery system for each unit every 6 months.

A bit of an off the wall idea which would take some joined up thinking by the likes of the Town council and NAMA but its better than having a building lying ideal which I expect it will unfortunately.

lakill Farm · 04-04-2012 4:31pm

from working with the developer of the Longford SC it was hard to get an anchor tenant and because of that it was viable to open the SC. However at the time 18 months ago there was lots of interest in the smaller units but all is with NAMA now.

quickrack · 06-04-2012 2:16pm

What a White Elephant that SC was. Who really thought that something that size was actually viable!!
And now the rest of us have to look at the big stupid yoke getting slowly more dilapidated. Has anyone looked across the road from the cinema lately???
Thats how the SC will look soon I reckon.
That wee market at the Axis center is similiar to an idea posted above.

truesmiles · 22-04-2012 3:20pm

Open the Longford Town Centre! And also make the cinema 3D! Does anybody know where Iceland is going to be?

messrs · 22-04-2012 4:48pm

truesmiles wrote: »

Open the Longford Town Centre! And also make the cinema 3D! Does anybody know where Iceland is going to be?

Is there def an iceland coming to longford?

garfieldsghost · 22-04-2012 5:43pm

messrs wrote: »

Is there def an iceland coming to longford?

Iceland confirmed it some time back, but I haven't heard anything else about it, except that they're planning on having two stores in the town (I'm guessing a supermarket and some kind of convenience store).

gingernut79 · 23-04-2012 11:57pm

Anyone else itching to go to this http://longfordexpo.com/ just to have a nose around the shopping centre? Hope something good comes of it!

garfieldsghost · 24-04-2012 12:43am

gingernut79 wrote: »

Anyone else itching to go to this http://longfordexpo.com/ just to have a nose around the shopping centre? Hope something good comes of it!

I'd love to have a look around it, but unfortunately I'm away that weekend.

kerash · 26-04-2012 10:41pm

Great for a nose around I guess, might pop by.

(note: All exhibitors must provide own extinguishers!)

Friday 25th May - 1pm - 6pm Expo open to Public and Attendees

Saturday 26th May 12pm - 6pm Expo open to Public and Attendees

Misty Midlands · 31-08-2012 10:31pm

Are Iceland still coming to Longford? I would love Marks & Spencer to come but I suppose that is wishful thinking!

A_Danger · 17-09-2012 5:47am

I've always said from as soon as that building was left isolated (I'm on about the shopping centre beside the cinema) that it should become a 3rd level college for the town maybe its not big enough and we wouldn't get the funding anyway but something like that would boost the town big time, really put us on the map, there is nothing attractive about the town at the minute, a new by-pass lately thats about it..

How could Longford improve??

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