Bray: New town centre

pirelli

Is starting next year and will provide the construction industry with work until 2016.The development was granted permission yesterday by the council.
It is going to generate 2 billion euros worth of construction work just when its needed.

That's a good thing anyway and is allegedly opening in 2012. And will create 2500 local jobs.

Calibos

Wow, thats great news!!

That end of the Dargle was knacker drinking central. Now all we need is the Council to give Joe Tynan planning permission to build luxury apartments at the harbour. Cannot believe they rejected him the last time.

Not a suitable developement for the area etc

Yeah, much prefer the look of a decrepit warehouse, rusted plant machinery, overflowing skips etc. Lovely sight for visitors on the Dart of the gateway to Bray.

pirelli

Is that warehouse not used, when I visited bray last it seemd to be in use. While it is run down, it always demonstrated Bray as a cheap property zone. With it gone and plush apartements or better yet a marina, Bray property price will quadruple.

Property prices will rise there in Bray,anybody agree.

and76

Brilliant for Bray although its still a pity the shops wont be on the main st. Hopefully they'll convert that back to a car park ASAP and those developers should have to pay to convert the shop front and main st to what it was!

foxy06

Heard through the grapevine today that the florentine is now not going ahead and will instead be used as a multi story car park. Has anyone any info on this?

If mods think a new thread would be suitable feel free

HalloweenJack

I wouldn't be terribly surprised if that was the case. The town centre desperately needs a car park so it wouldn't be so bad. However, I'm pretty sure that the Florentine centre has been given the go ahead.

The new town centre will be great. Finally get rid of the golf course and the slaughteryard. Along with all the trees and crap up all along the river and near the bridge.

foxy06

It was given the go ahead but because Ballymore were leaving it so long and the residents and businesses were complaining of the parking situation the council threatened to take the site back and I think that today that happened. Just heard from a fella that does security for the site so not sure of all the details. would like to know more if anyone has any info. Might be in the Bray People tomorrow.

skibum

Any development / investment in the town sounds good. My only concern is how will the town / main street cope with the extra volume of traffic that this mixed development will bring?

Any links to the plans etc?
Thanks

Alun

I have mixed feelings about it to be honest. On the one hand, Bray sorely needs a facelift (not the recent pathetic attempt by the Chamber of Commerce, which involved a few pots of paint and a couple of hanging baskets), but I'm not sure that building the "new" town centre will have any effect on the "old" one, apart from possibly taking what little custom it has away, and making it even more run down than it already is. Add to that the fact that 95% of the shops in the new centre will probably be (predominantly women's) clothes and shoe shops, and I don't see it making any difference to me personally, and I'll still be going in to Dublin for anything other than the weekly groceries shop.

foxy06

http://www.braytowncentre.com/masterplan.htm

Heres a copy of the plan from the Bray town centre website

and76

Does anyone know if they resolved the problems concerning the flood plain? From that website all the shops are going to be right in it!!!!

Mushy

I hear now that the Florentine Centre on the Main Street has been shelved. Should get that back to car parking space ASAP now.

Lil' Smiler

I was in a friends office the other day opposite Smyths and the saw the state of what was the car park! its an absolute mess!!

Yes I definitely agree, bray needs a major facelift! So many of the shop fronts could be re done

dunser

Would all the moaners please get a Life, Bray badly needs a new town Centre, for the last 15 yrs the traders in Bray have rejected any development in the town afraid they would be pushed out. 12 yrs ago the managed to object to Dunnes Development where the New Council offices are now. Its was a complete joke and the Town has being left behind by the likes of Greystones, Wicklow &Arklow. Nobody shops in Bray anymore because of No parking and the Shop selection is poor. I am so delighted as I was considering moving away from my home town but at Long last we will have something that will match Dundrum.

Alun

Who's moaning? I as much as anyone would like a vibrant town centre with a decent varied, all-round selection of shops, but building yet another Dundrum style development in Bray with the majority probably being women's clothes and shoe shops will get as much business from me (or my wife for that matter) as the actual Dundrum, i.e. a big fat zero. If it's being built results in the existing Main St. traders pulling their thumbs out and moving their collective arses into the 21st century then all well and good, but if it results in it becoming even more run down than it already is, then that part of town really could turn into a ghost town, something that would do no-one any good.

When I lived in Holland before I moved here, the local traders in the town I lived in with a population smaller than that of Bray, were seeing a lot of their trade going to the nearby big city (Eindhoven). The local shopping centre wasn't old by any means, built in the late 80's and vastly better than anything Bray can offer, but it was beginning to age a little and they themselves, with no financing from the local council or anything, got together and privately raised the 10's of millions necessary to do a complete refurb, and extension of the existing centre. The result? A bustling, thriving, and varied selection of shops meaning that you very rarely had to go anywhere else for 99% of your needs.

Eoin

dunser wrote: »

the Town has being left behind by the likes of Greystones, Wicklow &Arklow. Nobody shops in Bray anymore because of No parking and the Shop selection is poor.

As far as I can tell, the new shopping centre in Greystones has not worked out at all. I also don't look forward to having Dundrum-esque traffic coming into Bray all weekend, it's bad enough as it is.

and76

Bray needs something, its unforunate the main st centre hasnt got the go ahead but we'd be mad to stop any other shopping development. The town has the same shops pretty much for the last 20yrs its time we had some good choice and people can buy in Bray and not elsewhere!

dunser

Well said, The town needs to move on, The whole plan will mean new access routes to the town the traffic will improve

Mitch Connor

Rumours going round that a new objection/appeal has been lodged against this.

Alun

Tauren wrote: »

Rumours going round that a new objection/appeal has been lodged against this.

There was something in the most recent Wicklow Times about it. I think it was Deirdre de Burca / Green Party again.

and76

Yes the greens have objected to it, was in the Northwicklow times the other week.

TheInvisibleFie

foxy06 wrote: »

http://www.braytowncentre.com/masterplan.htm

Heres a copy of the plan from the Bray town centre website

Ok I'm admitting I can't read maps. But you see the very top of the map between all the white and the track? Is that the valley between Woodbrook and Corke Abbey? And if it is why is it in colour (I am assuming colour means owned by whoever is building)? Thanks.

Lil' Smiler

I can't read the map at all either, don't know what's what. is the white bridge beside number 11 the dargle bridge coz then it'd make alot more sense to me.

Tippex

Aparently there has only been a single objection to the revised application and it is from someonw who lives in sutton not even someone local.

Is there anywhere we can log on to actually read the contents of the objection?
just checked here http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/230246.htm

I reckon it would be a travesty if this doesnt go ahead. Bray as town has been dead / dying since I was a kid.

Eoin

www.wicklow.ie has a link to the planning website. I could see some applications by Pizarro, but not any objections - but I could be looking in the wrong place.

Tippex

As reported in the herald last week....
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/objector-to-83642bn-bray-plan-lives-54km-away-1448631.html

Eoin

I have to admit I am absolutely dreading any extra traffic.

Tippex

yeah the traffic will most likely be woeful but the amount of jobs it is going to create in the town is badly needed.

foxy06

Have they made no allowances for traffic at all?? The Dublin road is the worst for traffic as it is so if they do nothing it will be a nightmare.

Alun

foxy06 wrote: »

Have they made no allowances for traffic at all?? The Dublin road is the worst for traffic as it is so if they do nothing it will be a nightmare.

I agree .. there seems to be some work being done on the Dublin Road / Castle Street in the immediate vicinity of the new town centre for access purposes, but what about the rest? Can you imagine the queues of traffic on the stretch past the old Industrial Yarns complex there? It's bad enough as it is trying to get in and out of Bray along there. And what about people coming from the south? Are they going to be funnelled along the already chaotic and overcrowded Main St.?

Eoin

I imagine they will come down Old Connaught from the Bray/Shankill exit?