Just what Galway DOESN'T Need :(

squonk

According to http://www.galwaynews.ie/31506-developers-go-ahead-massive-%E2%80%98dundrum-style%E2%80%99-centre, developers have bought up a lot of the eastern side of Eyre Square with the intention down the line of building Galway's answer to Dundrum. I wasn't aware the mobs were baying for a Dundrum style centre in Galway. In the meantime we will lose O'Connells, which is a criminal shame. Murty Rabbittes and An Pucan are to go as well. Shameful and a disgraceful erosion of the character of the square.

Bits_n_Bobs

Dundrum should be held up as the single reason never ever to let us have any money ever again. Hideous monstrous cess pitt filled to the brim with generic international consumer lowest common denominated crud. I feel your Galwegian pain

Ash.J.Williams

it would be a shame if that happened to Galway

pleasant Co.

I'm sure it won't happen for a very very very very long time, if at all.

Links234

whatever happened to this?

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3664-biggest-retail-park-west-2010-opening

biko

I sure hope not.
There already is one massive shopping centre at the square, we don't need another one.

The site

evil_seed

We already have the eyre sq shoping centre, birarhill and headford road ones too. We don't need another one. dundrum is a load of **** anyways

Mrs OBumble

How many years do you think it would take to get planning?

Now some bit of that block do need fixing - have ye wandered down St Patrics Ave lately?

But I'm sure we won't be losing O'Connells anytime soon, or Rabbits. Not sure of the historic status of An Pucan ... maybe it's not that special ...

Brad768

Well, I feel the most important question here is: Will it have a Nando's?

ben.schlomo

squonk wrote: »

According to http://www.galwaynews.ie/31506-developers-go-ahead-massive-%E2%80%98dundrum-style%E2%80%99-centre, developers have bought up a lot of the eastern side of Eyre Square with the intention down the line of building Galway's answer to Dundrum. I wasn't aware the mobs were baying for a Dundrum style centre in Galway. In the meantime we will lose O'Connells, which is a criminal shame. Murty Rabbittes and An Pucan are to go as well. Shameful and a disgraceful erosion of the character of the square.

No loss really.

wp_rathead

I'll reluctantly participate in a lock into O'Connells if needs be...

Do they really own the old St. Patrick's church?

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

Private Joker

Links234 wrote: »

whatever happened to this?

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3664-biggest-retail-park-west-2010-opening

Its a big hole in the ground now.

what_traffic

Probably they will want to put in a multi story car park in this development?

flynnlives

Deleted User wrote: »

Do they really own the old St. Patrick's church?

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

even still i reckon its a listed building so cant be knocked

yer man!

Deleted User wrote: »

Do they really own the old St. Patrick's church?

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

Would make a class bar or restaurant.

Svalbard

I think Galway needs some better shops or even a new shopping centre. City centre space is limited and the Galway Shopping Centre is rubbish. I also think the city centre east of the square is quite run down and nowhere near as nice as the west side.
However I don't think lumping in a great big shopping centre is the answer, certainly not in that location. It would be much better to have a sympathetic revamp of Forster Street and Prospect Hill, more along the lines of Quay Street, keeping the existing landmark pubs and enhancing them. A development like Opera Lane in Cork may work well also to increase city centre retail space and attract quality tenants.

_Whimsical_

Seems like a pretty crazy idea to me. The attraction of Dundrum,as far as I know,is as a shopping location where you can hit all the high street stores outside Dublin City centre. What's the point of having one 2 mins from our actual high st? Sure we can hardly support all the shops we have as it stands.

It'd obliterate shop street to the status of ghost town and much as we all like Quay St I don't see that sort of experience stretching all the way up shop st and surviving.

I'd imagine the pitch would be that it would bring in bigger retailers absent from Galway at the moment such as H&M or Zara (both present in Athlone for example)

Galway shoppers do travel to these places currently.

snubbleste

Sure it will all be turned into social housing

Doom

It'll be like the Opera Centre in Limerick. ..a complete failure. The day of huge developments is over for anywhere outside Dublin.

_Whimsical_

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

It'd obliterate shop street to the status of ghost town and much as we all like Quay St I dont see that sort of experience stretching all the way up shop st and surviving.

That's what they said when the Eyre square center opened.

Also you do realise people walk much greater distances in the likes of Dublin, Cork & Limerick city centres when doing shipping or browsing.

The far side of the square is not that far to walk.

As for saving pubs, meh, listed buildings, yes.

So long as the facade and the overall height don't impact to greatly then it will fit in the same as Eyre square center, Corrib tShopping Center, TK Max building etc

hal9000

Yup thats exactly what Galway needs more traffic in the centre of the city! and more vacant commercial premises like in eyre sq shopping centre!

_Whimsical_

Deleted User wrote: »

That's what they said when the Eyre square center opened.

Also you do realise people walk much greater distances in the likes of Dublin, Cork & Limerick city centres when doing shipping or browsing.

The far side of the square is not that far to walk.

As for saving pubs, meh, listed buildings, yes.

So long as the facade and the overall height don't impact to greatly then it will fit in the same as Eyre square center, Corrib tShopping Center, TK Max building etc

Oh I wasn't suggesting it was far to walk from shop street to the other side of the square, my point was the exact opposite, that a new centre would only provide what we have a mere 2 minutes away from where we already have it thus being completely different from Dundrum.

What I meant was that if Shop Street was taken out of contention as a shopping location that I didn't think it would be financially viable or work as a street filled with cafes and curiosity shops as Quay Street does.

As for Zara and HM being missing in Galway, I fully agree, I'd love to see them here as much as the next person. Id love a huge food hall M&S too. But what else would we fill an enormous cente with ? Yet another dunnes, another New Look, another Debenhams, another Next, another cinema ? There's no way this city can support all the shops it has and then more. I could only imagine it being financially impossible without completely killing off lots of what we already have.

Also I don't think the Eyre Square Centre works that well. It's always felt a bit cavernous to me. There's only ever been a couple of shops I'd wander into down there, I don't think anyone thinks "well I've a few hours to kill ,I'll go to eyre square centre", its more of a in and get what you want and leave kind of place so it's provided little threat so far.

asdfg!

Seriously this is needed, both the Eyre Square Centre and Galway Shopping Centre are rubbish. The Galway shopping centre is like a walk down memory lane. I remember centres like that in Dublin in the seventies. I speak as a man who as struggled to find a half decent selection of clothes or shoes in this town. But the women in my life have it worse. All too often it's a trip to Athlone? For heaven's sake, Athlone? The shopping is Athlone is actually better, I'm told than Galway. Or Dublin, to Dundrum, which I like but really we shouldn't have to go that far to get a decent pair shoes or a jumper.

Galway is a black hole in shopping terms. Seriously do I have to buy all my clothes in Dunnes or M&S? Shop street is ridiculous. The only places I visit are Easons and McDonalds. As for Anthony Ryans. Reminds me a bit of Clerys in the good old days back in the eighties. It's a time capsule. 'Are you being served?'

It's long overdue for things to change in Galway.

ben.schlomo

ben.schlomo wrote: »

No loss really.

Pucan would be, they do a lovely breakfast and are often good for an "early" pint.

I think Galway needs something like Dundrum, but it should be located outside the city. Don't get people running down Dundrum, it has an excellent choice of big retailers etc all under one roof. You cannot possibly compare the eyre square centre or Galway shopping centre to it, they have very little really.

ben.schlomo

asdfg! wrote: »

Seriously this is needed, both the Eyre Square Centre and Galway Shopping Centre are rubbish. The Galway shopping centre is like a walk down memory lane. I remember centres like that in Dublin in the seventies. I speak as a man who as struggled to find a half decent selection of clothes or shoes in this town. But the women in my life have it worse. All too often it's a trip to Athlone? For heaven's sake, Athlone? The shopping is Athlone is actually better, I'm told than Galway. Or Dublin, to Dundrum, which I like but really we shouldn't have to go that far to get a decent pair shoes or a jumper.

Galway is a black hole in shopping terms. Seriously do I have to buy all my clothes in Dunnes or M&S? Shop street is ridiculous. The only places I visit are Easons and McDonalds. As for Anthony Ryans. Reminds me a bit of Clerys in the good old days back in the eighties. It's a time capsule. 'Are you being served?'

It's long overdue for things to change in Galway.

Might the reason you cant find/fit into a jumper be anything to do with eating in McDonalds, im gonna say yes.

kraggy

Maybe I'm missing something here but are all of the businesses in the area, including the church, willing to sell?

Seaneh

Deleted User wrote: »

Galway shoppers do travel to these places currently.

Do they? Athlone Town Centre has been like a graveyard since it opened.

There is so little footfall, many of the businesses in the centre are exempt from paying rent as their contractual promises are not being met by the developer/landlord.

antoobrien

Links234 wrote: »

whatever happened to this?

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3664-biggest-retail-park-west-2010-opening

It's a quite large hole in the ground in Mervue, beside Eircom.

antoobrien

Deleted User wrote: »

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

IIRC O'Connels was bought for around €15m, the Mulryan Auctioneers office was somehwere between €8m & €12m. That's over €20m for two units. Add it up and the original price comes to a pretty penny.

aaronosiochain

antoobrien wrote: »

It's a quite large hole in the ground in Mervue, beside Eircom.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/25920-backers-say-%E2%82%AC400m-mervue-development-still-viable

bonzodog2

I'd much rather see Crown Square finished off in preference to this

kraggy

kraggy wrote: »

Maybe I'm missing something here but are all of the businesses in the area, including the church, willing to sell?

They already sold out to a group of developers bit by bit but the bank appointed a receiver to the group and the total site was resold.

It will probably be years (or decades?) before this is built.

yer man!

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Might the reason you cant find/fit into a jumper be anything to do with eating in McDonalds, im gonna say yes.

In fairness I too find Galway poor for clothes shopping. I will always find what I want when I go to Dublin in shops like pull & bear, gap, H&M and places like that. Galway is hands down one of the worst places for shoe shopping unless you want high tops or runners.

antoobrien

bonzodog2 wrote: »

I'd much rather see Crown Square finished off in preference to this

But that's a non city centre shopping center that will require people to use cars. We can't be having that.:rolleyes:

fishy fishy

another plastic grey non-character building then to go up in Galway. What is it with Galway - does everything have to go along the "high street" grey look. Have city planners / developers ever gone abroad to see other European countries and how they keep things in character and are proud of it. No, seems like galway has to keep the "grey and dreary" effect. Another shopping center we do not need . Most people try on what they want in shops and order online for cheaper. It will be a white elephant.

Just read yesterday that the lovely mural over the jeweler shop by ti coli's has to be taken down now. I wonder is it because it is too cheerful and bright looking.

Sometime I wonder.

Harps

Could it be developed more as an entertainment complex than a shopping centre? Somewhere you could actually spend some time instead of wandering through another 20 generic clothes shops. Just puling things off the top of my head but bowling (is there even a proper bowling alley in the city?), video games area, exhibition/science museum type area, theatre/concert hall, and the usual shops, restaurants, bars etc

Not gonna happen obviously but I really don't see how yet another area filled with the same old boring high street shops is needed

antoobrien

Harps wrote: »

Just puling things off the top of my head but bowling (is there even a proper bowling alley in the city?), video games area,

Isn't there one of those in Galway shopping centre? I know there used to be, but I haven't gone in there for a while so I've no idea if it's still open.

zero19

There's a bowling alley here http://planetgalway.ie/

antoobrien

zero19 wrote: »

There's a bowling alley here http://planetgalway.ie/

That's the one.

c_man

Brad768 wrote: »

Well, I feel the most important question here is: Will it have a Nando's?

:pac: Good ol' Galway. Sure we have everything else, why not!


I did have concerns about traffic for this proposal, but by the time it's built we'll all have hover cars. Problem solved.

Mrs OBumble

fishy fishy wrote: »

I wonder is it because it is too cheerful and bright looking.

It pretty much is.

This is Ireland. Dull, grey and dreary is your / our heritage. Cheery looks out of place, so will not be approved.

inisboffin

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It pretty much is.

This is Ireland. Dull, grey and dreary is your / our heritage. Cheery looks out of place, so will not be approved.

Ah now. Don't forget the Long Walk and Ballyvaughan! We don't want our houses to upstage our greenery either
Partly joking but for all our grey weather, we are often chosen for film location for our 'vivid colour' according to a filmmaker friend. Amount of moisture in the air refracting light or something...and completely straying from topic, sorry!

ben.schlomo

yer man! wrote: »

In fairness I too find Galway poor for clothes shopping. I will always find what I want when I go to Dublin in shops like pull & bear, gap, H&M and places like that. Galway is hands down one of the worst places for shoe shopping unless you want high tops or runners.

All depends what you wear i guess, was in Dublin lastweek, H&M was a kip of the highest order up there, their clothes are gone to sh1te. I always find what i need in Galway.

Hanley's, BT's and the Hilfiger shop are the only decent places for men's clothes in Galway, Geraghtys might have the odd thing too I suppose.

asdfg!

Yes Hilfigers and BT do have good men's stuff but they're expensive. It's the midrange stuff that's missing in Galway. The selection for men is very poor. It's also poor for women although slightly better.

I have seriously struggled to get a good pair shoes that match my taste and wallet and I'm not really fussy. There's either old man shoes or teenager fashions.

I too would like the Crowne Plaza built but that's not going to happen so it's going to look like a bombsite for the next ten years.

And not it not's a predilection for McDonalds that restricts my choices.:P I'm quite svelte. :cool: If anything everything is too big for me!:(

ben.schlomo

Atlas Victorious Theoretician wrote: »

Hanley's, BT's and the Hilfiger shop are the only decent places for men's clothes in Galway, Geraghtys might have the odd thing too I suppose.

If youre into stripey shirts and over priced red jumpers then thems are definitely the places to go.

antoobrien

ben.schlomo wrote: »

All depends what you wear i guess, was in Dublin lastweek, H&M was a kip of the highest order up there, their clothes are gone to sh1te. I always find what i need in Galway.

When I was living up there I used to hate trying to find something, most of the stuff the likes of H&M were selling was best described as gammy


I've always been able to get stuff in Galway. Ryans, Greenes & Geraghtys are places I drop into when I'm looking for stuff.

Gambas

Can't really see what the problem is here. This isn't an out of town development that would drain the lifeblood from the city centre - quite the opposite. This is definitely preferable to the Crown plaza. Aside from that it is clear that the floorspace in existing Galway city centre retail units is really small relative to the norm. All good from what I can see.

ben.schlomo

ben.schlomo wrote: »

If youre into stripey shirts and over priced red jumpers then thems are definitely the places to go.

Yes because that's all they sell :rolleyes: