New Horizon Mall

davo2001

This is what the proposed new €100m Horizon Mall in Limerick will look like:

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/horizon-mall-1557543-Jul2014/

Tefral

While I agree something needs to be done with the current state of the building, jobs etc I have to say overall i am at odds with this plan for two reasons.

1. This will put another Nail in the city center already well nailed coffin.

2. Traffic... currently its a nightmare around the parkway roundabout, this will surely make it worse.

bazz26

Already mentioned here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056092264&page=106

davo2001

Yes, I Know, that thread states that's its in development. Since its potentially a pretty big deal and people have different opinions about it then it should have its own thread.

jimgoose

This would need to be accompanied by a major re-vamp of traffic arrangements around the Childers Road/Ballysimon Roundabout area. The whole ring system stops if a few people decide to call in to Dunnes! :pac:

Berty

I say "moar traffic lights" but in this case I might be serious. Take the magic roundabout in Galway on the headford road, traffic lights and correct lane positions made the area much better. No longer does the busiest road have the monopoly.

Pumpkinseeds

I don't really bother much with the city centre for clothes shopping these days, I head out to the Crescent instead. I'd really like to be able to have a great variety of shops in the city centre, as there was in the 80's. If this Horizon development goes ahead they might as well just board up the city centre and be done with it as it will completely die.

vkid

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

I don't really bother much with the city centre for clothes shopping these days, I head out to the Crescent instead. I'd really like to be able to have a great variety of shops in the city centre, as there was in the 80's. If this Horizon development goes ahead they might as well just board up the city centre and be done with it as it will completely die.

I think the crescent is just as bad for mens clothes at least. In one way I agree that it could harm the cc, but 1300 more jobs could also give more people money to spend, and could in turn help the city centre in the long run. More money to spend?

1huge1

Given an option between this going through vs the Opera centre, I think we would all choose the Opera Centre on any given day.

However, more and more, it seems like it may be this vs nothing at all. If that is the case, I vote for the Horizon mall.

sleepyman

Anything is better than the current eyesore.
It's likely though that the development won't get of the ground and we'll be still discussing it in three years...

1huge1

sleepyman wrote: »

Anything is better than the current eyesore.
It's likely though that the development won't get of the ground and we'll be still discussing it in three years...

Last time I seen any work on the site was the month I started in UL. September 2008.
There is still a bit of optimism in me though, especially seeing the amount of new building projects getting underway during a recent trip to Dublin.

Brennans Row

The shell of that building site has been left exposed to the weather elements for the last 5 years or so.

I can’t imagine it escaping some serious structural corrosion by now?

davo2001

Brennans Row wrote: »

The shell of that building site has been left exposed to the weather elements for the last 5 years or so.

I can’t imagine it escaping some serious structural corrosion by now?

I think you'll find that will be a brown paper envelope job.

Insect Overlord

davo2001 wrote: »

I think you'll find that will be a brown paper envelope job.

Accusing people of corruption already? Jaysus, that's a ballsy move. Nothing's even happened in the process yet.

davo2001

An File wrote: »

Accusing people of corruption already? Jaysus, that's a ballsy move. Nothing's even happened in the process yet.

Only time will tell if the existing structure is knocked, it can't be possible that something that has been subject to weather abuse for 6+ years is 100% structurally sound.

bazz26

They could open the underground car park there as an aquatic attraction as it has been submerged for years now.

Stereomaniac

I would love it if they turned it into a place where people could pay to use scuba gear for a day.

mgbgt1978

Don't forget that Suneil Sharma is the guy that originally bought all those (now derelict) properties to build the Opera Centre.
He then sold the lot on to another developer before Nama stepped in.
We'll just have to wait and see if he actually completes this development........

iguana

I'd be astonished if this mall gets built. Most if not all of the structures that are there need tearing down and starting over. I just can't see it being economically viable at all. Even if property prices had remained static, that land is worth less than it was a decade ago due to the expense involved in first fixing the issues caused by the abandoned building site. I live in that general area and I guess it would suit me if it got built, especially if it has M&S and the proposed playground is open to the public. Certainly anything would be preferable to the eyesore of an elevator shaft graveyard that it is now but I fear we'll be watching the slow erosion of what's there for the next decade or more.

Poxyshamrock

I wonder how many people will be willing to flock to this centre and think it's great for Limerick if they charge for parking.

1huge1

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

I wonder how many people will be willing to flock to this centre and think it's great for Limerick if they charge for parking.

I really can't see why they would charge for parking to be honest. It would really be shooting themselves in the foot especially when all the shopping centres around it are free. (parkway, childers road)

Berty

1huge1 wrote: »

I really can't see why they would charge for parking to be honest. It would really be shooting themselves in the foot especially when all the shopping centres around it are free. (parkway, childers road)

They could. Newbridge charge, Athlone Charge and all would be comparable new shopping centres.

Athlone charge and it's small even though Golden Island don't charge. Newbridge charge but then again there's no free parking in the town anyway so they can do what they like.

For a different perspective Douglas East don't charge for parking for their shopping centre because Douglas West don't charge and it would be counterproductive to charge.

In saying that because of their proximity to Cork City and the Airport they do put a limit on how long you park for. They don't want people using the place for long stays or for commuting.

Dundrum Town Centre then have reduced their parking considerably over the years and I parked recently for 4 hours for €2.

Tefral

Beer Baron wrote: »

Dundrum Town Centre then have reduced their parking considerably over the years and I parked recently for 4 hours for €2.

It was a condition of their planning permission that they had to charge for parking.

davo2001

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

I wonder how many people will be willing to flock to this centre and think it's great for Limerick if they charge for parking.

Then I'll park outside TKMaxx :-D

ongarboy

iguana wrote: »

I'd be astonished if this mall gets built. Most if not all of the structures that are there need tearing down and starting over. I just can't see it being economically viable at all. Even if property prices had remained static, that land is worth less than it was a decade ago due to the expense involved in first fixing the issues caused by the abandoned building site. I live in that general area and I guess it would suit me if it got built, especially if it has M&S and the proposed playground is open to the public. Certainly anything would be preferable to the eyesore of an elevator shaft graveyard that it is now but I fear we'll be watching the slow erosion of what's there for the next decade or more.

I think the fact they already have M&S on board as an anchor tenant gaurantees it's viability. So many retail parks and shopping centres across the country were built during the boom purely on speculation without tenants and have sufferred as a result either being half empty or not open at all. That will not appear to be the case here. The spokesperson already says other major retailers have now expressed interest - this is always a lot easier when one big name player(M&S) has already committed to the scheme.

I agree its a shame the city centre didn't get the Opera development but as someone said it's either this or nothing by the sounds of it.

Berty

I vaguely remember the shape of the food court from the plans years ago because I quoted on a job there. There was Definately a Sbarro going in there so at least there was always two tenants confirmed , sbarro and M&S.

Pumpkinseeds

So how will this affect the plans they had for the city centre development then? I remember reading something a few months ago with an ambitious design for improving the city centre. Surely if the big high street names move to an out of town retail park there would be no incentive for them to relocate to the city centre?

iguana

M&S did make some announcement last year about coming to Parkway Valley as opposed to the city centre. I think it will be a shame if that happens as the city needs it much more. If the Parkway Valley area was cleared out and the grass regrew there the area would be missing little. In fact it would put less pressure on the (too many) retail businesses that are currently in the area. If the city loses any more business, which it will if there is a big new mall with M&S as it's anchor a couple of km from O'Connell St, it could have a terrible knock on effect.

bazz26

If M&S really wanted to go into the city centre they would probably be in there by now. And who could blame them really, imo the city centre is currently not retailer friendly or shopper friendly. Their decision will be purely business driven and they will go where they think they can make money.

Pumpkinseeds

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really don't know why people think the presence of M&S will turn things around. I usually have a look in there when I'm in Galway and there isn't anything in there that you wouldn't find anywhere else, except that M&S prices are too high for what they're selling.

Women tend to have a look in all the clothing outlets in a shopping centre and make decisions based on price as much as anything else. So in that respect M&S would be on to a loser. Their sales are down in the Uk and there's hardly a throng of people in the Galway branch whenever I've been in there. I was going to buy a 3 pack of socks for my husband last time I was in but they were looking for 15 quid:eek: I could have bought much the same thing for less than a fiver in Penneys.

Poxyshamrock

ongarboy wrote: »

I think the fact they already have M&S on board as an anchor tenant gaurantees it's viability.

Sure didn't Coonagh Cross SC have Tesco as its anchor? We all know how that ended up!

Jetland has an anchor and pretty much nothing else too!