New Shopping Centre

Fate Amenable To Change

Anyone hear about this, couldn't find a link? Sounds great if it goes through. Any objectors should be evicted from the county.

Chip Whitley

Fate Amenable To Change wrote: »

Anyone hear about this, couldn't find a link? Sounds great if it goes through. Any objectors should be evicted from the county.

Has a location been mentioned?

Fate Amenable To Change

Brendão wrote: »

Has a location been mentioned?

Up by Michael Street

old gregg

Not heard anything. If it's true and Michael St. is the location then it's likely just the Newgate st. project again?

leduke

you are correct old Gregg. there is a piece about it in this weeks news and star, and it's a different spin on the newgate st. project.

Shane07

Had a quick look at the News & Star today the outline of the project looks great! The centre of the site is a glass covered square with a new covered street leading down to the Apple Market which also is to be roofed with glass.This will be the turn around the city centre needs!

Fate Amenable To Change

Shane07 wrote: »

Had a quick look at the News & Star today the outline of the project looks great! The centre of the site is a glass covered square with a new covered street leading down to the Apple Market which also is to be roofed with glass.This will be the turn around the city centre needs!

Hopefully cinema plans will go through as well. The whole area would look completely different.

space2ground1

Is there an anchor tenant agreed I wonder?

BBM77

I suppose it would be fanciful to wish that everybody would get behind it for the greater benefit of the city and avoid it having to go through An Bord Pleanála. Instead of the crap that held it up the last time around.

old gregg

Maybe, the fact that the previous plan was turned down means we'll actually get something better this time round. Personally I was against the previous plan purely because to me it stank of developer greed. Just a personal opinion and one I aint going to change. I look at the Railway Square/ Miller's Marsh complex and the vast majority of that joke has never once been opened. I reckon the previous incarnation of the the Michael St. plan would currently be in a slightly similar state.

But if this looks and feels good to us locals and we can get a sweet anchor then I'd have no objections and look forward to it. In my perfect world it would be like Camden Markets in London (but that's another dream) :cool:

As an aside, if it does take in the current New Street Gardens project then I'd love if council and local business organise, support financially and in spirit an alternative place in our city for creative folks to also contribute and enhance our city like they have in the last while.

nkay1985

Shane07 wrote: »

Had a quick look at the News & Star today the outline of the project looks great! The centre of the site is a glass covered square with a new covered street leading down to the Apple Market which also is to be roofed with glass.This will be the turn around the city centre needs!

Mary Roche might finally be getting her wish of roofing the town!

EDIT:

Link for anybody who doesn't remember that.

BlaasForRafa

BBM77 wrote: »

I suppose it would be fanciful to wish that everybody would get behind it for the greater benefit of the city and avoid it having to go through An Bord Pleanála. Instead of the crap that held it up the last time around.

At least that fella from the Army & Survival shop has gone and those houses next to the multistory car-park are no longer an issue. What about that fella from the Green party that always protested anything being built, has he buggered off out of the city?

The Bowling Alley

Anyone got a link to the plans?

The_Shotz

Screen shot taking from waterford in your pocket about the development in the news and star.

giles lynchwood

The Bowling Alley wrote: »

Anyone got a link to the plans?

Yes I know the brother of the postman who delivers the mail to the architects office.












My butler is getting my coat.;)

Dum_Dum

nkay1985 wrote: »

Mary Roche might finally be getting her wish of roofing the town!

EDIT:

Link for anybody who doesn't remember that.

I can't help but agree with her. The town would really benefit from a large covered public space. Imagine, for example, screening It's a Wonderful Life, under an atrium during Winterval, a weekly year round weatherproof farmer's market or facilitating a million other outdoor events that never happen because of the weather.

jennygirl

Dum_Dum wrote: »

I can't help but agree with her. The town would really benefit from a large covered public space. Imagine, for example, screening It's a Wonderful Life, under an atrium during Winterval, a weekly year round weatherproof farmer's market or facilitating a million other outdoor events that never happen because of the weather.

what Waterford needs is large scale retail to entice international brands to the city centre. waterford needs this shopping centre - fast - it would be a game changer for Waterford

giles lynchwood

jennygirl wrote: »

what Waterford needs is large scale retail to entice international brands to the city centre. waterford needs this shopping centre - fast - it would be a game changer for Waterford

Which would result in more smaller shops closing down in the town center, bigger is not always better as Killkenny has proven. There should be more incentive for people to open smaller shops in the town center, people walking on the streets breathe's life into a city, not people driving in and out of shopping center car parks.
The city council should realise there is more to our city then the viking triangle and Waterford crystal.

Max Powers

giles lynchwood wrote: »

Which would result in more smaller shops closing down in the town center, bigger is not always better as Killkenny has proven. There should be more incentive for people to open smaller shops in the town center, people walking on the streets breathe's life into a city, not people driving in and out of shopping center car parks.
The city council should realise there is more to our city then the viking triangle and Waterford crystal.

Dont buy that arguement when all retail experts say you need a mix of big and small retailers. People come to shop at the big retailers, brown thomas, Zara, H&M and on the lower end Dunnes, Penneys etc. The increase in footfall will help small retailers also. incentives for small shops no one would argue with.

wellboytoo

The quality of buildings in the centre of the town is p1ss poor, a huge amount of them are small pokey and uncared for , for generations, totally unsuitable for the modern retail experience.
There are a lot of landlords who took took took and did not reinvest for eon's, it is true to say if this centre is built a lot of them will be left empty, big deal, someone will buy them and make them of merchantable quality and they will be back in business.
I realise this proposal is only a sketch scheme to draw in potential investors but it is a good start, as it draws in a lot of areas that are outside the main drag at the moment.
it is also a counterweight to the Viking Trangle where a lot of good long term investment has gone on in recent years, and the promised follow through by the City and County manager that it would happen.
Bring it on I say and we will all be the better for it.
But we probably have to suffer another interminable thread about the building works in town "it was Chaos Billy".......

Fate Amenable To Change

giles lynchwood wrote: »

Which would result in more smaller shops closing down in the town center, bigger is not always better as Killkenny has proven. There should be more incentive for people to open smaller shops in the town center, people walking on the streets breathe's life into a city, not people driving in and out of shopping center car parks.
The city council should realise there is more to our city then the viking triangle and Waterford crystal.

Its been all small shops for years, it isn't working. Its had its chance thanks to ridiculous objections and has resulted in said small shops closing down.

People buy online rather than walk around town because the small shops don't have what they want. If a big shopping centre came here there would be more people walking around and making impulse purchases. It would become an actual day or half day shopping rather than running in and buying one or two specific things.

jennygirl

giles lynchwood wrote: »

Which would result in more smaller shops closing down in the town center, bigger is not always better as Killkenny has proven. There should be more incentive for people to open smaller shops in the town center, people walking on the streets breathe's life into a city, not people driving in and out of shopping center car parks.
The city council should realise there is more to our city then the viking triangle and Waterford crystal.

i do agree - but there is incentives for shops to open in the city centre - all part of the economic incentives of WCC. there need to be more people living in the city centre - as in galway - over every shop is accomodation

jennygirl

Fate Amenable To Change wrote: »

Its been all small shops for years, it isn't working. Its had its chance thanks to ridiculous objections and has resulted in said small shops closing down.

People buy online rather than walk around town because the small shops don't have what they want. If a big shopping centre came here there would be more people walking around and making impulse purchases. It would become an actual day or half day shopping rather than running in and buying one or two specific things.

i agree - and with a major car park as part of the development i think we are on to a winner - Build it as fast as possible - ANY THEY WILL COME

jennygirl

wellboytoo wrote: »

The quality of buildings in the centre of the town is p1ss poor, a huge amount of them are small pokey and uncared for , for generations, totally unsuitable for the modern retail experience.
There are a lot of landlords who took took took and did not reinvest for eon's, it is true to say if this centre is built a lot of them will be left empty, big deal, someone will buy them and make them of merchantable quality and they will be back in business.
I realise this proposal is only a sketch scheme to draw in potential investors but it is a good start, as it draws in a lot of areas that are outside the main drag at the moment.
it is also a counterweight to the Viking Trangle where a lot of good long term investment has gone on in recent years, and the promised follow through by the City and County manager that it would happen.
Bring it on I say and we will all be the better for it.
But we probably have to suffer another interminable thread about the building works in town "it was Chaos Billy".......

i think we are past the "Billy" stage with this - build it and bring economic development to the city centre - the bigger picture is all City centre streets will get a face lift to equal the VT

BBM77

giles lynchwood wrote: »

...The city council should realise there is more to our city then the viking triangle and Waterford crystal.

Sure it’s the city council that is pushing this

BBM77

giles lynchwood wrote: »

Which would result in more smaller shops closing down in the town center, bigger is not always better as Killkenny has proven. There should be more incentive for people to open smaller shops in the town center, people walking on the streets breathe's life into a city, not people driving in and out of shopping center car parks.
The city council should realise there is more to our city then the viking triangle and Waterford crystal.

Small shops could not afford the marketing or have the wide spread pull that the big names have. This is the reason that small shops need to feed of the footfall that the big names generate. The city centre needs the fashionable big names in order to achieve a business environment that the smaller shops need in order to survive. The city council, business groups etc are not all in favour of this to do damage, they are in favour because it has been shown all over the world to work. Just ask the owner of Fitzgerald’s menswear. He was dead against City Square being built because he thought it would ruin his business. He later had to admit that his business increased after it opened.

sunnysoutheast

jennygirl wrote: »

i do agree - but there is incentives for shops to open in the city centre - all part of the economic incentives of WCC. there need to be more people living in the city centre - as in galway - over every shop is accomodation

I've often been baffled by seeing windows open with pigeons flying in and out in what would be very decent locations for city centre apartments. I assume it's just owners playing the long game in the hope of getting bought out but it is still sad to see.

fricatus

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

I've often been baffled by seeing windows open with pigeons flying in and out in what would be very decent locations for city centre apartments. I assume it's just owners playing the long game in the hope of getting bought out but it is still sad to see.

That's why we need to replace the value based property tax with a site value tax.

It would have a huge effect on the sort of pigeon lofts in the city centre that you mention.

AdMMM

Dum_Dum wrote: »

I can't help but agree with her. The town would really benefit from a large covered public space. Imagine, for example, screening It's a Wonderful Life, under an atrium during Winterval, a weekly year round weatherproof farmer's market or facilitating a million other outdoor events that never happen because of the weather.

Something like that has been done before:

ec18

It's nice that waterford is getting it's own ferrybank centre

wellboytoo

ec18 wrote: »

It's nice that waterford is getting it's own ferrybank centre

Hardly, it is less than half the size and will have tenants on opening

giles lynchwood

All really valid points put forward. I just feel the size of Waterford does not justify another large retail development. There may well be a knock on effect turning city square into a white elephant.

Max Powers

giles lynchwood wrote: »

All really valid points put forward. I just feel the size of Waterford does not justify another large retail development. There may well be a knock on effect turning city square into a white elephant.

all the retail reports say that there is space for it, waterford is underperforming and has space. We have heard from retailers saying they cant get the right space too. On saying that, of course City sqaure will suffer a little with competition for big clients. They should get moving on that planning permission to redevlop brasserie site now that they have been sitting on for years.
Soemthing to remmeber is PP hasnt even been submitted, there will be objections from McCannt and others and the whole finance thing with the council, nama and private people on board, its not the most straightforward.

delahuntv

Definitely needed - there simply are not proper retail units available in a busy part of the city.

The problem with some streets is whilst there are vacant units, there are too many owners for there to be a single strategy to extend the retail area.

Trying to find a unit of about 1200 - 1400 sq ft is impossible. City Square has far too many small units, so a new centre that will cater for local and international retailers and located within the town centre environs is actually needed - I've been looking for over a year for a decent space and have yet to find one.

Digital Society

giles lynchwood wrote: »

All really valid points put forward. I just feel the size of Waterford does not justify another large retail development. There may well be a knock on effect turning city square into a white elephant.

How do you actually suggest increasing the attractiveness of Waterford for young people who currently choose to commute to Cork and Dublin?

space2ground1

The street roof idea is fantastic. In itself it'd create that interest that would make people curious and visit. Throw in some heavy retail hitters, plenty of tiny little local coffee shops and the footfall would see the more organic smaller retailers thrive.

The plan is already done and dusted for something similar in Aberdeen. I'm not sure if they've managed to build it yet.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-25917689

dzilla

I think it is great. I believe there are shops ready to take units in a modern shopping environment... the likes of New Look/ H+M / Vila/ maybe another city based Next/ some eateries/ bershka/ zara... just thinking aloud but the majority of those stores are in mahon/dungarvan/clonmel and kk so they may consider this new development

notfromhere

Did H+M not pull out of where it was going in the first place. Dont think there comming to Waterford.

The Bowling Alley

They probably pulled out because of those development. Imagine locating in city square and then this massive place opens up

Royal Legend

a new shopping centre will fail if the council continue to charge excessive fees for parking in the city. All you have to do is visit other towns with shopping centres to see that some offer reduced parking, €1/hr or even free parking for shoppers.

p.s. I am all for any boost to the city and if there is room for a new shopping centre then that would be great. (Council rates are also running business out of the city as well)

Sully

Royal Legend wrote: »

a new shopping centre will fail if the council continue to charge excessive fees for parking in the city. All you have to do is visit other towns with shopping centres to see that some offer reduced parking, €1/hr or even free parking for shoppers.

p.s. I am all for any boost to the city and if there is room for a new shopping centre then that would be great. (Council rates are also running business out of the city as well)

Done to death. Parking prices in the city center are not by the council but by private businesses. Very competitive pricing around, City Council also have very good pricing in places.

dzilla

Yeah i remember somethibg about H + m goin inyo where the brasserie restaurant was. Haven't heaed anything since about it. Maybe too much work in it and would prefer this type of complex.

regarding the parking, it is pricey bur with the gasworks decelopment hopefully it can make it competitive.

The_Shotz

Royal Legend wrote: »

a new shopping centre will fail if the council continue to charge excessive fees for parking in the city. All you have to do is visit other towns with shopping centres to see that some offer reduced parking, €1/hr or even free parking for shoppers.

p.s. I am all for any boost to the city and if there is room for a new shopping centre then that would be great. (Council rates are also running business out of the city as well)

The council car parks are currently €1 per hour!

The problem with car park prices is with privately owned car parks.

As for the shopping centre it is badly needed, if this went ahead I would then love to see city square redeveloped and just have 3 or 4 large shops in there, which would prevent it becoming a white elephant, have no small units.

fiesty lady

Has the cost of parking in inner city council car parks changed ? Up to yesterday it costs 1euro 80 cent per hour to park in the council carpark behind the book centre.

shockwave

fiesty lady wrote: »

Has the cost of parking in inner city council car parks changed ? Up to yesterday it costs 1euro 80 cent per hour to park in the council carpark behind the book centre.

Bolton Street is €1 an hour and possibly millers marsh, all the rest are €1.80

Digital Society

How do people still complain about parking when the price is now down to either free in Tesco or a euro in Bolton Street?

Vote with your wallet and dont park where it costs 1.80.

They only charge it cause people pay it.

Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea needs to understand that this isnt the 90s anymore and 20ft by 20ft shops just dont cut it anymore.

Max Powers

Digital Society wrote: »

How do people still complain about parking when the price is now down to either free in Tesco or a euro in Bolton Street?

Vote with your wallet and dont park where it costs 1.80.

They only charge it cause people pay it.

Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea needs to understand that this isnt the 90s anymore and 20ft by 20ft shops just dont cut it anymore.

unless its free, they wont be happy. I say that half joking and half serious because i see Cork City are introducing free parking for Xmas (i think)

The Bowling Alley

Max Powers wrote: »

unless its free, they wont be happy. I say that half joking and half serious because i see Cork City are introducing free parking for Xmas (i think)

Limerick are introducing free parking after 3pm from Nov 24

Sully

The Bowling Alley wrote: »

Limerick are introducing free parking after 3pm from Nov 24

Does Waterford not do this? I can't remember

The Bowling Alley

Absolutely not.

Sully

The Bowling Alley wrote: »

Absolutely not.

What promotion did they usually run during Christmas?