Things i would like to see in Drogheda

bryangiggsy

1. West Street put back to the way it was. 2 way street with plenty of parking for people to come into the town.

2. A board walk to run from oldbridge to baltray like the one planned for oldbridge to mornington.

3. All the derelict houses (eyesores) in the centre of town knocked to the ground. eg the ones to the left of the bridge of peace next to Donaghys Mill.

Am not asking for much

bpmurray

bryangiggsy wrote: »

3. All the derelict houses (eyesores) in the centre of town knocked to the ground. eg the ones to the left of the bridge of peace next to Donaghys Mill.

More importantly, the semi-derelict buildings on Narrow West St and the empty shops on West St need to be addressed. The main shopping channel needs to be made more vibrant.

Lord TSC

bpmurray wrote: »

More importantly, the semi-derelict buildings on Narrow West St and the empty shops on West St need to be addressed. The main shopping channel needs to be made more vibrant.

Are the empty shops simply down to rates and rents being too high? I feel as if the owners like the shops to remain empty since it's less hassle or something...

andrew1977

Jobs and new employment.

Scotty #

Narrow West St should be pedestrianised altogether, if not all West St. The empty premises should be promoted to cafe's, pub's etc with reduced rates/rent. Allow these to put tables outside on the street (and live music!).

Promote Drogheda as a weekend destination like Kilkenny, Killarney, Galway, to the over 30's. The large empty stone buildings along the Boyne/Quays should be bought by the OPW and should be made historic museums (Like MOSI in Manchester). A famine ship like the one in Enniscorthy (The Dunbrody) could be added. There is so much potential. Drogheda could be a thriving town. It just needs the right council/planners.

My young lad plays gaelic across from the entrance to Newgrange every Saturday and it amazes me the amount of coaches full of tourists there week in week out. The buses always seem to come out and turn right though (towards Slane) when leaving.

saintsaltynuts

A dacent lookin' burd.

Scotty #

Lord TSC wrote: »

Are the empty shops simply down to rates and rents being too high? I feel as if the owners like the shops to remain empty since it's less hassle or something...

I think it's down to lack of 'shoppers' on the street. When you have the likes of barbers and clothes alteration shops on the main street of a town the size of Drogheda you know the rents are very low. The reason they are not surviving is Scotch Hall and the retail parks. I know the guy who owned the large 'department store' on Narrow West St was offered almost free rent and rates to stay open and it still wasn't viable. Tourism, in my opinion, is the only future that will work for West St.

Jawgap

All of West Street should be pedestrianised.

Trucks need to rerouted away from North Quay - not sure how, but if it could be managed, it would make it much more pleasant to park on the south side of the river then walk across and up through the town.

bryangiggsy

Jawgap wrote: »

All of West Street should be pedestrianised.

Trucks need to rerouted away from North Quay - not sure how, but if it could be managed, it would make it much more pleasant to park on the south side of the river then walk across and up through the town.

If West Street was pedestrianised you are driving more cars out of the town. I like the idea of narrow west street being closed off and cafe and restaurants with outdoor seating areas lining the street. West street should be put back to two way traffic from the abbey centre on. Send the cars via the gardai station. People like convenience. Parking close to were they shop.

bryangiggsy

bryangiggsy wrote: »

If West Street was pedestrianised you are driving more cars out of the town. I like the idea of narrow west street being closed off and cafe and restaurants with outdoor seating areas lining the street. West street should be put back to two way traffic from the abbey centre on. Send the cars via the gardai station. People like convenience. Parking close to were they shop.

Hence why the retail parks are thriving

chrysagon

A native !

Jawgap

bryangiggsy wrote: »

If West Street was pedestrianised you are driving more cars out of the town. I like the idea of narrow west street being closed off and cafe and restaurants with outdoor seating areas lining the street. West street should be put back to two way traffic from the abbey centre on. Send the cars via the gardai station. People like convenience. Parking close to were they shop.

The logic is flawed.

Drogheda is a lovely town but it's spoiled by the car. If I could park my car say at Scotch Hall and walk up through the town without having to navigate narrow footpaths to stay off the road, I'd be more likely to go into the town. As it is I feel safer either just using Scotch Hall or the retail parks.

I can only imagine what someone with young kids must feel when trying to shepherd them along.

Personally, I think Drogheda should be looking at towns like Durham, York etc - they removed cars from their historic centres and now you can't move for the feckin' tourists.

Yes people like convenience - but they also like nice surroundings - and as long as you have buses and cars rumbling around you're getting neither.

CreepingDeath

I'm not a native, but as someone who spends a lot of time up there

- no toll bridge - or at least move it North of Drogheda in acknowledgement that it's in the commuter belt of Dublin now

- proper flood protection on the main roads, especially Julianstown and other South Drogheda roads. It was nearly impossible to get into Drogheda from the South a few months ago during the severe rain/floods. I had to get back on the motorway and approach from the North.

- improve traffic flow through the town, especially over the bridges

- encourage I.T. companies to move to Drogheda for cheaper rents
I'd say there's a lot of people on the trains/buses to Dublin every day who would welcome a job nearby, probably accepting cheaper salaries in lieu of the cheaper commuting costs.

- the tourist side of things... probably requires coach parking near the town centre. There's not much in Drogheda to stay the night, so it would mainly be pass-thru traffic/tours from Belfast/Dublin. Unless you can get some form of nighttime guided tours to bring people around, and take them thru pubs and restuarants on taste tours etc.

White Horse

1. Remove the Donore Road toll.
2. More parking in the centre of town.
3. Remove excess pedestrian pavements in West Street.

Drogheda has a lot going for it, but has consistently had a terrible local authority.

Jawgap

White Horse wrote: »

1. Remove the Donore Road toll.
2. More parking in the centre of town.
3. Remove excess pedestrian pavements in West Street.

Drogheda has a lot going for it, but has consistently had a terrible local authority.

I agree with the Donore Road toll - it should, at least, be made free for HGVs

The more parking thing - that would just encourage more cars, not necessarily more people. I really think a walled historic town like Drogheda needs to be borrowing from other walled historic towns, but not in Ireland.

If you get rid of cars from the historic centre you have a very pleasant area - at the moment, imo, it's a place where you go because you have to, not because you want to.

As a minimum they could start by banning cars on Sundays in summer and see how that goes.

White Horse

Jawgap wrote: »

I agree with the Donore Road toll - it should, at least, be made free for HGVs

The more parking thing - that would just encourage more cars, not necessarily more people. I really think a walled historic town like Drogheda needs to be borrowing from other walled historic towns, but not in Ireland.

If you get rid of cars from the historic centre you have a very pleasant area - at the moment, imo, it's a place where you go because you have to, not because you want to.

As a minimum they could start by banning cars on Sundays in summer and see how that goes.

How are people going to get into the town centre? Much of the population growth is on the outskirts of the town. If a thriving town centre is the goal, it has to be made easy for people go drive close to the town centre and get cheap/free parking.

Cars don't have to go down West Street. There are parallel routes that could be used to allow cars get close to the town centre.

Jawgap

White Horse wrote: »

How are people going to get into the town centre? Much of the population growth is on the outskirts of the town. If a thriving town centre is the goal, it has to be made easy for people go drive close to the town centre and get cheap/free parking.

Cars don't have to go down West Street. There are parallel routes that could be used to allow cars get close to the town centre.

Well, I can only rely on my own experience. I live to the south of the town and only go in when I absolutely have to. Why? Because the place is clogged up with traffic!

Any time I do go in, I tend to park at Scotch Hall, get what I need in the shops there and only head up the town for anything essential I can't get in SH.

The rest of the time I tend to scoot around the back roads to get to the various retail parks.

YMMV

house45

Decent football team!!!😂😂😂😂😂

Kaylee

bryangiggsy wrote: »

1. West Street put back to the way it was. 2 way street with plenty of parking for people to come into the town.

2. A board walk to run from oldbridge to baltray like the one planned for oldbridge to mornington.

3. All the derelict houses (eyesores) in the centre of town knocked to the ground. eg the ones to the left of the bridge of peace next to Donaghys Mill.

Am not asking for much

With you on points 2 & 3 OP, but I think West street needs to be properly pedestrianised, those horrible rectangular 'modern' lights taken out and wrought iron streetlights installed, maybe a square established in front of st. Peters church with a fountain or a sculpture (I was in Dundalk recently for the first time in years - they have water fountains!). The upper parts of the shops need to be refurbished - I think there was mention of a grant from Europe for this for larger towns such as Kilkenny, it would be great for Drogheda.

Also.... knock down the Abbey Shopping Centre (relocate the travel agent and shops elsewhere in the many empty spaces in town). Just knock the whole place down Put a big skate park here instead of across the river in one of the few green areas in the town. Plant trees around and develop the area around the ancient tower and remaining original walls. Put in cool sculpture of jiving couple to commemerate the Abbey Ballroom :cool:

While we're at it.... change the car park at top of Peter's Street into a small park with seating and information boards on the history of the town - it is a lovely viewing point for the Tholsel and Millmount and is directly beside historic St. Peter's Church of Ireland.

In addition... Drogheda Port as a heavy commercial concern needs to relocate out of town. The river is valuable resource for tourists and that is were the money is at these days. It is a lovely space which everybody realised when we got a (rare) chance to experience it during the Maritime Festival.

Parking is an issue and space needs to be allocated for it... I don't have any suggestions for this :P In the meantime.... let's get some changes underway... who's running this damn place anyways?

Porkpie

A decent gym and swimming pool in the centre of town.

Scotty #

Kaylee wrote: »

knock down the Abbey Shopping Centre... Put a big skate park here instead ...(

This is a terrible idea. A skate park in the town centre would do nothing for the town (bar the handful of skaters it would attract). It needs to be something with a much wider appeal. Same goes for a gym and swimming pool. There's already both only a few hundred yards away.

leonards

A new bridge from say ship street across to drogheda port or from grammar school across.

Kaylee

Scotty # wrote: »

This is a terrible idea. A skate park in the town centre would do nothing for the town (bar the handful of skaters it would attract). It needs to be something with a much wider appeal. Same goes for a gym and swimming pool. There's already both only a few hundred yards away.

Well... the way I am looking at it is, the town centre is for everybody - young kids, families, older people etc. I was thinking that these skater guys and girls might be dropped into town by their folks (who may travel from near - and wide - to avail of the cool skate park ), and those parents might take the time to go round the town while they're waiting for their kids, have lunch, coffee etc. Maybe a long shot... but...

- In the meantime if the council could just clean the litter bins on west street it would be a start. There are dirty looking coffee stains all down the bins outside Dunnes and the Town Shopping Centre - looks terrible!