Athlone thread

godtabh

Not sure. It’s a business address I am thinking off

FlicFlak

I see the application was turned down. For what has to be to most ridiculous reasons anyone could think of!!

Blow for supermarket plan in Monksland | Westmeath Independent

Rikand

They should close super value then in that case. Absolutely stupid reasoning.

veryangryman

Given that the locaton is 10 minutes walk max from most of Monksland, this mixed use argument is complete bull.

How in the hold fk is this madness allowed to continue

jimmyendless

When they say mixed use, are they saying we don't want a supermarket there or propose a supermarket with a cafe/apartments? What are they looking for?

roosterman71

No shops or business will get permission if that's the case. The reasons are bollox

1. not “provide an integrated mixed land use approach”. What is that supposed to mean? Have they given examples of what mixed use is? There's already retail there so additional retail should be OK
2. result in “a single retail operator development” which would be “car dependent” Until Roscommon/westmeath Co. Co build, pay and maintain active/public transport at regular intervals and all that entails, the car is king and will remain so for many many years to come. Plus Super Value (who I imagine are having serious words in the council ears to stop this) is a single retail operator already.
3. not be conducive to create a “vibrant centre and sense of place” Do they have that there now? Perhaps Lidl or something would encourage other businesses to set up near there to benefit from increased footfall
4. “generic design approach” planned which it stated was “lacking in architectural merit” Did they not realise it's Lidl, who design each store pretty much the same the continent over? People aren't going there for the beauty of the building

Its a strange one. The moving goal posts are gas though. I've seen Aldi/Lidl get refused in various locations for

• doing mixed use
• not doing mixed use
• doing a standard design
• doing a bespoke design

Its farcical to be honest

On the mixed use, I know of one development which was to include apartments, cafe, additional retail units, community facilities etc etc, all knocked back, so only the supermarket was allowed to proceed. Bonkers stuff

rn

Roscommon co co want people to work in Monksland industrial hub that's attractive because its on Dublin galway m6, provide housing there and then come to Roscommon Town for their public services, where the library,main health care hub, county offices, park are provided to a much higher level than the population of Roscommon Town could afford if it didn't have development levies and rates out of Monkland

Now athlone East doesn't fair a whole pile better under westmeath coco, where the better public infrastructure and services are in mullingar

yabadabado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428734#Comment_121428734

Such nonsense.

Hopefully Lidl appeal this because the decision is lauaghable.

flazio

I'm sure there's a bit of free space in the Diskin centre.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121430178#Comment_121430178

They typically don't appeal. It's quicker to modify the application and just resubmit. They can do that within weeks. An appeal could take years to conclude

Sunny Dayz

Ridiculous reasons given for turning down the planning application in Monksland. Same as when planning was turned down for a new Lidl across from where the old one was, stupid reasons given. And yet Aldi were allowed build on a flood plain.

flazio

To be fair, all of Golden Island is on a flood plain but fair play to the developers, the shopping centre has never been flooded to the best of my memory even when the tyre place beside it was, I wanna say 2010.

veryangryman

Even for Athlone, the thread has alot of tumbleweed.

Ok ill shoot. John McCormack.

I saw something recently in the Windo that showed him get an invite to town for a civic thing after he was famous. He left early saying that he didnt really want the spotlight etc. Then turned up in Dublin for a big civic thing.

The man had little, if any love for his hometown. Probably only came back to visit his mam or something. Ergo, not deserving of the statue and numerous stuff named after him here. Id actually like someone like Robbie Henshaw to get some local recognition like that.

While i sound mad, you have to remember it's 2023 and weirder stuff happens.

dePeatrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121525227#Comment_121525227

And not so far away, Oliver Goldsmith, hated Ballymahon which hated him even more. Sounds like you have to be unpopular to be really good!

flazio

Probably belongs in the Roscommon forum but what the hell. Who's genius idea was it to put a roundabout outside the Cloonakilla national school. Award for the most pointless piece of infrastructure.

AdrianG08

Can anyone tell me what would be seen as the best Chinese takeaway in Athlone?

And the best takeaway of any category?

Lewis_Benson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121553856#Comment_121553856

It's only my personal opinion, but the best "Chinese" is Jia jia.

The best chipper is Roma.

Ryath

Used to quite like Chinese but been disappointed by anywhere I've tried last few years. Prefer Thai and Indian now.

Really like yakisoba and prices are very good. Mix of Asian styles.

Kin Kao would be a favourite also but much dearer.

https://www.yakisoba.ie/

afkasurfjunkie

Been a while since I had Chinese in Athlone but Jia Jia would’ve been my top choice back in the day. Bethlehem in Irish town was my favourite takeaway. Think that one is closed now. Don’t know what the one on the Dublin Rd is like.

rn

The silver oak is excellent for take away.

On the roundabout at cloonacilla- that has been planned for over 10 years. Was meant to be done shortly after the school was completed as part of traffic management. I have to say it's a massive improvement in safety for kids as it really slows down traffic passing the school. We'll done to Roscommon coco.

veryangryman

The roundabout is indeed quite crap the way it finished up. The gombeen owner of the brutal petrol station and land at the logical place the roundabout should be is the reason its ended up so crap. He wouldn't budge when negotiating.

A couple more speed bumps would have sorted the traffic situation.

Generally the school should be moved closer to river village more central to where people actually live if they wanted to get less people driving.

rn

Indeed the school should have been moved, but I also there was no other area zoned for community/educational use in the council LAP so it had to stay where it was. I'd say no land owner there wants their land zoned for anything other than residential development phase 1.

Disagree that the roundabout is "crap" and it was always slated for the meeting of the taughmaconnel and tuam roads... so not sure how vinny bannon could've influenced location. I know more of his land would've need to be bought to put in a larger one.

Weedy Gonzalez

The school roundabout is a magnificent example of drab soviet era brutalism architecture. It's laughably too big and would have killed them to incorporate a bit of shrubbery or trees in the centre of it.

I just drive over it as opposed to around it.

veryangryman

I wonder if the size is to accomodate future residential development of the land around it, and thus another arm on the roundabout?

Otherwise its a crapppy transition year project effort at best. Woeful

rn

It's defo built within the limits of the land available. It's built that way to accommodate trucks I think.

But a **** roundabout is much better than none. There were so many near accidents of lads speeding past the school at pickup and drop off. Now everything is slowed right down. So much better for pedestrians.

veryangryman

Yeah those depressing looking orange cement trucks that come in ad infinitum are likely the main stakeholders who wanted the larger roundabout.

The curbs on it need heightening to ensure the thing is used right. Monksland is a hub of brutal, brutal drivers

veryangryman

Are Ganlys still doing briquettes? AFAIK they were importing bales?

pawrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121645706#Comment_121645706

they had some during the week when i was in but i didnt have a close look to see if they were imported.

rn

Our electric buses are in bother. Pity because I value a 0 emissions bus much more than an HVO bus that'll still spew out particulate matter in the local air.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/if-you-turn-up-the-heat-on-cold-days-the-range-reduces-td-hits-out-as-bus-eireann-admits-battery-problems-with-electric-buses-pilot/a1676079970.html