Opinions on Leixlip Generally

Diceicle

We're thinking of moving and would like some opinions on Leixlip in general.
Is it a bit a kip? What does it have going for it as an area?
I understand all areas have their problem estates etc and it certainly doesn't strike me as an overall rough place - but my OH seems to have a negative opinion of it.
It seems less quaint than Celbridge or Maynooth - but I simply may not have seen the right places.
How are the schools in Leixlip?

Thanks for reading.

Seth Brundle

Not sure where youre looking but as someone who moced in 2001 from Clontarf, I'm very happy here.
It is very well serviced in terms of transport, facilities (education, sports, social, etc.).
The town is good and the various committees keep the place looking great.

As with any town there and some places nicer than others but I wouldn't worry too much. I lived in Avondale for many years which many people said was dodgy. It wasn't!
To my best recollection, I've never seen dodgy behaviour around thr town at night.
It's a good spot. In hindsight, I made a better choice choosing Leixlip over Celbridge or Maynooth.
Prices also tend to be lower than a mile up the road in Lucan (which often are smaller properties)!

In terms of schools, there are plenty of national and secondary.
My kids are in Confey College which is great.
There is also a gaelscoil and soon will be an Educate Together.

L1011

There are specific and quite contained pockets of anti social behaviour in Leixlip as in other nearby towns. Not many properties for sale in any of them currently!

n97 mini

L1011 wrote: »

There are specific and quite contained pockets of anti social behaviour in Leixlip as in other nearby towns. Not many properties for sale in any of them currently!

Westfield and Wonderful barn have a combined 900 new houses and that's only the start!

OP, where in Leixlip? Most areas are fine, but there are a few I wouldn't live in, even if the house was free.

Also bear in mind that Leixlip had a population of 700 in the 1970s, and has been characterised by bursts of urban sprawl since then, so the town centre is still village sized, but a load of housing estates have been tacked on. Kildare Co Council is trying desperately to tack on another 3100 in the latest local area plan.

Maynooth and Celbridge both have bigger cores. Celbridge is seriously underserved with public transport though. Maynooth is probably on par with Leixlip in terms of public transport, but there are subtle differences.

Also bear in mind that none of the three have a public swimming pool or cinema, despite having a combined population the size of Galway city. Kildare Co Council looks on residents as battery hens...

n97 mini

Also if you've kids of secondary school age, Confey College uses iPads and effectively ties parents not just to Apple, but also into using Wriggle as the sole service provider. This makes schooling very expensive. You won't read about it in the media as Wriggle is owned by the Irish Times.

That's not to mention the crested uniform, tracksuit and €100 for the journal.

The school itself is mediocre. Some good teachers, some bad, and lots in between.

Diceicle

n97 mini wrote: »

Westfield and Wonderful barn have a combined 900 new houses and that's only the start!

We have interest in properties in Elton Court, Beechpark and Glendale. Any thoughts on these areas?
What would you say is the direction of travel for Leixlip in relation to the local area Plan? Sounds like more estates and no increase in services for a good few years if ever. Which is no different to many other areas it has to be said.
Couldn't agree more in relation to the lack of facilities relative to population size though.

n97 mini

Diceicle wrote: »

We have interest in properties in Elton Court, Beechpark and Glendale. Any thoughts on these areas?
What would you say is the direction of travel for Leixlip in relation to the local area Plan? Sounds like more estates and no increase in services for a good few years if ever. Which is no different to many other areas it has to be said.
Couldn't agree more in relation to the lack of facilities relative to population size though.

Glendale would be my pick. Close to train station, bus stop and the River Forest shopping centre. Also schools. Elton Court next, and Beechpark last. Beechpark is too far away from everything for me.

The local area plan is pretty much just housing. There is no swimming pool or cinema in the plans.

mloc123

n97 mini wrote: »

no cinema in the plans.

I don't understand why people think Maynooth/Celbridge/Leixlip need a cinema... we have one of the biggest cinemas in the country 10 minutes up the road in Liffey Valley.

L1011

MU have a cinema in their own development plan. KCC putting one in an LAP does not mean it'll be delivered.

They have finally started spending some money on basic things in the three towns - repairs, footpaths etc - that were ignored forever also. Going to take a long time to get level with the rest of the county though.

realmoonunit

Leixlip is a grand spot. It is a commuter town IMO. The main street is pretty much it. It could do with more dining choice like maynooth IMO but typically any type of application is objected too. The courtyard and Town are the main watering holes.

I grew up there, there have been some good additions to the area. Catherines park being a major plus for being "up the hill", there is playground, BMX track, exercise machines, great woodland walk and plenty of green space to accommodate pretty much anything requiring grass and open space. Glendale is a decent estate and the housing stock is ok too. Reasonable size but you can get people flying to glendale meadows. Mind you you will get this in any estate that is linked to another. The far end, that is from the rye river towards maynooth is being developed like crazy and it can be a bit souless on the outskirts (new developments) and can take up to 30 - 40 min walk to train station.

Good green areas in glendale too with several large greens. Walking access to bus and train, junior school is great. Good library, and many sports clubs.

Schools wise, as I say the primary up the hill is perfectly fine. Nothing bad or remarkable. Confey college has utterly failed at student protection, I have many friends and family still living there and their kids have also been bullied with very little to no response from the school. <snip> The far end school, Colaiste Chiarain is good too, I cant tell you what its like as a student as I did not attend. There are no real bad spots up the hill side and only 1 or 2 down the far end. But these will be highly visible should you ever drive round.

Hope that helps in some way.

Seth Brundle

n97 mini wrote: »

Also if you've kids of secondary school age, Confey College
...
The school itself is mediocre. Some good teachers, some bad, and lots in between.

I thinking a good school and am happy with my child's performance there. In 2017 they had a student with 8 H1s in the LC.
There are some poor teachers but you get that with every school!

The Cool

We live in Glen Easton and like it. It's a nice estate, the 66E goes past Monday to Friday, it's a 15-20 minute walk to Louisa Bridge train station, we're not the closest to the actual village itself but very handy to exit 6 on the M4. They increased trains from hourly to half-hourly, and I think it's to be every 15 minutes in 2 years? Could be wrong.
I wouldn't be concerned with the lack of cinema or pool, particularly if you drive - cinemas, VUE in liffey valley is 10 mins away, Blanch and Tallaght have cinemas 20-25 mins away. For pools, there's the Glenroyal in Maynooth and Club vitae in liffey valley which you're better off getting a membership for; Clondalkin and the NAC in Blanch are good for pay-as-you-go.
I would care more about things like shops and takeaways, etc. We have a good Spar at the top of our estate, there's a Lidl around the road from us, I prefer to nip down to the new Aldi at the top of the village. I can drive over to Maynooth Tesco pretty handy as it's our side of the town so I don't have to sit in the traffic. There's a Supervalu up the hill but the one in Celbridge is nicer.
For getting outdoors there's St Catherine's park which is great, I also love taking the dog to Castletown. No kids so I can't speak on that one.
There aren't a whole lot of restaurants, but what is there, is good. More takeaways than you could shake a stick at, with deliveries from Maynooth, Dunboyne, Celbridge and Lucan.

We lived in Maynooth for 5 years before moving here and it's a nice town, but the infrastructure isn't great, mainly in that there's too many people for the size of the town centre, and the traffic was always awful. Simple things like wanting to run down to Supervalu to grab something for dinner - I'd have to go through like 5 or 6 traffic lights and it would take 15 mins each way, I could literally walk it faster. It was quicker to drive round to Celbridge for Aldi than to cross to the other side of Maynooth for the local one. I just don't have that experience in Leixlip. For the talk of MU getting a cinema - guarantee you, it'll still be quicker to go to Liffey Valley. As for Celbridge being more quaint than Leixlip, I would disagree, I think Leixlip has a nicer vibe.

We rent but if we were to buy in the area, it'd be Leixlip.

r93kaey5p2izun

There's quite a few houses for sale now in Elton Court, with very few having sold in previous years according to the ppr. Is it because of the planned new development at the Wonderful Barn, with residents wanting out before it starts?

Are there many issues with antisocial behaviour in the area? I know the Wonderful Barn is a site for teens drinking, but does it affect the estate much? What about at the Eurospar - are there many issues there?

ShyMets

Ana Tender Cloverleaf wrote: »

There's quite a few houses for sale now in Elton Court, with very few having sold in previous years according to the ppr. Is it because of the planned new development at the Wonderful Barn, with residents wanting out before it starts?

Are there many issues with antisocial behaviour in the area? I know the Wonderful Barn is a site for teens drinking, but does it affect the estate much? What about at the Eurospar - are there many issues there?

Living in Leixlip Park the last five years which is directly across form Elton Court. I've never experienced much in the way of anti social behaviour in the area. I actually find it very quiet. With the proposed new development its probably a case of people taking a wait and see attitude.

r93kaey5p2izun

ShyMets wrote: »

Living in Leixlip Park the last five years which is directly across form Elton Court. I've never experienced much in the way of anti social behaviour in the area. I actually find it very quiet. With the proposed new development its probably a case of people taking a wait and see attitude.

Thanks, that's very helpful.

daheff

n97 mini wrote: »

. Celbridge is seriously underserved with public transport though

.

How do you figure this?
Has Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, trains to heuston & connolly , with it due to be electrified in near future (ie added to the dart line).

r93kaey5p2izun

n97 mini wrote: »

Glendale would be my pick. Close to train station, bus stop and the River Forest shopping centre. Also schools. Elton Court next, and Beechpark last. Beechpark is too far away from everything for me.

The local area plan is pretty much just housing. There is no swimming pool or cinema in the plans.

What are your thoughts on the potential impact of new developments on Glendale? Would that concern you or change your preference if you were thinking of buying in the areas mentioned?

I know the Confey plans are not as concrete as the ones for Wonderful Barn beside Elton Court, but it seems like potentially a much bigger transformation would occur surrounding Glendale compared to Elton Court. If the GAA was moved as proposed then suddenly Glendale would have quite dense development on top of it, and with new pedestrian bridge across the canal from the new development right into the estate.

I know you cannot escape new housing and development completely in any area like this, but it seems the plans for Confey involve very significant changes to the area that could leave you living in a very different setting than it appears right now.

Seth Brundle

Ana Tender Cloverleaf wrote: »

What are your thoughts on the potential impact of new developments on Glendale? Would that concern you or change your preference if you were thinking of buying in the areas mentioned?

Access to the area over the canal has not been addressed.
The threat of a new road cutting through the park is constantly there.

Ana Tender Cloverleaf wrote: »

If the GAA was moved as proposed then suddenly Glendale would have quite dense development on top of it, and with new pedestrian bridge across the canal from the new development right into the estate.

I know you cannot escape new housing and development completely in any area like this, but it seems the plans for Confey involve very significant changes to the area that could leave you living in a very different setting than it appears right now.

By doing this, they are moving a core amenity facility to the outskirts of the area simply to facilitate more housing. Surely the housing should surround the amenities?
Also the club (of which I'm a member) would be placed on the far side of new estates. it would lose membership because those in "old" Confey are less likely to bother travelling to it and the new houses won't have kids becoming members for maybe 10 or more years.

r93kaey5p2izun

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Access to the area over the canal has not been addressed.
The threat of a new road cutting through the park is constantly there.


By doing this, they are moving a core amenity facility to the outskirts of the area simply to facilitate more housing. Surely the housing should surround the amenities?
Also the club (of which I'm a member) would be placed on the far side of new estates. it would lose membership because those in "old" Confey are less likely to bother travelling to it and the new houses won't have kids becoming members for maybe 10 or more years.

Yes I can see all the negatives and have seen the letter the club submitted stating their objection to moving. I would not be happy at all if it were my club either. But ultimately, do you think this sort of development will go ahead meaning the area around Glendale would no longer be as attractive a prospect in the long run compared to other areas?

Seth Brundle

Ana Tender Cloverleaf wrote: »

Yes I can see all the negatives and have seen the letter the club submitted stating their objection to moving. I would not be happy at all if it were my club either. But ultimately, do you think this sort of development will go ahead meaning the area around Glendale would no longer be as attractive a prospect in the long run compared to other areas?

My view is that it's a reactionary plan.
There is a housing shortage so let's just stuff North Kildare to the gills with houses.
There is no plan for transport, just wishy washy crap about some cycle paths (which as a cyclist I can already tell that they won't be any good!).
There is no plan for retail, for education, for . It's all about getting more houses in and they can then say that they're doing something. It's not a strategic plan nor is it one that has much consideration for those already in Leixlip who want to keep the facilites that they have.
I think Leixlip is a great spot. It would be good to increase the population but not through more of the same car dependent urban sprawl.
Definitely not by moving the existing amenities to the edge of the sprawl leaving nothing for the teenagers to do in the core of Confey bar sitting outside the shops.

realmoonunit

Seth Brundle wrote: »

leaving nothing for the teenagers to do in the core of Confey bar sitting outside the shops.

Ah, the memories of a misspent youth. Hanging around outside Jacks waiting for your mates to arrive with their pocket money.

Seth Brundle

realmoonunit wrote: »

Ah, the memories of a misspent youth. Hanging around outside Jacks waiting for your mates to arrive with their pocket money.

Yes but by moving the club, the likes of my son and his group of friends will hang around outside Jacks whereas currently they spend a lot of time up at the club. In all probability, they will give up the GAA and not replace the healthy activity with something else.
Where is the benefit in that (apart from a developer making a killing on a set of crappy apartments overlooking the canal)?

r93kaey5p2izun

Seth Brundle wrote: »

My view is that it's a reactionary plan.
There is a housing shortage so let's just stuff North Kildare to the gills with houses.
There is no plan for transport, just wishy washy crap about some cycle paths (which as a cyclist I can already tell that they won't be any good!).
There is no plan for retail, for education, for . It's all about getting more houses in and they can then say that they're doing something. It's not a strategic plan nor is it one that has much consideration for those already in Leixlip who want to keep the facilites that they have.
I think Leixlip is a great spot. It would be good to increase the population but not through more of the same car dependent urban sprawl.
Definitely not by moving the existing amenities to the edge of the sprawl leaving nothing for the teenagers to do in the core of Confey bar sitting outside the shops.

Yes I would agree with all of your concerns - hence my serious reservations now about the Glendale and River Forest area. But because it's still just a proposal I don't know whether to take it as a given and look elsewhere, or see it as something that will be watered down significantly and take a chance. I would fear ending up with something like Adamstown appearing.

realmoonunit

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Yes but by moving the club, the likes of my son and his group of friends will hang around outside Jacks whereas currently they spend a lot of time up at the club. In all probability, they will give up the GAA and not replace the healthy activity with something else.
Where is the benefit in that (apart from a developer making a killing on a set of crappy apartments overlooking the canal)?

Oh no, I dont disagree, infact I think the "plan" for the additional housing on the far side of the canal and running a major road through the only new Catherines park is a travesty. There will be 0 services supplied, people will be expected to try to get their kids into an already oversubscribed school and travel through a set of tight and windy back roads to reach a major road etc.

It is completely correct to suggest that the houses are packed in, with little or no thought to actual community and or infrastructure / services for the people who will live in them.

My comment was merely a fond memory with a bit of sarcasm for good measure. :pac:

Seth Brundle

realmoonunit wrote: »

My comment was merely a fond memory with a bit of sarcasm for good measure. :pac:

Don't worry, I got that

n97 mini

daheff wrote: »

How do you figure this?
Has Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, trains to heuston & connolly , with it due to be electrified in near future (ie added to the dart line).

One DB route, the 67, which serves one side of the town only. It's also shared with Maynooth so can get seriously overcrowded.

Leixlip has three and a bit, 66/A/B/E. The A and B originate in different parts Leixlip, so over crowding isn't really an issue. 66 and 66E originate in Maynooth.

Leixlip has the Airport Hopper and the 139 from Naas to Blanchardstown. I'm not aware of any bus to the airport from Celbridge.

Bus Eireann, I don't know much about this, but afaik, there is only one bus stop in Celbridge?

Hazelhatch station is to the south of Celbridge and not in the town. Leixlip has two stations, both near the main residential areas. The Maynooth line will be first to be electrified and Hazelhatch will probably be last.

mloc123

n97 mini wrote: »

One DB route, the 67, which serves one side of the town only. It's also shared with Maynooth so can get seriously overcrowded.

Leixlip has three and a bit, 66/A/B/E. The A and B originate in different parts Leixlip, so over crowding isn't really an issue. 66 and 66E originate in Maynooth.

Leixlip has the Airport Hopper and the 139 from Naas to Blanchardstown. I'm not aware of any bus to the airport from Celbridge.

Bus Eireann, I don't know much about this, but afaik, there is only one bus stop in Celbridge?

Hazelhatch station is to the south of Celbridge and not in the town. Leixlip has two stations, both near the main residential areas. The Maynooth line will be first to be electrified and Hazelhatch will probably be last.

5 or 6 at least.

I would Say Hazelhatch is pretty comparable distance wise unless you live within walking distance to one of the two in Leixlip, my friend in Rinawade drives to the train. Hazelhatch also has a shuttle bus which passes most of the main residential areas.

n97 mini

Ana Tender Cloverleaf wrote: »

What are your thoughts on the potential impact of new developments on Glendale? Would that concern you or change your preference if you were thinking of buying in the areas mentioned?

I think it's highly unlikely any development will take place in Confey any time soon. The only access is via Captain's Hill and Cope Bridge, and all the advice given to KCC is that that route is already at capacity, even if Cope Bridge was replaced.

The only way to get a road through St Catherine's Park that would be acceptable to locals would be to bore a tunnel under it! I don't think that'll happen.

So, I wouldn't change my mind about Glendale, for the medium term anyway.

My only concern is that if development did go ahead in Confey that there would be a lot of rental properties and it could turn into the next Tyrrelstown/Adamstown/Insert name of place with lots of anti-social behaviour.

n97 mini

mloc123 wrote: »

5 or 6 at least.

I would Say Hazelhatch is pretty comparable distance wise unless you live within walking distance to one of the two in Leixlip, my friend in Rinawade drives to the train. Hazelhatch also has a shuttle bus which passes most of the main residential areas.

The shuttle bus is only part time, and it's not sign posted. I used to live in Rinawade Park, near the back, and walked every day to Louise Bridge. It's a 12 minute walk. I'm a 4 minute walk now One of our priorities when buying was to get as close as possible to the station.

mloc123

n97 mini wrote: »

The shuttle bus is only part time, and it's not sign posted. I used to live in Rinawade Park, near the back, and walked every day to Louise Bridge. It's a 12 minute walk. I'm a 4 minute walk now One of our priorities when buying was to get as close as possible to the station.

I think you are fudging your numbers a little bit there He lives 1.7km from it (according to Google maps) which is probably closer to 20mins.
I suspect the majority of people that live more than 1.5km away drives and parks, assuming they have a car.

The bus isn't sign posted because anyone that uses it knows it stops at the Dublin Bus stops... it runs when people need it most, commuter times.

n97 mini

mloc123 wrote: »

I think you are fudging your numbers a little bit there He lives 1.7km from it (according to Google maps) which is probably closer to 20mins.

Why would I fudge my numbers? Google maps concurs with my experience.

mloc123 wrote: »

I suspect the majority of people that live more than 1.5km away drives and parks, assuming they have a car.

It costs to park, so that's a disincentive. I'd say a 20 min walk is the limit for most poeple. That'd be mine anyway. Some people less. That's a bit over 2km without busting your balls.

mloc123 wrote: »

The bus isn't sign posted because anyone that uses it knows it stops at the Dublin Bus stops... it runs when people need it most, commuter times.

Imagine if all buses weren't sign posted... that'd be some craic As regards its running times, I did notice a distinct lack of Celbridge people enjoying Dublin's nightlife. That explains it

CiaranW

I live in Rinawade and it takes me about 10 mins to get to Louisa Train stop.

I very rarely use the train however as the 66X is great.

Bex0

We are looking at few houses in Elton Court that are for sale at the moment. Seems like a lovely area. Does anyone know why there are quite a few properties for sale there now? Is it coincidence or people are looking to move because something is going on?

r93kaey5p2izun

Bex0 wrote: »

We are looking at few houses in Elton Court that are for sale at the moment. Seems like a lovely area. Does anyone know why there are quite a few properties for sale there now? Is it coincidence or people are looking to move because something is going on?

I wondered the same thing a few posts back. I have since viewed some of the houses and asked why so many are for sale all of a sudden, and have been told it's because of the new development backing on to the estate at the Wonderful Barn site.

Bex0

Ana Tender Cloverleaf wrote: »

I wondered the same thing a few posts back. I have since viewed some of the houses and asked why so many are for sale all of a sudden, and have been told it's because of the new development backing on to the estate at the Wonderful Barn site.

Thanks for sharing. It makes me worried the fact that people are scared enough of this new development to start selling their houses...