New Stuff happening in the city

gaf1983

mysterious wrote:

Well its all about the business of interest in LIMERICK.

One problem the Corporation has is that since the early 1980s there was a change in Local Government law that abolished residential rates which meant that effectively their main source of earning revenue was through commercial rates, that's why Limerick's are so high. If they got the boundary extension there would be much more commercial premises to draw income from so by rights the rates should drop a bit lower but on the other hand the corporation would have a greater area to provide services for so their expenses would logically go up too.

IceHawk

1huge1 wrote:

the omniplex is killing storm hands down

Yeah, at the moment. But in the long term storm will be a good idea. Once college students come back after the summer business will rocket, I'd say. Students are one of the most profitable groups for cinemas, and if the owners of storm have any sense, they'll spend a lot on marketing to UL students for the first semester; concessions and stuff. As long as they make a good first impression and select their films to appeal to college students, they should eventually make huge profits.

Mr E

I agree, Icehawk. Opening in a student suburb in the middle of May may not have been the sharpest move ever.......

Having said that, I went to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Sunday night and Storm was PACKED (busiest I've ever seen it). The queue outside screen 1 was all the way past the vending machines on the right (at least 150-200 people)......

mysterious

I was reading the Limerick post online ,

And there is a really exciting development for the city centre ....
Huge....

all the areas around patrick street opposite Arthurs quay , and rutland street area! this is one of the most exciting devlopments ever to be undertaken in the citiy's history and will be the largest development in the province, push Cork off the spot

anybody have an idea whats type of development that is going there?

Id love to see a urban cultural area there and bustling streets with little shops , and a feel that Temple bar could'nt reach! afterall its the original Irishtown of Limerick !

or maybe even a cinema there, there some huge derelict land in that area that will be revitalised and go right up and link with Crusies street and the O'connelss street area!


When this is finished the whole area of limerick will be one big mass of a totally dynamic and Europeam city

ie
UL
The park canal project
Riverside docklands prjoct marina actviteis
the innercity pedstrainisation
Henry street area
Gerorgian revitlisation
the new limerick Docks
south city Rapid area plans
Dell expansion
Shannon airport boom
Hotel boom

this is all happining now!

this means Limerick has beaten its enemies, media and downers.

spinalsly

mysterious wrote:

I was reading the Limerick post online ,

And there is a really exciting development for the city centre ....
Huge....

all the areas around patrick street opposite Arthurs quay , and rutland street area! this is one of the most exciting devlopments ever to be undertaken in the citiy's history and will be the largest development in the province, push Cork off the spot

anybody have an idea whats type of development that is going there?

Id love to see a urban cultural area there and bustling streets with little shops , and a feel that Temple bar could'nt reach! afterall its the original Irishtown of Limerick !

or maybe even a cinema there, there some huge derelict land in that area that will be revitalised and go right up and link with Crusies street and the O'connelss street area!


When this is finished the whole area of limerick will be one big mass of a totally dynamic and Europeam city

ie
UL
The park canal project
Riverside docklands prjoct marina actviteis
the innercity pedstrainisation
Henry street area
Gerorgian revitlisation
the new limerick Docks
south city Rapid area plans
Dell expansion
Shannon airport boom
Hotel boom

this is all happining now!

this means Limerick has beaten its enemies, media and downers.

wow this is very promising stuff!!!!

any more news on this thing u read in the limerick post?!

ya u can check info at http://www.riversidecity.ie/

i really would liek to know more info on the docklands, i heard they may move everything out to foynes and just completly do up the current docklands?
what ye think?!

iguana

mysterious wrote:

I was reading the Limerick post online ,

And there is a really exciting development for the city centre ....
Huge....

all the areas around patrick street opposite Arthurs quay , and rutland street area! this is one of the most exciting devlopments ever to be undertaken in the citiy's history and will be the largest development in the province, push Cork off the spot

anybody have an idea whats type of development that is going there?

Id love to see a urban cultural area there and bustling streets with little shops , and a feel that Temple bar could'nt reach! afterall its the original Irishtown of Limerick !

or maybe even a cinema there, there some huge derelict land in that area that will be revitalised and go right up and link with Crusies street and the O'connelss street area!


When this is finished the whole area of limerick will be one big mass of a totally dynamic and Europeam city

I hope you are right but I have heard that the plan is to build what will be Munsters 2nd biggest shopping centre. I have a feeling that it could be the worst thing to ever happen to the city.

Large shopping centres are horrible at the best of times, when they are neatly tucked away in the suburbs. They tend to destroy local independant retailers, enforce homogonised opening hours and create a focal point in the area that is devoid of any cultural significance with it's only goal and atmosphere that of consuming.

I know that a lot of younger people will welcome a huge shopping centre, but I recently left dublin where I lived not too far from the new Dundrum SC, which is the largest in Europe, or at least will be when it's finished. The place is awful. Locals hate it, many independant retailers were forced out of business, the rental on units is very high allowing for chain stores to be the only ones that can afford to rent there, each retailer has to agree to minimum opening hours imposed by the centre. There is no community space left in the centre, the atmosphere which used to be that of a pleasant Dublin village has become almost robotic. I have rarely been in a place that I have hated more.

But at least it is in the suburbs. To put something like that into a city centre runs the risk of creating a cultural wasteland. More and more consumers will gravitate toward it, units in the city will be abandoned in favour of the SC. Independant retailers will find themselves excluded and may have to shut. I really hope this doesn't happen but I have a bad feeling about it.

spinalsly

well i dont know, if they built a shopping centre in the city i think it would be a good idea if they do it right. i was in newcastle recently and they have an absolute massive shopping centre right in the city centre. there are alot of people in the shopping centre but there was also alot of people out and about outside aswell. the city council want to bring people back to the city and if building a shopping centre in town brings people in then so be it..........

iguana

I just like to see independant retailers. I think that they are one of the things which makes an area unique. What is so great about Limerick if all you can find are the same high st stores that are everywhere else in Britain and Europe? I'm not saying you don't have River Island etc but a good mix is a great thing.

I live in London, and what is widely regarded as the best thing about the city is that in addition to the city centre are all the other city 'villages' that make up most of the city. Most of these all have their own feel, and if you think of any of the most famous areas, like Camden, the thing that makes them great is the independant sellers. Not many people would go to Camden, which is usually one of the destinations on the visit list of most tourists, if it only had the same shops as everywhere else.

Where I live there are far more independant sellers than chain stores and it has a great atmosphere. The shop owners all stand out on the street in the evenings and talk to each other and their customers and even though it isn't a wealthy area it feels really vibrant. Yet there are areas that look pretty, they have nice new buildings and tidy paved streets. But everything is the same, the shops are the same, the pubs are the same the people dress the same and it just feels bland.

When I lived in Limerick I often felt that there was a blandness about it. (When people in Dublin would ask me what Limerick was like the answer would shock them as they expected to hear scary and dangerous) Everytime I go home that feeling just seems increased. I love Limerick but I often feel it doesn't play to it's strenghts. The council makes a lot of noise about the river but it doesn't expoilt it enough. The only ones who are trying to take full advantage of how beautiful it is are UL and their attempts to highlight it have ruined the most beautiful part of the river.

The SC could be a good thing but I have my doubts. Limerick has a pretty precarious economy which is stunted without the boundary extention. UL's determination to maintain a distance with the city, the loss of tourism caused by the bad pr and the over-dependancy on Dell are also damaging. Without Dell Limerick could become another Flint, Michigan. And all of the consumer areas which have been popping up at an incredibly fast rate will lose their customer base, causing more unemployment and plenty of abandoned commercial units. Cue a rise in crime figures that could mean that all those ridiculous media stories about the rottenness of Limerick are suddenly all true.

limerick_man

I agree, SC in the city this size wouldnt work! But a major shopping area, in the style of crusis street, would be great! People would be in Limerick shopping rather than the "whatever SC", Limerick!!!
If the city is bright and nice footpates etc., it should be ok... then a fountain or two! Activity for everyone... and now that i think about it... a funfair in the city centre would be good... even if really small!!! I think along by the river somewhere, silent etc., would really be good for the city!

BLITZ_Molloy

There aren't alot of good places to kill time in Limerick if you aren't into shopping.

As a kid used to always go down to The Buzz and play Datona USA, King of the Fighters '94 and maybe Mortal Kombat at the Savoy. When I was in secondary school used to go to the Vic and play snooker. Feck all to do there these days.

I was down by the river earlier today. Outside Scooners(?) pub. Can't say it was that pleasant. Too bloody cold and windy. Not much to exploit if you ask me.

mysterious

ok , just to embrace , lol

Just like to raise sirens here,

there is literally SCsbeen built at every inch of the city at the moment,
Will the cuty centre be able to par the pace?

the Parkway is the next centre to get flatenned and rebuilt to treble its current size.

The Cresent extension nearing completion , will add the total amount of retail units to over 100!


two or three shopping centres are been built out the Ennis road
such as the retailpark , Clonmacken, Jetland etc.

not to mention the revamped Roxoboro
and the castletroy SC which is also looking for it extension to be granted.

the watchcross centre (I think thats what its called ) a neighbourhood centre
near Moyross.

which is also a relatively new trend in Limerick
another example the Newton SC near Annacotty

there is at least 4 retail parks that have popped up in the last three years
two more coming onstream that i'm aware of.........
B&Q and H&M , TK MAX , Next , SYMTHS , FOOt locker are all keen on Limerick
and many more bug time labels coming to town.

there is of course pros and cons to this scale of development.
But seriously , there is got to be some more attention to the city centre
e.g the gateway city centre at the old irishtown part of the city ,ie Rutland and Ellen st areas . O'Connells street plan
any comments?

spinalsly

well i think people are still gonna gonna go into town because there is just an atmosphere in town that you cannot find in a shopping centre or a retail park. well this definetly applies for young people anyway, im 16 and its always a case if your asking your mates are you going to town on saturday than are you going out to the crescent or the parkway retail park lol. im not sure if this applys for adults.....does it?

BLITZ_Molloy

I'm told the rent on O'Connell Street is seriously steep. And most shops off the main street don't seem to do that well. So alot of business is keen to move to out of town shopping centres.