Corrib Great Southern and Oasis to be demolished

serfboard · 10-11-2020 2:46pm #1

Ten years after being placed on the City Council's Derelict Sites Register, the Corrib Great Southern will be demolished in the next few months.

Meanwhile, those of a certain vintage, already bemoaning the loss of The Warwick, will see another part of their youth disappear with the demolition of the former Oasis nightclub in Salthill.

And a third derelict site, which had become an awful eyesore, the former Connacht Laundry site on St. Helen's Street, is currently in the process of being demolished.

RTE wrote:

Galway City Council has confirmed that demolition works are to commence at two derelict sites in the city, with work at a third location almost complete.

The former Corrib Great Southern Hotel on the Dublin Road and the former Oasis Nightclub in Salthill will be knocked down in the coming months, as part of an effort to deal with abandoned premises in the city.

The local authority has already issued orders to the owners of the sites in question, informing them that action was needed to deal with their properties.

The Orders require the demolition of the buildings to ground level and stipulate that works must be completed within a specified time frame.

It is anticipated that demolition of the hotel, close to the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, will begin in early December and will take around four months to complete.
...
Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing before the demolition of a third building, the former Oasis nightclub in Salthill.

Once packed to the rafters with students and visitors to the area, it has also been lying idle for over a decade.

The property has been recently acquired by a new owner.

Furthermore:

RTE wrote:

There are 16 sites on a Derelict Sites Register maintained by the City Council, with another 50 locations being actively monitored.

And finally, a part of the article that really stood out for me:

RTE wrote:

In 2019 a total of €123,900 was levied on owners of derelict sites around Galway.

However, these charges remain unpaid.

gigantic09 · 10-11-2020 9:12pm

Saw the piece on the news this evening. Didn't realise the Warrick Hotel was knocked as well.spent a good part of the early 90's to the early noughties in Galway and have fond memories of salthill/city clubs. Was a great time to be young with a few pound in the pocket. It makes me symphatise with young people in these times and what they're missing out on.

Truckermal · 10-11-2020 9:15pm

gigantic09 wrote: »

Saw the piece on the news this evening. Didn't realise the Warrick Hotel was knocked as well.spent a good part of the early 90's to the early noughties in Galway and have fond memories of salthill/city clubs. Was a great time to be young with a few pound in the pocket. It makes me symphatise with young people in these times and what they're missing out on.

Yep me too often stayed in the Corrib I cannot believe it stood idle for so long!

gigantic09 · 10-11-2020 9:25pm

Truckermal wrote: »

Yep me too often stayed in the Corrib I cannot believe it stood idle for so long!

Used to go for a few pints on a Sunday to watch the early Premier league game, when lived in Renmore. Was awful to seen it go into such disrepair especially as the college campus and area in general seems to have thrived around it.

Thargor · 10-11-2020 10:17pm

I remember winning tickets in the RTE Guide to a Playstation launch event in the Corrib as a kid in primary school, I honestly thought it was one of the finest hotels on the planet for years afterwards, as in world famous

Was it a fairly grim looking towerblock style hotel in the early nineties then got refurbished and they added the building at the front at some point?

Actually another of my earliest memories is my father pointing to a helicopter landing in front of it as we drove past, did they actually let helicopters land that close to it? It seemed like it was over by the gate at GMIT...

maniac2003 · 10-11-2020 10:56pm

Thargor wrote: »

I remember winning tickets in the RTE Guide to a Playstation launch event in the Corrib as a kid in primary school, I honestly thought it was one of the finest hotels on the planet for years afterwards, as in world famous

Was it a fairly grim looking towerblock style hotel in the early nineties then got refurbished and they added the building at the front at some point?

Actually another of my earliest memories is my father pointing to a helicopter landing in front of it as we drove past, did they actually let helicopters land that close to it? It seemed like it was over by the gate at GMIT...

Is there any of the fixturing pictures etc from the oasis being sold off or for sale?

washman3 · 10-11-2020 11:33pm

Why did these two great landmark building fall into such disrepair.?
What was the background.?
I would imagine those sites are still worth an absolute fortune.
Another is the Oyster Hotel in Clarinbridge.
I remember watching several helicopters ferrying (wealthy) passengers from there and back to the Galway Races many years back.

westgolf · 10-11-2020 11:55pm

washman3 wrote: »

Why did these two great landmark building fall into such disrepair.?
What was the background.?
I would imagine those sites are still worth an absolute fortune.
Another is the Oyster Hotel in Clarinbridge.
I remember watching several helicopters ferrying (wealthy) passengers from there and back to the Galway Races many years back.

Oyster Manor is owned by a supermarket group.

Wompa1 · 11-11-2020 12:00am

washman3 wrote: »

Why did these two great landmark building fall into such disrepair.?
What was the background.?
I would imagine those sites are still worth an absolute fortune.
Another is the Oyster Hotel in Clarinbridge.
I remember watching several helicopters ferrying (wealthy) passengers from there and back to the Galway Races many years back.

Didn't Oasis become a strip club in the early 2000's? From what I remember there was one or two fires there. I might be misremembering though.

The Corrib Great Southern is a bit of a mystery though. It's not a great spot for a hotel but it is such a prime site for student accommodation or even some other type of business.

There are so many other buildings in the city that need to get demolished. It's crazy it takes so long.

Darc19 · 11-11-2020 12:02am

I wouldn't be concerned about the "unpaid" fees.

They have to be paid sometime and no sale / development will take place until it is paid.

In the mean time interest accrues.

saabsaab · 11-11-2020 12:10am

I'd say the big crash of 2010 made them unprofitable. That and the high cost to refurbish.

Thargor · 11-11-2020 12:32am

Yeah the Oyster Manor crowd got squeezed at exactly the wrong time, new buyer for a crazy price just starting major upgrades when the crash hit, there was going to be a tunnel under the road to a new carpark in a field over the other side apparently, sitting idle since ~2008.

Mrs OBumble · 11-11-2020 1:32am

Wompa1 wrote: »

There are so many other buildings in the city that need to get demolished. It's crazy it takes so long.

Like?

11-11-2020 1:46am

Darc19 wrote: »

I wouldn't be concerned about the "unpaid" fees.

They have to be paid sometime and no sale / development will take place until it is paid.

In the mean time interest accrues.

It's similar to the property tax in that you sense, it gets paid in the end no matter what

Geuze · 11-11-2020 10:52am

Wompa1 wrote: »

The Corrib Great Southern is a bit of a mystery though. It's not a great spot for a hotel but it is such a prime site for student accommodation or even some other type of business.

Somebody else will know more, but I suspect the issue here is that the owners of the site want to change the zoning of the site????

Geuze · 11-11-2020 10:56am

https://www.galwaycity.ie/derelict-sites

Note that the Derelict register is different from the Vacant Sites Register VSR

https://www.galwaycity.ie/vacant-sites-information

https://www.galwaycity.ie/uploads/downloads/news_items/Planning/20.08.18%20VS%20register_website.pdf

There are six sites on the VSR, subject to a 7% levy.

saabsaab · 11-11-2020 2:09pm

Geuze wrote: »

https://www.galwaycity.ie/derelict-sites

Note that the Derelict register is different from the Vacant Sites Register VSR

https://www.galwaycity.ie/vacant-sites-information

https://www.galwaycity.ie/uploads/downloads/news_items/Planning/20.08.18%20VS%20register_website.pdf

There are six sites on the VSR, subject to a 7% levy.

That derelict site map doesn't seem to be available.

11-11-2020 5:08pm

Wompa1 wrote: »

Didn't Oasis become a strip club in the early 2000's?

Yes, yes it did. Angels. :cool:

ongarboy · 12-11-2020 11:15pm

Funny, I remember going on holidays in the 80s as a teenager to Salthill and remember stopping in the Corrib Great Southern and thinking it was so fancy and modern then. I thought the blue and silver facade looked futuristic!!

saabsaab · 13-11-2020 4:46pm

ongarboy wrote: »

Funny, I remember going on holidays in the 80s as a teenager to Salthill and remember stopping in the Corrib Great Southern and thinking it was so fancy and modern then. I thought the blue and silver facade looked futuristic!!

A fine modern hotel in its day stayed there a few times. Large swimming pool downstairs too.

Pen Rua · 13-11-2020 4:58pm

Are there any photos around of it when it was open? Remember being there for a wedding when I was a child.

Pen Rua · 13-11-2020 5:00pm

Pen Rua wrote: »

Are there any photos around of it when it was open? Remember being there for a wedding when I was a child.

A little digging brought me to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_s4vX5FzS4

Who knows, maybe someone knows someone in the video and might wish to share.

godfrey · 15-11-2020 8:00pm

Local authority reports on dereliction fees show many things:
* The fees are insignificant compered to inflation
* A large percentage of owners are evading fees and challenging them through loopholes
* a number of city and town councils have reported that they don't have the staff or resources to assess sites, to issue fees and to follow up.

It was a flawed politically motivated process from the start,, and nothing has been done to improve it. Laughable really.

These are not my theories or opinions, they are facts from a newspaper report I read probably 2 years ago.

g

Notch000 · 18-11-2020 11:29am

maniac2003 wrote: »

Is there any of the fixturing pictures etc from the oasis being sold off or for sale?

i looked in the windows a coupe of years ago and the roof had caved in inside so i guess there not much salvageable in there.
I was only in it a couple of time as liquid night club. they used to do a student 20E in drink all you like too for a bit around 2000ish .

ben.schlomo · 18-11-2020 12:18pm

Notch000 wrote: »

i looked in the windows a coupe of years ago and the roof had caved in inside so i guess there not much salvageable in there.
I was only in it a couple of time as liquid night club. they used to do a student 20E in drink all you like too for a bit around 2000ish .

Pound a drink on Thursdays around 2000-2001 maybe? Those were the days.

pure.conya · 18-11-2020 5:14pm

Wompa1 wrote: »

Didn't Oasis become a strip club in the early 2000's? From what I remember there was one or two fires there. I might be misremembering though.

The Corrib Great Southern is a bit of a mystery though. It's not a great spot for a hotel but it is such a prime site for student accommodation or even some other type of business.

There are so many other buildings in the city that need to get demolished. It's crazy it takes so long.

Oasis reopened as the Oasis again around 2005 for about 6 months, The Commander and Paul Curran played the opening night and there were several guests brought in to headline alongside lots of decent Galway DJs, it was brilliant to have enjoyed a load of great nights in there while it lasted, but sadly Salthill had definitely had its day at that stage and the place closed again for the last time.

washman3 wrote: »

Why did these two great landmark building fall into such disrepair.?
What was the background.?
I would imagine those sites are still worth an absolute fortune.
Another is the Oyster Hotel in Clarinbridge.
I remember watching several helicopters ferrying (wealthy) passengers from there and back to the Galway Races many years back.

the owners of the great southern before the Comers had hoped at one stage to fill the place with asylum seekers

Stevolende · 22-11-2020 11:08am

Would the Corrib Great Southern have been on the main route into town from Dublin when it was running. Possibly an odd spot it is a bit far out, not sure what is or was around it at the time that would make the specific site attractive. As in if they had a choice of any location would that have made the best sense anyway.
I remember hitching from the roundabout there back in like 98 though not got the hotel featuring large in that memory. Was definitely in there over the next couple of years.

I mean there are other routes that have appeared since then. Is the bypass newer than the CGS which would mean people might come in by slightly different routes.

zell12 · 22-11-2020 11:31am

It would have been on the only route east and south out of Galway until BnaT came along, and then the motorway exit/Coolagh roundabout.
We are doing the same again
https://connachttribune.ie/approval-for-massive-e130m-offices-residential-and-hotel-scheme/

Mars Bar · 22-11-2020 12:33pm

Stevolende wrote: »

Would the Corrib Great Southern have been on the main route into town from Dublin when it was running. Possibly an odd spot it is a bit far out, not sure what is or was around it at the time that would make the specific site attractive. As in if they had a choice of any location would that have made the best sense anyway.
I remember hitching from the roundabout there back in like 98 though not got the hotel featuring large in that memory. Was definitely in there over the next couple of years.

I mean there are other routes that have appeared since then. Is the bypass newer than the CGS which would mean people might come in by slightly different routes.

My uncle had his wedding afters there in 1997

Stevolende · 22-11-2020 12:58pm

zell12 wrote: »

It would have been on the only route east and south out of Galway until BnaT came along, and then the motorway exit/Coolagh roundabout.
We are doing the same again
https://connachttribune.ie/approval-for-massive-e130m-offices-residential-and-hotel-scheme/

yeah I know taht place. Its currently an open space taht had horses in yesterday. It gets flooded quite a bit. But I do like having it as an open space.
Would presumably mean that the local area had a gym and swimming pool available to it at last.
Heard that what is now the wooden infants school was previously supposed to be a sports place with a swimming pool so it was a shame it didn't become one, though i guess the kids need somewhere to be.

Seemed to be some surveying going on at the point possibly just up from there that used to be a traveller park up a couple of months ago. Not sure what is and isn't part of this projected hotel site .
& i think there's an ancient path of historic note that runs straight through some of that ground.

zell12 · 22-11-2020 1:13pm

Stevolende wrote: »

...... & i think there's an ancient path of historic note that runs straight through some of that ground.

Yep

Corrib Great Southern and Oasis to be demolished

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