As the title says, this is a new thread for chat about Dun Laoghaire in general without the traffic & transport nonsense.
Enjoy.
Very young, very sad....RIP.
For the most part I believe he had vision and did a good job.
https://www.irishtimes.com/obituaries/2023/11/26/bob-hannan-architect-and-urbanist-made-a-huge-contribution-to-improvement-of-dun-laoghaire/
Gas seeing that picture pop up here, that was my Great Grandad's shop, owned it right up into the 90s if I remember correctly when the family sold it. There was actually a piece (I think it was on RTE?) about pensioner's working where they interviewed a few of them. My mam had it on tape for years, keep meaning to ask her to try to dig it out!
My gran has an original of that photo hanging in the house.
He was a really lovely guy, always remember him doing magic tricks finding pound coins behind my ear when I was a kid.
Just back from a trip to Dun Laoire.... I notice that dreadful sign over shop that replace Connolly's shoes is still there. Surely that should be replaced? I see newly renovated loo's in the old shopping centre but at 50 cent a go with credit card scan. All of top floor is non retail save for pen shop with medical use as well as Specsavers audio outlet.
Yeah, tbf, that shopfront is awful. There's no need for it.
Best bit of free advertising that shop ever did was to put that signage up...
Unfortunately thats the only type os shops thats attracted to Dun Laoghaire. The shopping centre is a disaster TBH. It should be a premium destination in south dublin but its not.
And also the amount of charity shops = a sure indicator of poor business climate? I was sad to see M&S food outlet go. I hoped it would expand into adjacent Connollys Shoes. The Aviva outlet got me down there twice a year to do business with insurance, now gone. And the Argos was worth a try if looking for item out of stock elsewhere.
My partner works in the ISPCC/Childline. They opened an office in Dun Laoghaire a few months back and they are having a family fun run on the west pier on the 30th March. Families can sign up here: https://www.ispcc.ie/event/family-fun-run/
(let me know if this is OK to post)
Just Vape shops and charity shops. Dun Laoghaire is prime example how to ruina town by a council. To note i see the boarding down from the commercial units that have being vacant for years besides Dunnes Stores. Think Dunnes own these themselves. Hopefully the will do something good with them.
Dunnes have been responsible for that eyesore for the last 20-30 years. What could the council have done to prevent that?
You obviously don't really understand the limitations of planning law, or the powers of County Councils.
I didnt say the council could do anything. I just said i noted the boarding was down. I did hear a year ago that Dunnes wanted to do something with it but that some one was living above them so they were limited in what they could do.
I am not an expert but i am sure laws can be changed to a certain standard that all business signage should adhere too. The council did or used to give a grant to do up shop fronts.
They still offer grants but some businesses would rather not accept them. The hairdresser a few doors down (formerly Majella Hair Care) is being renovated and they have new and improved signage.
Are those horrible units next to Dunnes actually being fitted out then?
What can the councils do?
Its mad how many retail units lie idle in Dublin for years and years.
And its often not for lack of demand, its just that the property never hits the market.
Surely some Local Vacancy Tax can be applied to the owners?
They should be taxed into either opening the unit or selling it.
A condition being, only if they are going to be occupied and put back into use.
Besides, the Council funded the mural on the hoardings there, as a pilot for the Dun Laoghaire walls public art project. The Council has done as much as it can do against privately owned property.
A yearly vacancy tax rate of 5% (or even higher) would do wonders to improve Dun Laoghaire, and lots of other towns across Ireland. Even better if it applied monthly, on a pro-rata basis, to encourage haste.
Theres absolutely no excuse for commercial properties on main streets to be empty, some business would work there if the rental price was right.
Was down there yesterday. Lads were out sanding down the fronts. Either going on the market or just being given a facelift.
Is there any future for this place?
Knock it down and build a large modern apartment complex that will house hundreds of young professionals in the area, with retail space on the ground floor with street access.
A mostly empty, multi-story, shopping center, with a large car park attached, is a terrible use of the space. Just having the ground floor of a modern development of the site as commercial would more than replace the shops.
Professional dole bludgers. Thats what you will get housed here.
Not while tescos are resident. The landlord earns enough in their rent to let the actual shopping part of the center go to sh!t
Yep. Bulldoze the place, modernise it and restrict the retail to a few larger units that will attract noteworthy stores.
The footfall from the seafront is huge and money to spend is there, but the shopping centre itself is an eyesore.
I think your mixed up. Tesco is in bloomfields. We are talking about dun laoghair shopping centre.
Tesco’s head office is in the DL shopping centre.
10s of Millions have just been spent putting a HSE primary care, general practice and diagnostic centre on the top floor.
It isn't going anywhere for another 40 years at least.
I think the lease was 30 years at nearly 800k a year.
Oh yes i forgot that.
Tescos head office is on the top floor of dun Laoghaire shopping centre
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