As the title says, this is a new thread for chat about Dun Laoghaire in general without the traffic & transport nonsense.
Enjoy.
That's the one, there was a time where the shopping centre at the top of Marine road was the only one in Dun Laoghaire
I was also wondering about what SC we are talking about. Just for clarity, it is the SC opposite the Church near the top of Marine Road?
I have a customer in that SC and I find it a depressing place, with so many empty units.
There will be some disappointed swimmers when the development goes ahead.
That’s not a renovation, that’s a lick of paint
they have other plans: https://dlrcocouncil.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=af21eeb123224c4c877f410139ed1e69
sure they’ll appeal or go again
Has the renovation of the old Buckley’s auctioneers in Sandycove been mentioned here?
Before
Now
I’m glad to see a vibrant business catering to the Forty Foot crowd, but that design is appalling. It should be a capital offence to paint redbrick.
Most towns around the country aren't a valid comparison though. Dun Laoghaire is 8km from the center of Dublin, with the best public transport in the country running through it in the DART, in a seaside location, surrounded by the wealthiest suburbs in the country.
The actual comparable towns are places like Blackrock or Dalkey, which are far more prosperous/vibrant. But Dun Laoghaire as a bigger town than either, with more historical infrastructure, should be doing better than both. The fact its not is down to pretty awful planning/management over the last few decades.
I've previously thought that this would be a good solution, but have changed my mind. If it was to be demolished and rebuilt, you'd have a gaping hole in the town centre for years which, along with with heavy construction traffic, would drive people away from the town centre. It would take years to recover and probably deal a death to some of the existing businesses in the town. Better to put on a new facade and reimagine some of the spaces in there.
Also, I know people give out about the town itself, and yes, it does have too many charity shops, it still has a wide variety of shops which cater to a mixed population: book shops, clothes shops, department store, furniture retailers, hardware, jewellery, homeware, bicycles... And from what I can see around the country, it seems to be doing better than most towns.
Someone told me the Kilkenny Design center wanted to take the top floor there years back but the council wouldnt give them planning to change it.
Yep,very true. Its a shame for the town centre though.
No forward planning as usual.
...
People have been spotted in the water, Both today and yesterday. Their actions are... idiotic, Both today and yesterday. 😂
"Tescos head office is on the top floor of dun Laoghaire shopping centre"
The HQ for Tesco Ireland is actually the office use fronting onto Marine Road with the shops to the rear of it. The top floor of the shopping area is now near 100% a medical facility.
From the Dublin Inquirer...
This is Roger Casement captured in a spotlight from the new Dún Laoghaire Baths during one of the January storms.
Taking to someone and they heard Dunnes are renting out the 4 units and putting 6 apartments above them. Hopefully true. It was an eyesore and Dunnes should be ashamed.
Tescos head office is on the top floor of dun Laoghaire shopping centre
Oh yes i forgot that.
I think the lease was 30 years at nearly 800k a year.
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.
Tesco’s head office is in the DL shopping centre.
I think your mixed up. Tesco is in bloomfields. We are talking about dun laoghair shopping centre.
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.
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
Professional dole bludgers. Thats what you will get housed here.
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.
Is there any future for this place?
Was down there yesterday. Lads were out sanding down the fronts. Either going on the market or just being given a facelift.
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.
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.
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.
Are those horrible units next to Dunnes actually being fitted out then?
