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How could Longford improve??

JimmyR

I'm just starting up this thread to talk about how it could be possible to regenerate Longford.

I think that the works they are starting by knocking down the old swimming pool and allowing the Canal to come into the town will definitly be a start but I think the time scale for completion is about 5 years... I could be corrected on that.

We need jobs in the town and surrounding areas but unfortunatly Longford is unlikely to get any multinationals due to a number of factors:
1. the lack of a decent Dail representative since Albert Renyolds.
2. the unatractiveness of the location to foreign multinationals.

That means that we're unlikely to get someone to come in and employ 50-200 people in one swoop, so we need a lot of small industries to start up in Longford and surrounding area, the €1,000,000 question is what are these industries going to be?

Would it be possible to encourage some sort of Financial Services to locate in the area, there are alot of people with adequate qualifications working in Dublin with Longford connections?

What about the IT sector, any chance of something happening here?

Its all very unlikely but just throwing out a few ideas, as far as I know Longford has had the highest uneployment rate for a town in Ireland for the last ten years at least, I can only imagine what the percentage is at now.

On a positive note if the Chinese project goes ahead in Athlone it is bound to employ a lot of Longford people and the area is bound to benefit.

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kaninhop

I have been here since July, leaving tomorrow and I can honestly say that often I feel the best solution is to drop a nuclear bomb on the place.

garfieldsghost

kaninhop wrote: »

I have been here since July, leaving tomorrow and I can honestly say that often I feel the best solution is to drop a nuclear bomb on the place.

Yes, because that's a proportionate action... :rolleyes:

jesse pinkman

kaninhop wrote: »

I have been here since July, leaving tomorrow

Thanks, that should help.

kerash

Where in Longford were you living kanihop? I quite like parts of longford, I'd prefer not to Nuke those

silver campaign

Back on topic, what kind of shops if any do you think would really prosper in Longford? Thinking about other larger towns, what have they got that you think, yea, Longford really needs one of them?

jesse pinkman

I'm not exactly sure what kind of shops would do well in Longford silver campaign, at the moment we seem to have our fair share of fast food outlets, bookies offices & two-euro shops & with these being so prominent, its probably all a bit off-putting for any potential entrepreneurs.

We need to look a other ways of attracting different types of businesses to the town.

Is their a Town Plan does anyone know? one where they visualize a goal for the future to work towards, where they might have initiatives like widening the footpaths, maybe even pedestrianize some streets, bury/hide all electric cables, plant trees & shrubbery, (some green is always pleasant) then ensure that landlords of derelict or unkempt buildings are made to keep them to an acceptable standard.

We always seem to be lagging way behind other towns when it comes to using imagination & initiative in bringing new investment & jobs to the town.

JimmyR

jesse pinkman wrote: »

I'm not exactly sure what kind of shops would do well in Longford silver campaign, at the moment we seem to have our fair share of fast food outlets, bookies offices & two-euro shops & with these being so prominent, its probably all a bit off-putting for any potential entrepreneurs.

We need to look a other ways of attracting different types of businesses to the town.

Is their a Town Plan does anyone know? one where they visualize a goal for the future to work towards, where they might have initiatives like widening the footpaths, maybe even pedestrianize some streets, bury/hide all electric cables, plant trees & shrubbery, (some green is always pleasant) then ensure that landlords of derelict or unkempt buildings are made to keep them to an acceptable standard.

We always seem to be lagging way behind other towns when it comes to using imagination & initiative in bringing new investment & jobs to the town.

I think what your saying is a great idea, its coming at things from a different angle. Really the only building or sight the town has of any great distinction is the cathedral and unfortunately thats out of action until 24 December, 2014. But the council could put in place a plan to implement ideas like you have put forward. Like all good plans its got to be S.M.A.R.T.
Specific - implementing the ideas you have put forward and others that I am sure could be thought out, this will help to improve the appearance of the town to visitors and in turn have both visitors and locals talk positively about the town.
Measureable - what we want to do should be able to be measured. Well having specific tasks as above which can be ticked off as done/not done is about as measureable as we will get.
Achievable - the tasks are more than achievable and will not cost a fortune in the greater scheme of things.
Relevant - I believe all the tasks are relevant and well I'd like to think that the council is trying to encourage business behind closed doors, this sort of work is visible and creates a more positive vibe in general. As mentioned above if someone see's that the town is improving they may see it as an ideal location for there business.
Time bound - the two year time frame I mentioned above.

quickrack

A few simple things that would make a difference;
Like Tesco + Mollohans, give your paying customer back the parking fee!
Get rid of the stupid parallel parking on the widest street in town and go back to angled. From Market Square to Stensons Chemists or thereabouts. MUCH easier to use and would stop the ignoramous's from blocking the streets by double parking.
This NEVER used to happen!
Double the lighting from Main St to Tesco so people are not in fear ,my wife would NEVER walk there after dark even if its busy.
Make all Handicapped Parking spots available to pregnant ladies or people with babies and fine everyone else who uses them, so heavily they wont dare be lazy!

garfieldsghost

quickrack wrote: »

A few simple things that would make a difference;
Like Tesco + Mollohans, give your paying customer back the parking fee!...

In fairness to Mollahans, they do provide free parking to customers.

JimmyR

garfieldsghost wrote: »

In fairness to Mollahans, they do provide free parking to customers.

I think you misunderstood, thats what he is saying, they both provide paid parking to customers.

The only downside to this is that you have to pay yourself in advance and I've heard numerous people say that they don;t shop in Tesco because they always have to have change for paid parking, but in fairness to Tesco at least they do the best they can with regard to providing free parking to customers.

garfieldsghost

JimmyR wrote: »

I think you misunderstood, thats what he is saying, they both provide paid parking to customers.

The only downside to this is that you have to pay yourself in advance and I've heard numerous people say that they don;t shop in Tesco because they always have to have change for paid parking, but in fairness to Tesco at least they do the best they can with regard to providing free parking to customers.

Apologies, it seems I mis-interpreted that sentence!

jesse pinkman

quickrack wrote: »

Double the lighting from Main St to Tesco so people are not in fear ,my wife would NEVER walk there after dark even if its busy.

Agreed, Grafton Court should have become a brightly lit shopping thoroughfare that given its central location, would benefit the town greatly if it had a major makeover, especially if it were pedestrianised, however the flats overhead are still gonna be a big issue no matter what's done at street level, perhaps eventually these could possibly be converted to office or business space.

sammy007

I been hearing stories and things on facebook that the canal spur to longford town is starting in march this year, anyone hear anything further about that, would be great for the town if it did happen, also there was something about a cycleway from longford to clondra maybe thats to happen along with the canal spur, also heard the angel investment in longford are hoping to make a big announcement early this year about potential company setting up in longford, dont see why it doesnt get more attention the location and id say cheapness of setting up in longford are great benefits hopefully things start to happen sooner rather than later, if only the council could press nama on there plans for the shopping centre that was built make sure they are actively looking for a buyer or retailer to move in or to possilby open up the car park in there to raise revenue, hopefully also this year they announce plans for the barracks it would be ideal to set up a college there or run evening classes in science or IT, they should lobby the govt for funding big time even athlone IT stated it wanted a presence in longford a year ago under its reach out campaign, real shame about the politicians in longford, there not worth the money they get, anyway happy new year longford

starskey77

jimmy r started this thread positively what we first need to do is looby
our so called t.d.s bannon is just pussy footn around. he,s comfortable
in the position that he toped the poll the last three times. Guaranteed votes
to a hopefully x Representative his feet are up all day. cluster shops good idea
makes sense could develop better parking. Try big brand named companys
to invest in empty shops with minimum rent or subsidised.

scotzgeeza

Best thing that can be done is relocate all the rough ***** and travelers.

jesse pinkman

Johnny Fallon – Nobody’s going to help Longford, we have to do it ourselves.

The Irish Times recently ran a story on the top choices for holiday destinations in Ireland. Unfortunately Longford was at the bottom of the list. It’s sad to say but this is probably not something that surprises us. We have become accustomed to such ratings and pass it off with a laugh or a shrug.
I lived in Dublin for 10 years and spent all of that time yearning to be able to move back to Longford. Now, perhaps I’m in a strange group of friends but when I meet people they are always eager to come back and to spend time in Longford. I remember talking with some friends from Cork many years ago who shared a house with another friend of mine from Longford. After spending time discussing the GAA and the relative merits of both counties the Corkonian turned to us and said ‘I have never met fellas so proud of their own bloody county and what’s worse is ye have no right to be boy!’ In a way he, perhaps, summed up the feelings of many from outside the county. He was at a loss to see how we could possibly continue arguing that Longford was better than Cork.
One of the problems with tourism is that you have to work with what you have got. Longford has some real beauty spots but it is not famed like various locations on the West coast, it does not have an abundance of natural resources. The thing is, that’s fair enough if you are aiming to be top of the table, but surely getting off the bottom would be an achievable aim?
Look at a rail map and see how many towns in Ireland have no rail link in them, we were the first county with an indoor heated swimming pool; we have one of the very few viable airfields in the country. We are bordered by the River Shannon presenting immense opportunities that remain untapped, we have lakes and countryside that can certainly rival several other counties that seem to be rated higher simply because they offer more activities.
Once upon a time we seemed to be willing to build and invest, but it would appear that those days have gone. If anything, we simply lack a bit of self belief. When trying to identify investment everything starts with ‘Why Longford?’ surely it should be ‘Why not Longford?’ there is very little the county cannot offer if we put our mind to it.
However, we are in danger of stagnating. For some time now it has been clear that services, opportunities and investments are going to other urban centres in the midlands. We need to address this. County Councillors need to overcome their own political divisions and start to work together at a far greater and higher level to attract investment and provide opportunity. We need ideas and we need them fast. There is no point wishing and hoping that someone in government or elsewhere is just going to hand an opportunity to us, or that investment will just fall into our lap if we talk about it enough. Longford needs to take matters into its own hands. Eamonn Gilmore was under fire in the last few weeks and there is talk of him seeking a more ‘relevant’ ministry. He defended his position by arguing that in Foreign Affairs he has been repairing Ireland’s reputation, attending trade missions and pushing for investment. One wonders who has been doing that for Longford. Where is the plan to save its reputation or to go out among business leaders and actively fight for investment?
There is a lot of work to be done. South Longford is in the unique position of having three of the tidiest villages in Ireland (Abbeyshrule, Newtowncashel and Ardagh) and yet it’s struggling to sell itself as a place where people might want to live if a company invests here. In fact, South Longford possesses the world’s first road in Corlea so perhaps there was an entrepreneurial spirit alive at some stage that thought big and aimed high. At the moment we have a central town that is being choked by traffic, on a busy day you can waste quite a bit of time circling around searching for a parking spot. All the while you may gaze down at the unopened shopping centre. Now, while finding tenants for such a place is a difficult business, you can forgive drivers for wondering why, in a town blighted by a lack of parking, that a multi storey car park is left idle, whatever about the shops.
What we do know is that this time there is nobody going to help Longford; we have to do it ourselves. In the current environment, with every town screaming for investment and jobs, there is no white knight coming to generously give Longford all it deserves. We need far more comprehensive plans, there are business people in our county with plenty of ideas, but they need to be facilitated and that takes vision and hard work. Co-ordinating such efforts is a key part in that process and genuine leadership is required to make people believe in it. I said it before and I’ll say it again, you can keep your Kingdoms, and Banners and capitals, your rivers and hills of this that and the other, you just can’t beat Longford.
—
Johnny Fallon is online at http://johnnyfallon.wordpress.com/ and on Twitter @jonnyfallon

garfieldsghost

jesse pinkman wrote: »

Johnny Fallon – Nobody’s going to help Longford, we have to do it ourselves...

Read that article earlier. Johnny has told it like it is...

Misty Midlands

scotzgeeza wrote: »

Best thing that can be done is relocate all the rough ***** and travelers.

Fully agree. Who is going to invest in a place, with so many of menacing looking characters hanging idly around the town every day?

garfieldsghost

Misty Midlands wrote: »

Fully agree. Who is going to invest in a place, with so many of menacing looking characters hanging idly around the town every day?

:rolleyes: That's most definitely not the reason.

JimmyR

garfieldsghost wrote: »

:rolleyes: That's most definitely not the reason.

Well I'll have to agree that it doesn't help. Centra for instance got it very hard to do business, in my opinion, with a group of lads sitting outside their shop daily. I'm not certain what the laws are on loitering but I would have thought you can only hang round a place for a reasonable amount of time..whats a reasonable amount of time I guess. I saw a young lad out St. Mels walking past them one day and then something was said, I presume by them first because he was on his own and I'd say unlikely to look their way, and the next thing he one of them made a chase after him for a bit and as they all got a great laugh out of it.

Well I think Johnny Fallons article is a good one, I think we have to be realistic about investment in the area. Even in the 80's there were a number of factories offering good employment in the county, they no longer exist and the changes of any outsider coming in without some sort of political encouragement is unrealistic. We need an Albert Reynolds style politician, I don;t care what party but the party will have to be in power. The politician will have to be smart and charismatic, not like what has represented us since Reynolds finished. We might as well not have been represented and there is no local politician a the minute that gives me hope that this will change.

Its very sad to drive through our main town and see so many businesses on our home streets closed down. From talking to the ones that aren't closed down, the majority are struggling and there is no sign of anything changing soon. I've tried to think of a business that could open up in the town and do well and I honestly can't think of one other than a hotel but thats not realistic in this current economic environment as no bank is going to give money to anyone to invest in a hotel when they already have so many badly performing hotels around the country. While I have given praise to Albert I'm afraid I could not give the same to his brother who has to take alot of the blame for their being a number of businesses that done well in past closed such as the Annaly Hotel and the Fountain Blue and also being influential in ensuring no rival hotel opened up in the county in opposition. The lack of at least one decent hotel prevents the town from getting people to come in and give business to restaurants, night clubs, pubs etc that they would not otherwise get.

adocholiday

From Longford myself and have been living in Dublin for 7 years now. I go home most weekends to see the family etc. but its getting more and more depressing all the time.

Back in 2007 town would be packed during the day on Saturday. Shops were busy and lots of footfall on the street. At night, pubs like Val's, Eamonn's, Foley's all packed and then Spiral or Blazers packed too. Forward to 2013 and the town has a few people knocking around on Saturday, with the pubs half empty at night except the few that pop into Blazers for an hour after drinking at home.

You can attribute that to the failing economy, emmigration, lack of investment etc. but the problem is nothing is being done to remedy it. Longford is on the main rail line from Dublin, has a central location in the country, good road network and lots of sites in the surrounding areas that are good for new business, or empty offices/shops in the town just waiting to be snapped up. Why are Athlone/Carrick-on-Shannon/Mullingar doing so well and Longford lagging behind?

The problem is the perspective of the Council and Chamber of Commerce. They are short sighted in their approach. Goal no.1 is to get cash in with little to no regard for the impact of this. Last week's headline in the Leader was about the people who are defaulting on rates. It's too expensive to open and run a business in the town now. Parking charges are the other thing. While they are not too bad in fairness, the wardens are a little over zealous in their enforcement and it deters people from coming in to shop. The only chain stores in the town are the supermarkets. While local business should be the main focus, chain stores bring people into the town in the first place. I know lots of people who go to Athlone because Next/River Island etc are there but local businesses also benefit as a result. Why do we have none of these stores in Longford?

The perspective needs to change to a long term plan to promote the town to large chain stores, multi-national companies and other investors to kick-start Longford. It is a town with a lot of potential in a great location, we just need the right people to see that

jesse pinkman

Invest in Longford’ to put the county back on the map

4th year DCU student Emma McMullan

Published on 20/04/2013 10:30

Companies and businesses are being urged to ‘Invest in Longford’ in a marketing plan being carried out by 21-year-old DCU student Emma McMullan. Emma, a fourth year student of Gnó agus Gaeilge in Dublin City University began the project in December of last year as part of her final year assignment.
Emma’s lecturer, who hails from Longford, suggested the plan and provided Emma, a native of Dublin, with the contacts and information she needed to kick-start the assignment. Since December, Emma has been researching the area and attending meetings and interviews to get a local opinion on the business market. “I wanted to see what industries and markets people thought were worth investing in now for the future, in Longford and Ireland” says Emma. “The idea is to get industries that will be prominent and successful in the coming years and to make those investments now. I’m trying to identify gaps in the industrial market that Longford could potentially fill.”
Email and Twitter accounts were also set up for ‘Invest in Longford’, with a website and brochures to follow to act as a medium of communication and a support network for businesses so they can connect and work together. Further pieces are to be created to attract business to the area, such as a video displaying the beauty, life and potential in the county. Emma also hopes that as the plan progresses, the social media aspect will expand alongside it.
“It’s about regenerating Longford”, Emma explains. “The aim is to attract people starting a new business or people already established in business and hopefully also attract business from abroad.”
“There are already multinational companies in Longford who have proven successful. I want to expand on that. They say Ireland is the gateway to Europe, so like that, Longford is the gateway to Ireland.” Emma is keen to point out Longford’s potential, with its ideal location, ample public transport and reasonably priced rent on houses and offices. “Longford also promotes a great work-life balance, something which has become increasingly important to companies when locating” Emma continues. “The county also offers facilities for those interested in sports, arts and culture, making it an attractive place to both work and live.”
The plan covers all areas of business and employment, not only looking into the possibility of synergies in the area- with businesses sharing resources and suppliers, but also studying unemployment in the area, and how ‘Invest in Longford’ could have a positive affect on those numbers.
For more information on ‘Invest in Longford’ or to keep up to date with its progress, email investinlongford@gmail.com or follow on Twitter @InvestLongford.

JimmyR

Great article, best of luck to her, hope she gets on well.

I was just talking to a lad today from Dublin who had never been to Longford but was commenting on the great value in houses in Longford. Which there is. Theres also great value in the rental market.

Longford has great leisure facilities, certainly as good as surrounding counties, see thread on positive things around Longford to see some of them.

The three biggest thing that need improving is night life (which once was great), Shopping options and at least one good hotel.

I'm leaving out the biggest thing for a reason because its a chicken and egg situation, we need jobs. If we had more jobs in the area everything else would come and it would be more attractive for people to live.

I've tried thinking up some business myself which would work in Longford but its not that easy to think of any small business that would. We need bigger businesses that employ a lot first in my opinion.

dmcteacher

Very interesting discussion and I am hoping to add some insight as an outsider. My wife and I are teachers in the US in our 40s and have fallen in love with Ireland after several visits. We are looking for a retirement home/apartment and hope to take advantage of the positive real estate climate to afford something we wouldn't otherwise be able to dream of. As such, I have been spending hours on the internet (daft.ie, etc) and have learned much about what is to offer in the country.

My overall impression is that Longford (as with most places north of the M6) could benefit a lot from some minimal investment in marketing - hiring a marketing firm or a marketing professional - to get out a clear message of what you have to offer. For example, in the States Minnesota has adopted the motto "Land of 1,000 Lakes." I've never been there (or even close) but the motto sticks with me. Having browsed the web about Gort I see that they have a professionally produced video of the area (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IEmAc4CTKE) on YouTube that certainly piqued my interest in the lifestyle there. Obriensbridge has a lower budget but very endearing "documentary" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eITTTPr4Mts). I live in Maryland and we call ourselves the mini-USA. You can find all examples of geography in our state that are found throughout the country - beaches, rivers, rolling forests, mountains.

After reading through these threads I think a great way to help the economy could come from tourists. As a visitor I am extremely impressed about how much of the country is set up for tourism - starting with the extensive B&B network. Reading the Irish Times I see that tourism numbers have been increasing. The great part about trying hard for tourists is that all of the dollars they spend come from outside the area. Unlike opening a new grocery - which really just recycles money already in Longford - tourism actually inflates your economy.

From my view, what are tourists looking for? Beautiful Ireland and traditional/historic Ireland (we have no medieval in the States). How about starting a campaign letting tourists know about Longford's natural beauty and favorable location? It appears you are 1 1/2 hour drive from either Dublin or Galway. This is not considered a long drive for a day trip here in the States. After investigating I found the area offers great boating and fishing (sounds very traditional Irish to me). There are amazing marked walking paths (it appears one goes right through the center of town?). You have some beautiful "Irish" buildings (from a stroll using Google maps I see some really cool places - Longford Arms, Edward J Valentine, The Anvil Bar, PV's, Carr's, etc). You are next to the newly re-opened Dublin-Clondra Canal.

It seems to me that someone with some marketing know-how could take advantage of these assets. Maybe Longford is "The Doorway to Real Ireland" Or maybe it is "In The Middle of It All" or some other catch phrase that will get you known. Maybe a marketer could organize tourist attractive offerings - a "Meal Card" that would get tourists the ability to try the pubs at a discount. Maybe they could set up "Dinner in an Irish Home" (I saw this in Iceland - it looked like a lot of fun eating with a local). Maybe they could put together and publish "How to Guides." "How to fish in Longford." "How to Day Hike in Longford." "How to spend the day boating in Longford." You know, some easy instructions so a person like me with no know how can come over and enjoy the area like an Irishman.

One last thought - I wonder if you have an active Tidy Towns Committee? If so, I would encourage people to actively get involved. We have nothing like this here in the States. When I am researching an area I go and read the annual Tidy Town report. It is amazing the specific, constructive feedback they offer. And, as previous posters have commented - it is amazing how a little bit of paint goes a long way in making a place appealing to outsiders.

In any case, best of luck to you all.

martin1

I see on todays paper that a sink hole opened up in Florida, USA and completely swallowed up a few houses there.

Now if only a slightly larger one of those would open up under Longford, it would do wonders for the town

garfieldsghost

martin1 wrote: »

I see on todays paper that a sink hole opened up in Florida, USA and completely swallowed up a few houses there.

Now if only a slightly larger one of those would open up under Longford, it would do wonders for the town

*tumbleweed*