Dun Laoghaire Traffic & Commuting Chat

ollie1 · 15-01-2014 12:17pm

The Iceland site is going to be a Lidl thats what I have heard.

uch · 15-01-2014 1:26pm

Chinasea wrote: »

What work on the old Iceland site? Still just says 'Sale agreed'.?

If you go round the back to Georges place you will see them working away, and any progress that might have been made.

Fratton Fred · 15-01-2014 3:33pm

ollie1 wrote: »

The Iceland site is going to be a Lidl thats what I have heard.

That's what I'd heard. It doesn't seem to be very big though.

MonkstownHoop · 15-01-2014 5:14pm

Another Lidl? We could do with an Aldi in this area surely, that'll be 3 Lidl's around with the 1 on Pottery Rd and the 1 in Deansgrange

dublinman1990 · 16-01-2014 12:06pm

MonkstownHoop wrote: »

Another Lidl? We could do with an Aldi in this area surely, that'll be 3 Lidl's around with the 1 on Pottery Rd and the 1 in Deansgrange

And don't forget Lidl in Stillorgan as well.

davej · 16-01-2014 4:53pm

ollie1 wrote: »

The Iceland site is going to be a Lidl thats what I have heard.

The new crane that's recently been erected on the site has a big lighted sign that says "Shannon Homes".

davej

Larbre34 · 16-01-2014 6:37pm

Yeah I think there may be a bit of confusion here, as far as I know there are two separate sites adjacent, one will include the Aldi (or whatever) the other will continue as apartments

Chinasea · 16-01-2014 8:19pm

davej wrote: »

The new crane that's recently been erected on the site has a big lighted sign that says "Shannon Homes".

davej

Is the crane not on the old site of Berlitz language school, beside the cigarette butts all over the ground pub McKenna's?

davej · 16-01-2014 9:29pm

Chinasea wrote: »

Is the crane not on the old site of Berlitz language school, beside the cigarette butts all over the ground pub McKenna's?

There are 2 cranes, one on the site you mention (between McKenna's and the Hospital).

The other crane, "Shannon Homes", has just been erected in the last week or so. It is on this site

davej

Chinasea · 17-01-2014 8:16pm

Great, a bit of progress hopefully. I would be keen that they finish off those apartments on the front there of Lower Georges Street. Saw the sale agreed sign, but no idea what the plan is. The street has been cornered off since this was a building site and a temporary:( walkway put in. But 5 years ain't temporary.

frash · 10-02-2014 10:41am

Good article on Dun Laoghaire in this weekend's Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/a-tale-of-two-towns-1.1682163?page=1

Tabnabs · 10-02-2014 11:31am

frash wrote: »

Good article on Dun Laoghaire in this weekend's Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/a-tale-of-two-towns-1.1682163?page=1

While it's good to see DL remain in the spotlight (can you tell what area Irish journalists live in and/or like to visit regularly?!), it's just another argument pointing out the obvious. That photo of the empty block of shops with Dunnes on the end, AFAIK, Dunnes own the entire block and have left it to degrade over time to such an extent that they can no longer accommodate new businesses as the units are not fit for purpose (is that a new development agreement I can hear being drawn up?).

The library cultural centre is massive, but when you stand back it's no bigger than its surrounding competition;

It's right to scrutinize it, the reasons for building it, the cost and who had objectivity over granting permission. But as a weekly user of the existing library, I can't wait for it to open. The old library is appalling, it's tiny, they keeps rubbish hours and the staff look utterly miserable. Tallaght has a flagship "county" library that is a huge benefit to that area, why can't DL?

DL needs investment, it needs upgrading and it needs positivity, all I hear is objections and reasons why it can't be changed. It's time to stop sniping from the galleries and time to come up with suggestions and proposals that are realistic and doable. Otherwise the fringe elements will become the loudest voice of opposition and nothing positive will emerge from a them vs us situation.

the groutch · 10-02-2014 11:37am

The beach is like Monaco and the rest of the town is like Beirut

couldn't put it better myself.

SimonMaher · 13-02-2014 4:17pm

Tabnabs wrote: »

While it's good to see DL remain in the spotlight (can you tell what area Irish journalists live in and/or like to visit regularly?!), it's just another argument pointing out the obvious. That photo of the empty block of shops with Dunnes on the end, AFAIK, Dunnes own the entire block and have left it to degrade over time to such an extent that they can no longer accommodate new businesses as the units are not fit for purpose (is that a new development agreement I can hear being drawn up?).

The library cultural centre is massive, but when you stand back it's no bigger than its surrounding competition;

It's right to scrutinize it, the reasons for building it, the cost and who had objectivity over granting permission. But as a weekly user of the existing library, I can't wait for it to open. The old library is appalling, it's tiny, they keeps rubbish hours and the staff look utterly miserable. Tallaght has a flagship "county" library that is a huge benefit to that area, why can't DL?

DL needs investment, it needs upgrading and it needs positivity, all I hear is objections and reasons why it can't be changed. It's time to stop sniping from the galleries and time to come up with suggestions and proposals that are realistic and doable. Otherwise the fringe elements will become the loudest voice of opposition and nothing positive will emerge from a them vs us situation.

Really well written post Tabnabs both about Dun Laoghaire and the value of the library.

ted1 · 13-02-2014 4:52pm

Tabnabs wrote: »

The library cultural centre is massive, but when you stand back it's no bigger than its surrounding competition;

the problem is that if you stand down by teddy or the baths area you are no longer in Dun Laoighre.

all you see is the library, no more pavilion, church, city hall etc.

i think that this will have a negative effect as it puts mental block that'll stop people from going past it. i may revist my idea when its finished but my current belief is that it should have been st back about 50m.
Nest time your down there stand at the steps by the kingston and look towards Dun Laoighre. its gone !!! all you can see is the UCD Arts block/ sorry i always get that confused with the new library.

Tabnabs · 13-02-2014 5:03pm

ted1 wrote: »

the problem is that if you stand down by teddy or the baths area you are no longer in Dun Laoighre.

all you see is the library, no more pavilion, church, city hall etc.

i think that this will have a negative effect as it puts mental block that'll stop people from going past it. i may revist my idea when its finished but my current belief is that it should have been st back about 50m.
Nest time your down there stand at the steps by the kingston and look towards Dun Laoighre. its gone !!! all you can see is the UCD Arts block/ sorry i always get that confused with the new library.

Ah here, have a look at this (massive photo).

http://homethoughtsfromabroad626.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/001a5.jpg%3Fw%3D500%26h%3D285

I believe they call it progress.

Buildings get built and block out what's behind them. The Georgian terraces are guilty of this, the churches, the town hall, the shopping centres, the office blocks, they all block out the area behind them. Tell you what, go to the front door of the Royal Marine and look out to the harbour, you will barely notice the behemoth being built a few metres away...

Over 1 million people walk the east pier every year, I doubt a single one of these is going to say; nope, not passing a building that hides a bit of the rest of the town. This is a public building, apart from the offices that the CoCo deny/talk down, it will be open to you and me to enter and use. How often can you say that about a new large development?

josip · 13-02-2014 5:30pm

Tabnabs wrote: »

Ah here, have a look at this (massive photo).

http://homethoughtsfromabroad626.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/001a5.jpg%3Fw%3D500%26h%3D285

I believe they call it progress.

Great photo.

I hope those cab drivers put their €2 in the meter.

Tabnabs · 13-02-2014 5:46pm

Coincidentally, here are the plans of the new library from the CoCo FB page.

The Central Library & Cultural Centre in Dún Laoghaire will have a gross area of 6,520m2 and will offer a range of facilities across four public floors. The floor plan, which is available to view below shows where the following facilities will be placed in the building.

1. Moran Park Level.
This is the lowest floor level accessible from the Metals and will contain a studio space with retractable seating for 100 people, Café, Public Toilets, Training Rooms and the Library Staff offices,

2. Haigh Terrace Level.
This is where the main entrance will be off Haigh Terrace and will contain a reading & public internet space, the Municipal Gallery, Book Taster selections + Magazines, DVD + CD display, Computers/Laptops, Teenager’s Library and Community Meeting Rooms.

3. Floor 1.
This floor will contain the Main Lending and Children's libraries and a study area.

4. Floor 2.
This floor will contain a Reference Library, Local History Library, Writer in Residence Room and Community Meeting Rooms.

The Development also includes 100 parking spaces.

The Development also includes 100 parking spaces.*cough*free staff parking, BIK*cough*

Bits_n_Bobs · 21-02-2014 1:50pm

If I remember an interview on Pat Kenny they had no idea what the other floors of the building were going to contain...great that they were able to come up with a nice waffle-diagram so quickly....

Heroditas · 27-02-2014 11:00pm

Tabnabs wrote: »

Ah here, have a look at this (massive photo).

http://homethoughtsfromabroad626.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/001a5.jpg%3Fw%3D500%26h%3D285

Is that picture back to front by any chance? If not, where was it taken from?
The angles look all wrong

Edit: actually it's not. I thought that church in the photo was the Catholic Church tower on Royal Marine Road. It's the tower in what's now the National Maritime Museum.

josip · 27-02-2014 11:12pm

Heroditas wrote: »

Is that picture back to front by any chance? If not, where was it taken from?
The angles look all wrong

I think it would have been taken just below the entrance to Hartleys.
The angles seem consistent

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/182/111661.jpg

zagmund · 27-02-2014 11:14pm

It's taken from outside Hartleys (or Kingstown Station as it probably was at the time).

It's looking towards where the library is now. The old entrance to the old Pavillion is on the corner where Meadows & Byrne is now. The church in the background is the Maritime Museum. The cabs in the foreground are more or less where the roundabout is when you come down Marine Road, pass the CoCo offices and cross the road into the harbour.

z

p.s. I always think of the old Golden Pages ad when someone mentions Hartleys.

Heroditas · 27-02-2014 11:20pm

Thanks guys, I had initially forgotten about the Maritime Museum! My ninja edit was not quite speedy enough (I blame the tablet).

Mick Murdock · 01-03-2014 12:02pm

Somebody mentioned on here that Dunnes own all of the units between their off licence and McDonalds. The colour co-ordination would suggest that is correct.

Did/Do they intend on doing anything with them? They're the biggest eyesore on the entire street.

Tabnabs · 03-03-2014 4:59pm

If you let a unit go beyond fit for purpose as a business premises, you can stop paying rates on it (or so I was told). Sounds like that's Dunnes option in this case.

frash · 10-03-2014 9:15am

Dún Laoghaire vote on business district a ‘do or die’ moment for town

Irish Time article

josip · 10-03-2014 1:44pm

frash wrote: »

Dún Laoghaire vote on business district a ‘do or die’ moment for town

Irish Time article

They can dress it up whatever way they like.
The retailers have forced the non-retail businesses in the town to subsidise them.

Larbre34 · 10-03-2014 3:23pm

josip wrote: »

They can dress it up whatever way they like.
The retailers have forced the non-retail businesses in the town to subsidise them.

...if the Council adopt the B.I.D. 27% of the popular vote as the article estimates it, is hardly a convincing lever for passing it, especially in a local election season when the politicians just want to avoid banana skins.

SimonMaher · 10-03-2014 11:08pm

Result tonight was: 24 Councillors voted in favour of BID, 3 against and 1 absent as far as I know. BID is not the perfect solution by any means but it's there now and should be given a chance to succeed.

Simon

josip · 10-03-2014 11:32pm

SimonMaher wrote: »

Result tonight was: 24 Councillors voted in favour of BID, 3 against and 1 absent as far as I know. BID is not the perfect solution by any means but it's there now and should be given a chance to succeed.

Simon

I asked the BID proposers twice before voting, how the BID would benefit our business and other similar non-retail businesses in the district. I never got an answer. I couldn't attend the information evening with Vincent Browne due to work committments.

"A council spokesman said taking of legal action against those who will not pay the levy would be a matter for the BID company."

They expect to take in €250,000 per year. I wonder how much of that they are prepared to spend on legal fees chasing businesses that don't pay.

Chinasea · 12-03-2014 8:40pm

Towns and villages as we know it are dead. When are people going to realise that. What small retailer could compete with the giants like Tesco etc.

Rezone the empty properties back to housing. More people living back on the high street, could eventually bring a town back to life.

CatFromHue · 12-03-2014 11:25pm

Chinasea wrote: »

Towns and villages as we know it are dead. When are people going to realise that. What small retailer could compete with the giants like Tesco etc.

Rezone the empty properties back to housing. More people living back on the high street, could eventually bring a town back to life.

Dunno about that now. I mean I was down in DL today and bought a jacket in Elverys, a book in Easons, and sweets in the Old Sweet Shop.

edit: the shops I'd mainly go to in DL would be Elverys, Shaws, Penneys, Dubrays, Easons, The Sweet Shop, Super Valu, BK, and MacDonalds really. I'd go for a look in Lifestyle and Golden Disks too. Then there's the Cinema as well.

Larbre34 · 13-03-2014 11:21am

Id have said towns and villages were starting to come back to life.

The UK has seen a massive backlash against out-of-town centres as people get more concerned about sustainable and local food and goods and the cost of fuelling cars.

With regard to Dun Laoghaire, Ive said before that if the old Shopping Centre were demolished and returned to mixed residential and street level shop use it would return balance to the profile of the town and the number of shop units would be about right.

The return of more people to live in the centre of the town in the 2 or 3 large sites that are either planned or under construction will be a big help

Chinasea · 17-03-2014 8:25am

Unfortunately didn't have enough charge on my phone yesterday to take a photo, but the Marine Road entrance to Dun Loaoghaire Shopping Centre was absolutely disgustingly filthy and for that matter most days.

Not exactly inviting.

The place had the strewn cursed bottles and cigarette buts and other debris down the ramp into the SC. There was some stains from puke from the night before also. Why the pavement and the entrance is not regularly power hosed is beyond me.

Haven't noticed the same welcoming committee in Dundrum!

Fratton Fred · 17-03-2014 6:13pm

Chinasea wrote: »

Unfortunately didn't have enough charge on my phone yesterday to take a photo, but the Marine Road entrance to Dun Loaoghaire Shopping Centre was absolutely disgustingly filthy and for that matter most days.

Not exactly inviting.

The place had the strewn cursed bottles and cigarette buts and other debris down the ramp into the SC. There was some stains from puke from the night before also. Why the pavement and the entrance is not regularly power hosed is beyond me.

Haven't noticed the same welcoming committee in Dundrum!

The pavements in Dun Laoghaire town centre are disgusting. A refresh and/or some simple maintenance would vastly improve the place.

Interesting sign up in 64 wines in Glasthule. It looks like DLRCOCO are to tax street furniture. Way to go council, piss all your money away on vanity projects for visitors, then destroy the towns for the locals.

Mick Murdock · 17-03-2014 6:16pm

€50 a year charge. Had a visit from them myself. :pac:

Chinasea · 17-03-2014 7:00pm

The only time the pavements didn't seem so mankey was after the thaw of the 2010 snow! Why they can't be power hosed is beyond me. Town is the same.

Saw an interesting report on a county council in the UK who had run out of money and local volunteers ran/helped out with services such as street cleaning, running the local public pool etc. Lets face it, they wouldn't be hard to beat. I for one would love to see this in Dun L.
Look at that horrendous tarmacadamed park on Libary Road. What a joke. How many people have ever managed yo get into the grimest park in the world.

Larbre34 · 17-03-2014 9:28pm

First time I heard of the CoCo charging for tables and chairs and sandwich boards on the public footpath was about 12 years ago, had the licencing gone by the wayside?

josip · 25-03-2014 5:18pm

Ayone know of a pharmacy/health store where I can get safflower oil in the Dun Laoghaire area?
You can get it online for about €7 a 500ml bottle but delivery is then twice that.
(It's high in Linoleic acid and is a good moisturiser for eczema in case you're wondering)

Fratton Fred · 26-03-2014 11:54am

josip wrote: »

Ayone know of a pharmacy/health store where I can get safflower oil in the Dun Laoghaire area?
You can get it online for about €7 a 500ml bottle but delivery is then twice that.
(It's high in Linoleic acid and is a good moisturiser for eczema in case you're wondering)

You could try the Punnet in Glasthule

Larbre34 · 26-03-2014 1:02pm

Chinasea wrote: »

Look at that horrendous tarmacadamed park on Libary Road. What a joke. How many people have ever managed yo get into the grimest park in the world.

You do realise thats a playground with lined game courts and rubber surface finishes around the swings and slides rather than a 'tarmacadamed park' and theres been a hard surface playground there since at least the 70's, I used to love it myself! It might be a bit drab but it has a purpose, theres a load of green park options around if thats what youre after

Chinasea · 26-03-2014 9:19pm

No, not
really seeing "lots of green park play grounds" around .The lovely Peoples park, and thats it really. I say the park in Libary Road should be handed to the public to Man as A pilot project, we might actually be able to get in once in a century, and we mighy even manage it with a smile. While I am it, the toilets in the Peoples park stink. Why are they not kept cleaner. And why are there no toilet facilities on the pier. BID my a**.

ted1 · 26-03-2014 10:15pm

There's some portaloos in the battery at the end.

Chinasea · 27-03-2014 9:06am

Why portaloos. The pier is how old. It really is not difficult to manage public toilets. Can't cook won't cook. Sham.

Larbre34 · 27-03-2014 12:44pm

Chinasea wrote: »

No, not
really seeing "lots of green park play grounds" around .

Don't quote me and yet mis-quote me.

ted1 · 27-03-2014 12:49pm

Chinasea wrote: »

Why portaloos. The pier is how old. It really is not difficult to manage public toilets. Can't cook won't cook. Sham.

I imagine that any kind of toilet (bar the ones that are closed) would need to be chemical toilets or dump straight in to the harbour. so for the moment portaloos do the job.

i imagine the ones that closed are because of the local junkies tha tth council and gardai fail to deal with adequately.

Chinasea · 27-03-2014 2:33pm

Larbre34 wrote: »

Don't quote me and yet mis-quote me.

My point is: the park on Library Road is a sham. It opens for a few obscure moments at obsure times. Why not hand it over to the public to manage as a pilot project. It is in such a central location, and it is an out and out waste of space. Hand it over.

reprazant · 27-03-2014 3:20pm

Why would people want to use the grimest park in the world?

Chinasea · 27-03-2014 7:02pm

reprazant wrote: »

Why would people want to use the grimest park in the world?

Because with a little tinchey bit of love and care it could be transformed. You know, love, care, all free. All absolutely free.

Volunteers always have abundance of this.

Hand it over to some of the caring citizens with some civic pride.

Some exist.

Kingp35 · 28-03-2014 4:49pm

I got a leaflet in the door last week saying that there are plans to reintroduce public toilets on the East Pier.

The only way for public toilets to work on places like the East Pier is to charge 20c or whatever to use them and have one person manning the entrance and cleaning the toilets. This is common practice in European cities and ensures that the toilets are always clean and that junkies/drunks etc are kept from wrecking the place. Hopefully this will be the route that the council takes should they actually make good on their promise.

Dun Laoghaire Traffic & Commuting Chat

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