Carlow Town poor planning

Its such a shame that the narrative about carlow is now so negative. But its completely understandable. Fair play to love carlow campaign for looking to identify the positives and build on them. I hope the townsfolk can get behind it and build up some momentum. Towns can turn themselves around. Gorey would be a good example of this.

As for good things about the town? Visual, the theatre, a strong IT, St Patricks college, theres a lot of potential for the arts festival. Dublin St is a beautiful streetscape if it could be brought back to life. The lanes around cathedral also have lots of potential.

fits wrote: »

Its such a shame that the narrative about carlow is now so negative. But its completely understandable. Fair play to love carlow campaign for looking to identify the positives and build on them. I hope the townsfolk can get behind it and build up some momentum. Towns can turn themselves around. Gorey would be a good example of this.

As for good things about the town? Visual, the theatre, a strong IT, St Patricks college, theres a lot of potential for the arts festival. Dublin St is a beautiful streetscape if it could be brought back to life. The lanes around cathedral also have lots of potential.

This bit though (the sentence in bold)?

Have you seen College St./Brown St./Charlotte St.?

College St. has Mimosa/s going for it alright but does the Riverboat Casino add to it?

There's 2 Abandoned, derelict houses right opp. Carlow College that were painted up recently (presumably for Carlow Arts Festival, it's still putting lipstick on a pig mind!); one's fit for knocking down only, the other, having been in it prior to boarding it up a number of years ago, is only semi-habitable & has no electricity/running water.

Squatters broke in & the smell of urine upstairs where there was no toilet meant they didn't give a, if you'll pardon the pun.

The downstairs toilet? Well it was full to be polite & masks were reqd. when boarding up where that window'd been kicked in/out to gain entry.

Upstairs there were the usual paraphrenlia (sp?) of heroin use from needles to tin-foil to silver spoons to lighters etc.

More than once disturbed trespassers. As a neighbour nearby the house had to be secured & the owner has left it vacant for 6+ years!

The one beside it? Squatters'd be wasting their time.

Lower College St. isn't too bad but M.J. Nolans place is vacant; the TD Pension must pay well if he can leave it like that; as it was it was rarely used when he was in office prior to 2011.

Dooleys Garage that stretches around the corner onto Court Place has been boarded up for I'm thinking a decade at this stage & has been subject to arson attacks. It had a "Sold Sign" up on it recently but not holding my breath on any improvements to the site.

Next door to it's a house that again is boarded up & has smashed windows upstairs.

Majority of houses on Lwr. College St. are at least occupied bar M.J. Nolans Office I think.

Brown St.? The corner house one side of which borders College St. is up for sale with DNG/Allsop Properties Auction. The previous inhabitant told me it's falling down inside; structural issues like wall cracks, the B.E.R.'d be as low as it's possible to go.

Next door features regularly in the papers/courts for nefarious reasons; have seen deals being conducted in broad daylight regularly & it's a case of pack 'em in, stack 'em high; 5 Flats in it. Was in one; you wouldn't swing a cat; the owner drives a Merc so she's living off the flat of the land in a big way.

Majority in it on various forms of benefits & rent allowance; would love to meet the C.W.O. who okayed these flats to be in receipt of R.A./R.S./H.A.P. etc. which in turn benefits owner.

Next door is the Dolls House; June Doran Properties have a Sold Sign gone up on it recently; think A.M.V. was €45k? It's more of a knocker-downer than a do-er upper; recently had a look inside when someone (resident/visitor) from next door kicked it in; squatters wouldn't bother with it it's in that bad a state.

Like Dooleys I don't expect it to be inhabited anytime soon.

Then there's Maggie Bolgers; the owner must be rolling in it to leave it stand, it used to be a watering hole for Carlow College students and staff after hours; it's got potential but needs serious renovation; could easily be turned into a guesthouse or a townhouse etc.

Whoever owns the Ritz Hotel/Charlotte Rooms would make a go of it I think but it needs serious renovation; fly a drone over that quarter & you'll see the dereliction behind it; if attending the G.P. Surgery you can see across over the rooftops that the amount of overgrowth & flora there means nature is slowly reclaiming the properties.

Workmans Club new entrance is on Brown St. also; they've given it a paint job but the redbrick part on Charlotte St. hasn't been touched; how soon before that looks antiquated and not in a good way since main entrance is no longer used; snooker & pool club upstairs is also out of bounds now.

Bar Funfair Amusements Arcade on L.H.S. on way up to Charlotte St. Trumps Nightclub is showing its age as are the other commercial & residential properties there that lie vacant.

At least Charlotte Rooms/The Living Rm./Ritz Hotel being reopened as Student Accommodation is a boon at least.

On the other side coming back down at least Walter Colemans Cycles, the Sewing Shop, the Christian Bible Church, Monte Carlow Casino are trading/being used but there are a number of units being used for nothing but storage & so look vacant.

On Brown St. the properties are occupied in the main but the side of it toward College St. has at least two houses boarded up/vacant for years.

I know the owner of one & aforementioned Dolls House were one & the same (they're same colour and I was told by someone in Flemington House) & it doesn't appear that squatters can break in but again, lying empty; house beside it has some sort of mesh covering the windows so another vacant residential property.

So while I admire your positivity I see it differently ever so slightly.

As for the Nursing Home being vacant on Court Place for 20+ Years when someone like Carlow College, SVDP etc. could buy/lease it surely?

And the hotel that's been purchased & renovated but still waiting for a leaseholder since Summer 2015 I think......?

Got another e-mail this morning.........


This is a date for your diary. We are looking for volunteers, business owners/operators, carlovians, basically everybody who loves this town and county to join in a day to clean up various areas and projects within Carlow Town.

To date we have identified a number of projects which will be addressed on the day, however feel free to contact us with details of any specific project you would like to tackle.

We are urging all business owners to assist by coordinating a clean up on the exterior of their premises and the immediate approaches, don't forget to recruit your neighbor to the task also



Where will we be?
The Old Cosmos Premises on Tullow Street will be our base of operations on the morning, we will request all volunteers to sign in with us there so that we can ensure effective coordination of projects.

Why start at 6am?
There is a considerable amount of work to be done, and the best time to carry this out is before the traffic starts, businesses open and visitors arrive. In addition, just think of the wow factor as people arrive to the town and see the improvements first hand.

What about tools and equipment?
We have received sponsorship from a number of busiensses and for this we are extremely grateful. We have been provided with High Viz Vests with Love Carlow on them, waste removal, cleaning services, to name but a few. We are still coordinating what other items we need, however come prepared and ready.

What projects will be tackled on the day?
The planned projects include, removal of fly posters, power washing, litter picking, painting, planting etc to name but a few.

What Can I Do?
1. Turn up on the 15th prepared to assist
2. Maybe you are a business owner / operator in the town and open on the day, that's fine however maybe you could focus some time on the area outside your premises and encourage your neighbor's to do the same
3. Can't assist on the day? How about helping through sponsoring in some way, contact us and we can discuss further

Count Me IN
This is what will make the difference, we can all be involved. Let us know who and how many will be assisting on the day by e-mailing Brian on ceo@carlowchamber.com . If you are completing your own project at your premises, let us know also.

More Information?
Need some more information, got questions, want to provide sponsorship. Get in contact now on e-mail ceo@carlowchamber.com





https://www.facebook.com/lovecarlow.ie/

Jed and Dave wrote: »

Beware bit of a rant coming up.
Have to say the layout of the town is badly thought out and to me the spatial plan for Carlow graigue is a lot of wishful thinking with sites on the river and imaginary footpaths and bridges and nothing in terms of specifics. If I was a developer I wouldent want to go near sites at the castle end of town as theres no footfall because of the fairgreen.
I think the local council has a lot to answer for, check out the article in village magazine.



The councils own planning page is crap for looking at planning applications and drawings

To me (a relative blow in) the town suffers because there is:
• No identifyable town centre.Landmarks are hidden
• The retail is so spread out due to the fairgreen that the centre of town and the other end of town is suffering.
• The view of the Castle is blocked.The office development blocking the view of the castle from the river a disgrace.
• “Cultural Quarter “ is hidden and the whole place is really downtrodden looking and un attractive.
• Delta sensory gardens built out in an industrial estate???? WTF
• Too many surface car parks
• The fairgreen drags people away from the traditional core of the town along tullow street/Dublin street and the rest of town is suffering as a result.
• The centre of town is unattractive with a lot of traffic and no public spaces.
• No more big stores(dunes etc. at the retail park end of town) – the castle end of town at the other end of tullow street should be where focu
• The beautiful rivers in Carlow are ignored in the town centre… why don’t they CPO the ****e buildings on kennedy street and create an enclosed park/space on the river up the castle.. a few compulsory purchase orders and some foresight?
• Cant think of many places in the town where I can sit outside a café and enjoy a nice view of anything really – wouldent really attract tourists.
Suggestions:
Everyone start kicking up a stink.
Tax breaks and living over the shop scheme etc.
Get rid of the car park in front of the dinn ri and do something much nicer and provide underground car parking elsewhere.
Try Get one of the colleges to develop a part of a campus down at the castle end of tullow street breath some life into the town centre.
Bike rental scheme anyone..Carlow Bikes??
Develop the barrow way similar for tourists similar to the green way in mayo.
Cant think of any more at the minute. Thoughts??

I had a walk around Carlow yesterday, for the first time in years, and was about to paste a rant. I happened to see your rant, and unfortunately it looks as though nothing has improved in the years since you wrote it. The town is a planning shambles; and should be used worldwide as a training aid for 'how not to plan a town'.

SligoBrewer wrote: »

Those people living on the outskirts of town should be encouraged to cycle. They all are 2k ish from the town.

However the cycling infrastructure in the town or the behaviour of drivers in the town wouldn't exactly be favourable to this.

Well that’s the same in all our towns and cities. Not just a Carlow issue. Which doesn’t have a local town bus service when smaller town like Sligo, athlone and Tralee do

ScallionAyter wrote: »

I like it! It's a statement of ambition and scale, and better than what was there before. If Carlow Town wants to be a city someday, it'll need more buildings like that. Very little on that end of Tullow street is worth preserving. The sooner a lot of them are knocked and replaced with modern retail buildings the better.
If you look at most of the commercial buildings currently for sale in the town centre, they're absolutely decrepid and serious money pits to renovate.

Yea I don't mind it myself but I get the sticks out like a sore thumb comment, although I think thats more of a reflection on the old buildings around it, many of which are in terrible condition. It would be great if there was a plan in place to upgrade certain areas and done in the right way I think the town could look really well, I think it has potential but I cant see anything changing anytime soon.

Regarding TK Maxx. If this makes sense to you, then you're cleverer than me

ABP's decision to REFUSE the permission was made "having regard to the nature and extent of the proposed development, its location at a remove from the town centre outside of the Carlow Inner Relief Road and its lack of connectivity/pedestrian linkages to the town centre".

The Board is "not satisfied, notwithstanding the town centre zoning of the site, that the proposed development would not have a detrimental impact on the vitality and viability of Carlow Town centre".

They added that it "would not create an overly strong counter attraction to the town centre in terms of retail shopping, and considered, therefore, that the proposed development would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area".

Regarding Shamrock Plaza, it's a building full of employment in Carlow town and is badly needed. Between the businesses on the ground floor, UPMC Whitfield on the first floor, Unum employing 170 people on floors 2, 3 and 4......with medical centre, solicitor and apartments on the other wing, Carlow should have a few more places like it. The area is an absolute hole of a kip and that building is the exception which is why it sticks out.

Laois_Man wrote: »

Regarding TK Maxx. If this makes sense to you, then you're cleverer than me



Regarding Shamrock Plaza, it's a building full of employment in Carlow town and is badly needed. Between the businesses on the ground floor, UPMC Whitfield on the first floor, Unum employing 170 people on floors 2, 3 and 4......with medical centre, solicitor and apartments on the other wing, Carlow should have a few more places like it. The area is an absolute hole of a kip and that building is the exception which is why it sticks out.

There are opportunities; look @ the Waterfront; it's a similar building to Shamrock Plaza apart from the 1200 a month 2 Bed Apts.; it currently houses Quinn-Reddin/Reddan (sp?), Eist & I think there's a third employer also on the 1st Floor where all three share office space.

Upstairs on Second Floor it's Turas Nua, a DEASP collaboration with FRS Recruitment Irl/Working Links UK and that takes up a full floor in itself.

Bottom or ground floor is empty though and has huge frontage in terms of display & the other wing is completely empty; on the other side again it's St. Clares Hospitality Kitchen; no idea of the nominal rent they're paying but it's far less than market rates; could it take a restaurant or is it simply in wrong area?

Thinking of Boardwalk Cafe within spitting distance of it which is prepped incl. seating arrangments, place settings but sitting idle now a number of years in total; the refurb was stop start.

Developer ‘has given up on Carlow’ after TK Maxx refusal

A DEVELOPER admits he has “given up on Carlow” following the crushing decision by An Board Pleanála this week to refuse planning permission to retail giant TK Maxx.

Gwen Thomas of Thompson Holdings Limited told The Nationalist yesterday that the decision by the planning authority not to allow a 4,000 square foot store ‒ TK Maxx and HomeSense ‒ at his site in Carlow Retail Park would ultimately “cost the town a lot of money”.

“My reaction is I’m going to give up on Carlow … it’s been 23 years of struggling to get something on that site and now I’m just going to let it go grow weeds,” he stated.

“People don’t want anything outside of Tullow Street, so that ends that; the contract with TK Maxx is finished, it’s gone now,” Mr Thomas lamented.

“National policy is to protect town centres and I’m all for that, but no modern bricks and mortar major retailer can operate at up to 2,000 sq feet and that’s all that’s available in town centres,” he added.

A contract between Mr Thomas’s company Thompson Holdings Limited and TK Maxx had been signed in March 2018, with TK Maxx proposing to anchor a 4,000 sq ft store employing up to 100 people, subject to planning permission. The intention was that the store would open in 2020, making it only the third HomeSense outlet in Ireland, with footfall expected from Kilkenny, Newbridge and Naas into Carlow. It was also expected to provide employment for up to 60 people during the construction phase.

Carlow County Council granted planning permission for the development in September 2019, however, within weeks, the matter was appealed to An Board Pleanála by rivals Fairgreen Shopping Centre.

The Board Pleanála decision this week cited the proposed development’s location away from the town centre and its lack of connectivity to the town centre as the reasons behind the refusal.

Thompson Holdings Limited had also appealed one of the conditions of Carlow County Council’s decision to An Board Pleanála, which had restricted half of the development to ‘bulky goods’.

Surprisingly, Mr Thomas has not yet received a copy of the An Board Pleanála decision.

“My planner received a letter to say it had been refused, but I have not seen the planner’s report. The councillors have received a copy, but I haven’t, so it’s difficult to comment fully having not seen the report,” he added.

Mr Thomas was critical of the long delays in the planning process, which impact enormously on attracting business.

“There are only two major retailers in Ireland now investing in bricks and mortar, TK Maxx and Penneys; everyone else is going online, so the opportunity for Carlow and TK Maxx is definitely gone now,” he concluded.

https://carlow-nationalist.ie/2020/05/05/developer-has-given-up-on-carlow-after-tk-maxx-refusal/#.XrMrT2N4XDt

I thought Carlow County Council had a plan that was to pedestrianise much of Tullow st and Haymarket, my carlow it was called? Saw it last year I think but have heard nothing since. The Council are totally to blame for the current layout of the town but this has been going on for years all around Ireland. Walking down Tullow st and Dublin St now is like a ghost town. The shop units are too small for the big name shops that Carlow needs.

So Fairgreen have been given permission from An Bord Pleanala to knock down the existing building they wanted to knock down and build a retail unit big enough to house TK Max which they are looking to get in there according to the front page of The Nationalist.


Interesting.