gasworks site

cwat69 · 13-12-2006 7:09am #1

anyone any idea when this site will be ready for development or suggestions as to what could go there???

Roen · 13-12-2006 9:17am

The archaeological dig was carried out a couple of months ago and turned up bugger all.
I have hopes for what could go there but I imagine it will be.....more apartments.

cwat69 · 13-12-2006 11:34pm

sick of apartments we need more retail etc.

fricatus · 14-12-2006 5:51pm

Retail would be my preference - there simply isn't enough in the city centre, and the Gasworks would lend itself to a big store. I just can't see the likes of M&S or BT locating down there though - the location is just not good enough.

Although having said that, with a bit of luck they will both be in the new centre (are they still calling it the Brewery?).

I reckon a mixed-use development of retail, offices and apartments (a la Railway Square) will be built there.

Bards · 14-12-2006 10:26pm

fricatus wrote:

Retail would be my preference - there simply isn't enough in the city centre, and the Gasworks would lend itself to a big store. I just can't see the likes of M&S or BT locating down there though - the location is just not good enough.

Although having said that, with a bit of luck they will both be in the new centre (are they still calling it the Brewery?).

I reckon a mixed-use development of retail, offices and apartments (a la Railway Square) will be built there.

ther will be a competition to name it just like they had for City Square (How I hate that name)

fricatus · 14-12-2006 10:56pm

Bards wrote:

ther will be a competition to name it just like they had for City Square (How I hate that name)

Me too - it's awful. To think that they had a competition and managed to come up with the blandest, lowest-common-denominator name ever!

There used to be something called the Butter Market in the Peter St/High St area in the 19th century (I could be way off the mark there). I always thought that would have made a good name for it. Maybe not in 1993, but now that farmers' markets and the slow food movement have come into vogue, a name like that would sound very rustic chic...

merlante · 14-12-2006 11:44pm

In the development plan that the council just released the gasworks site is highlighted as a site with potential, or something like that. That means they want something good done with it. Other such sites were the 'Brewery' site, and the area between John's river, the ESB and Lombard street.

What works against this area for retail is the face that the Waterside is all residential. I don't think they intend to leave it as apartments though. If they do, they would want to be 3/4 bedroom luxury apartments that families could live in. Too much of 1/2 bedroom.

Bards · 15-12-2006 10:40am

hopefully what ever they build will be the same height as Railway Square and Maritant Gate and then we will have connecting buildings of the same height almost in touching distance from each other, therfore making the CIty feel like a CIty

merlante · 15-12-2006 12:35pm

Bards wrote:

hopefully what ever they build will be the same height as Railway Square and Maritant Gate and then we will have connecting buildings of the same height almost in touching distance from each other, therfore making the CIty feel like a CIty

Here, here.

meldrew · 15-12-2006 12:39pm

Its a site with great potential but no matter whats planned for there someone wont want it !

shapez · 15-12-2006 12:47pm

In my opinion, what's needed is more facilities to keep teenagers from being up to no good on the streets.

merlante · 15-12-2006 1:07pm

shapez wrote:

In my opinion, what's needed is more facilities to keep teenagers from being up to no good on the streets.

Like what? It's hard to compete with 'being up to no good' anyway.

shapez · 15-12-2006 3:10pm

I have recently moved to Waterford on the Dunmore Rd. And for the amount of houses that extend from the hospital roundabout to past the Woodlands Hotel I have not seen or heard of a youth centre, recreational facility (other than Woodlands) for example, sports hall, sports pitch, etc.

merlante · 15-12-2006 4:14pm

shapez wrote:

I have recently moved to Waterford on the Dunmore Rd. And for the amount of houses that extend from the hospital roundabout to past the Woodlands Hotel I have not seen or heard of a youth centre, recreational facility (other than Woodlands) for example, sports hall, sports pitch, etc.

Well there is some soccer and hurling out there afaik., but considering half of the houses were built in the last decade, a lot of the Dunmore Rd. area is still new. Maybe you could get some people together and petition a councillor.

Personally, I think semi-detached housing estates are a disaster for urban planning, and that services will always be worse, but that's just my opinion. Nobody seems to want anything else.

shapez · 15-12-2006 5:02pm

merlante wrote:

Well there is some soccer and hurling out there afaik., but considering half of the houses were built in the last decade, a lot of the Dunmore Rd. area is still new. Maybe you could get some people together and petition a councillor.

As far as I am aware the big wheel is starting to turn.

merlante wrote:

Personally, I think semi-detached housing estates are a disaster for urban planning, and that services will always be worse, but that's just my opinion. Nobody seems to want anything else.

Yes, I agree. But whist planning a concret jungle, consideration should be made for those about to live there. I mean in the future, I would like to have kids, when they grow up to mid teens (please God), what are they going to do??

merlante · 15-12-2006 6:49pm

shapez wrote:

Yes, I agree. But whist planning a concret jungle, consideration should be made for those about to live there. I mean in the future, I would like to have kids, when they grow up to mid teens (please God), what are they going to do??

Yeah, but sure do people not wonder when they move into a house that was countryside 5 minutes ago, and home to rabbits and squirrels and whatnot, that the facilities might be a tad substandard at the beginning. I mean nobody is going to build anything in the middle of the countryside without people living there first. What kind of businessman opens a Spar in the middle of nowhere when there's nobody living there yet? What kind of council would build a park or library in advance of demand?

I reckon people who move into a brand new housing estate should not be surprised that there is nothing out there for the first few years. Give it a decade and it'll be fine.

Now if we went back to terraced streets with small gardens, and a park or open area nearby, then the services would arrive quicker given the higher density. Better still, build a neighbourhood of buildings with a few 3/4 bedroom apartments stacked on top of each other (i.e. high quality 3/4 storey apartment buildings) and you could have a big park with playing facilities nearby and all the usual services literally on your doorstep.

Low density housing estates are a disaster imho. They wrecked Dublin and they'll wreck Waterford too. They are absolutely the worst for services and there is often not enough passing footfall to ward off crime and teenage gangs.

gasworks site

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