Deserted buildings

Bonzodog

On my travails around the city, there are a couple of buildings that seem to have been deserted for years.

First one -- The big grey painted shop on High Street. I know it was sold a couple of years ago (??), but has remained boarded up and I'm wondering if anyone has information about this building?

Second one -- The deserted 'Esso' station near the omniplex, bottom of headford road. Are they going to knock this or what? I remember it closing in 2001, but they have not done anything with it since.

Third one -- The blue building next to Seapoint, Salthill, has a plaque on the front about it being a spa of some sort.

Sponge Bob

Bonzodog wrote: »

First one -- The big grey painted shop on High Street. I know it was sold a couple of years ago (??), but has remained boarded up and I'm wondering if anyone has information about this building?

Was Taafes , to be Zara once some dipstickery to do with oil tanks is resolved by the planners

Second one -- The deserted 'Esso' station near the omniplex, bottom of headford road. Are they going to knock this or what? I remember it closing in 2001, but they have not done anything with it since.

Good question that , it is in the centre of a dead spot of ground , pity they don't level it and expand the Dyke Road car park

Third one -- The blue building next to Seapoint, Salthill, has a plaque on the front about it being a spa of some sort.

God knows , probably more apartments and not as grotty as the Burrenmount.

pseudonym1

Savoy - a building with happiy sell my Granny for

Maxwells atm too!

WooPeeA

Yeah, those buildings scare Galwagians and tourists.. But as long as there will be no buyer there's nothing the city can do.

galvianlord

They're not the only one there's quite a few empty ones up and down the town. And plenty more besides. Maxwells was held up cause no one liked the idea of spar or centra going into it, would kind of agree with that one. Taffees been held up for years cause of An Taisce and the Council. The garage has something to do with the retail park i think.Savoy is part of the Imperial hotel i think, they were meant to extend back into it ages ago but not sure they did as the place has been refurbed recently. Cant help you on salthill. It's a pain in the ass, cause the town is crying out for some decent shops and the towns a joke when it comes to planning r(efer to my thread about Galway Missing the boat!)

banshee_bones

Its the oil tanks!

Until they are gone any major development within the city centre is pretty much drawn to a halt! something to do with health and safety!?

GerardKeating

banshee_bones wrote: »

Its the oil tanks!

Until they are gone any major development within the city centre is pretty much drawn to a halt! something to do with health and safety!?

The HSA are so fussy, been a while since a deopt like this had a problem.

banshee_bones

GerardKeating wrote: »

The HSE are so fussy, been a while since a deopt like this had a problem.

Whoa! Never thought about it like that..... !

Yikes! If that happened here.....:eek:

GerardKeating

banshee_bones wrote: »

Whoa! Never thought about it like that..... !

Yikes! If that happened here.....:eek:

Would not like to be in the Harbour Hotel if those tanks or the ships that supply them went up...

Shop Street should be OK, Merchant Road and the Eye Sq centre would take the brunt of any "problem"...

banshee_bones

ugh...shudders* doesnt bare thinking about! and i live in town! Theres over what 8 tanks there....?

galvianlord

Not so sure that it's all down to the oil tanks, i think the council bear alot of the blame and our old friends the serial objectors lead by hambleton. but if it is the oil tanks then have a look at this rather scary map on the council website:

http://www.galwaycity.ie/CityDevelopmentPlan/chapter8.html#a87

if that's the case and the tanks were to go up then shop street aint safe and most of the city as we know it would be ****ed....

walking down town there, dodging drunken students and noticed four empty shops on shop street alone!

also these from google:

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3324-location-oil-tanks-freezes-development-city

http://www.galwayindependent.com/letters/letters/shopfronts-and-seveso/

ukgalwaymcguire

mmm does anyone know anything about the bulidling burnt out by fire, by blackrock? salthill?

TheCosmicFrog

What about the greyish-blue rounded corner building in Salthill beside Leisureland? Seems like the prime location doran Off License.

snubbleste

"Prominent city business man, Gerry Barrett, has won his bid to redevelop Taaffes in the city centre. The building on William Street which has been idle for several years will now be transformed into a major retail unit."

See, removing some pesky oil tanks by virtue of inviting a sporting event to establish a retail emporium does work

JIZZLORD

Bonzodog wrote: »

Second one -- The deserted 'Esso' station near the omniplex, bottom of headford road. Are they going to knock this or what? I remember it closing in 2001, but they have not done anything with it since.

Old thread i know, but i think any former filling station site has to be left abandoned for a few years to allow for all the crap to drain from the soil

Zzippy

JIZZLORD wrote: »

Old thread i know, but i think any former filling station site has to be left abandoned for a few years to allow for all the crap to drain from the soil

Not true, they just have to remove the topsoil and treat AFAIK. Otherwise they couldn't have redeveloped the filling station across from the hospital as soon as they knocked it.

padraig71

And those are far from being the only long-term derelict buildings in town. How about the 'Ideal Drapery' and next-door butcher's shop at the corner of Dominick Street just down from the Roisin? They have been empty for years. Also some empty buildings further up Henry St towards Cooke's corner.

What I can't understand is why nobody ever seems to squat any of these buildings - there are some houses that have been boarded up for ages that would make good rent-free accommodation. Waste not, want not...

Mrs OBumble

If we're gonna resurrect this thread, may I be the first to mention the former distillery on the river/Nuns Island.

It's had a thread all of its own (hmm, will search and see if I can find the link): from memory, the distillery was Galway's largest employer at one time, later became a chemical factory and the site is rumoured to be so contaminated that no one's brave enough to clean it up.



And not in the same league for character/history, but I guess there's also the former Lantern in Ballybane!

galwaybabe

snubbleste wrote: »

"Prominent city business man, Gerry Barrett, has won his bid to redevelop Taaffes in the city centre. The building on William Street which has been idle for several years will now be transformed into a major retail unit."

See, removing some pesky oil tanks by virtue of inviting a sporting event to establish a retail emporium does work

Watch yourself, you'll have Barrett's fanclub down on you like a ton of bricks for suggesting that there were any links between sporting events and planning permissions.

CliffHuxtabel

JustMary wrote: »

If we're gonna resurrect this thread, may I be the first to mention the former distillery on the river/Nuns Island.

yeah always wondered about that place....nice location on the river if someone could do it up....id say insuring it would be a bi*ch

Sponge Bob

I think Barrett builds to a reasonable standard of design and finish unlike other builders do.

The distillery was the Hygeia factory for over 40 years and they made fungicide and other 'icides' there until the 1980s . The potential cleanup costs effectively made the site worthless even at the height of the property bubble. It is Galways handsomest derelict building

the_syco

JustMary wrote: »

It's had a thread all of its own (hmm, will search and see if I can find the link): from memory, the distillery was Galway's largest employer at one time, later became a chemical factory and the site is rumoured to be so contaminated that no one's brave enough to clean it up.

You talk of this: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055624460 ?

JohnCleary

I love that building by the River. I swear if I ever win the Euromillions i'm gonna turn it into my gaff... with a slipway n' all!

Wompa1

You'll end up with a yellow fungus growing on your balls..unless you have that already

bonzodog2

Wompa1 wrote: »

You'll end up with a yellow fungus growing on your balls..unless you have that already

And if he has that alraedy, what will he get ?

JohnCleary

Wompa1 wrote: »

You'll end up with a yellow fungus growing on your balls..unless you have that already

Sounds like a win win!

dloob

Speaking of Gerry Barrett, the Corrib Great Southern has joined the list of deserted buildings.

siltirocker

JohnCleary wrote: »

I love that building by the River. I swear if I ever win the Euromillions i'm gonna turn it into my gaff... with a slipway n' all!

Hand's off! That's mine Cleary!!!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::P


I'd give my left testicle for the Savoy.

Padraic71; The butchers on Dominic St. belongs to a mate's family. I think they are waiting for a relative to relinguish his 2% he got in the will or something. He reckon's the dude will literally be in his grave before any thing happens there.

3-D Preacher

There's another derelict building on Dominic St. beside the Galway Arts Centre. At one point you could see a tree growing out of a back room, if you knew which window to look out of in the Arts Centre.

JohnCleary

3-D Preacher wrote: »

There's another derelict building on Dominic St. beside the Galway Arts Centre. At one point you could see a tree growing out of a back room, if you knew which window to look out of in the Arts Centre.

Ah, St. Valentine house? Some spot

Thargor

I dont like seeing derilict buildings but theres something especially sad about boarded up independent video rental places that always gives me a pang when I see them, they look so sad for some reason.