Cooltederry , Portarlington, Co.Laois

stan1979

hi folks,

just wondering if anyone has any news regarding this supposed development,

http://www.laois.ie/ePlan41/FileRefDetails.aspx?file_number=09357&LASiteID=0

cheers

stan

Sunny86

Sounds good if it goes ahead, proper supermarket is badly needed in the town, local jobs created and might help stem the flow of Portarlington money out of the town.

sydthebeat

looks like it was appealed to an bord pleanala in december...

therefore expect first communications for an bord in june.. .and probably expect a decision next autumn sometime.

there was permission on this site for similar proposals, but the permission expired. my fear would be a lack of local infrastructure to service this proposal ie sewage works, public water, roads etc....

Kingdom

Sunny86 wrote: »

Sounds good if it goes ahead, proper supermarket is badly needed in the town, local jobs created and might help stem the flow of Portarlington money out of the town.

What do you mean by "proper supermarket"?
Are Aldi, SuperValu not enough for a small town? Value for money is whats needed, and the other two supermarkets provide that.
The upside of local jobs will mean Centra going bust, Super Valu laying off staff, and some of the local traders (One of the butchers and probably the Grocer) going bust, leaving further empty units in the town.

Kingdom

As syd has aluded to above, the mess of infrastructure would worry me. I mean Laois county council have done a bang up job in that regard with recent planning decisions.

Sunny86

Kingdom wrote: »

What do you mean by "proper supermarket"?
Are Aldi, SuperValu not enough for a small town? Value for money is whats needed, and the other two supermarkets provide that.
The upside of local jobs will mean Centra going bust, Super Valu laying off staff, and some of the local traders (One of the butchers and probably the Grocer) going bust, leaving further empty units in the town.

In my business i compete with much larger outfits and alot of hostility in the market, so to survive i ensure i source the right product at the right price and provide customer service that is second to none i have to do adapt and change my business to survive and prosper.
Money is flying out of the town to Newbridge, Tullamore and Portlaoise.
A major retailer will increase the chance of people doing weekley shops in the town thus giving any proactive retailers will see an increase in business not decrease as the numbers shopping here will be up, i take your point that some retailers will be hit, but many more will prosper and you will see more shops opening as Port will be viewed in a different light as a shopping town.
Port is not that small a town and it would be a far bigger and better town if people think big and embrace change and investment rather than fear it

elvis jones

Sunny86 wrote: »

In my business i compete with much larger outfits and alot of hostility in the market, so survive i ensure i source the right product at the right price and provide customer service that is second to none i have to do adapt and change my business to survive and prosper.
Money is flying out of the town to Newbridge, Tullamore and Portlaoise.
A major retailer will increase the chance of people doing weekley shops in the town thus giving any proactive retailers will see an increase in business not decrease as the numbers shopping here will be up, i take your point that some retailers will be hit, but many more will prosper and you will see more shops opening as Port will be viewed in a different light as a shopping town.
Port is not that small a town and it would be a far bigger and better town if people think big and embrace change and investment rather than fear it

I think the above sums up my thinking of the subject as well. I'd much rather do all my business in town rather than go to Tullamore etc. Also local employment is also needed and a development such as this will help provide this.

The fact some local business people are the ones objecting is the part i fact sad, when the proposed areas already exist in this town already. Pub, restaurant, super market................

Kingdom

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree there lads. If its the same site I'm thiking of (the one between the train line and Sandy Lane National School) I can think of a couple of better uses for it.

Would people still approve of the McMahons move to the old ESB site? It's a bloody eyesore on the edge of the town, half-ar*ed works that remain unfinished, public lighting still not completed, and its empty for the most part.

I'm all for improving the town, I just don't think this will be the saviour all are looking for. I would disagree on the definition of "small town" too, as we are dwarfed by the two closest towns to us, Tullamore and Portlaoise.
I'm all for competition too, but the town does not need Centra, SuperValu, Aldi, Tesco and what I presume will be Dunnes on the site we're referring to in this thread. Centra is on its last legs, and would not be surprised to see it close before the end of the year,

We make it a point of doing all our household shopping in town, but for all else we'll go to where it best aids us, not the town. Sunny makes reference to money flying out to the local areas such as Newbridge, the town and Tullamore, and why is that? Port has a population of 5000 max I'd say. About half that would be working, and the majority of those people are working out of the town. Thats life these days and plenty of people will shop in the areas where they work on the way home, its just handier.
Its also a fact that time is a lot more precious than it was in the past decade as peoples lives have got busier. People will flock to where all there needs are met in the one relatively small area. Cinema's will take people out of the town; theatres will take people out of the town; fastfood chains like McDonalds etc will take people out of town. People with families will combine shops with things like this.
There are a lot of things going for the town. We have a town square that in my opinion is not utilised correctly. It should be the focal point of the town. As it stands its a disgrace.

I'm not a doom and gloom merchant; I especially love outside the box thinking. If there were more pay as you go type of leisure pursuits you'd be onto a winner. The entreprenuer who thought up Clown Around is a genuis. We use them at least once a week, its a Godsend.
I want to see the town succeed, I'm just not going to put all my hopes on a new supermarket.

irelandspurs

if tesco or dunnes or whatever opened and was cheaper than the local shops which wouldn't be hard i know where i would be shopping.I went into centra the other day and bought something that cost 3.89 the next day i saw the very same in super valu for 2.09 and i consider super valu the be expensive.:mad:

Sunny86

Well if you take Portarlington + Mountmellick + monastrevin + killenard +
Bracknagh + Cloneygowan+ Geashill + Emo + about 20 other little villages and townslands within a 10 minute drive you get a far bigger number than 5,000
from he last census(another project) i worked it out that the catchment area of Portarlington is about 20,000 and im sure thats the real reason Large supermarket chains see potential and are willing to invest huge amounts of money in the town.
I see you point about leisure actvities, but its putting the cart before the horse. You need jobs and people from sorrounding areas coming into the town
for leisure facilities to start up and prosper, i really feel major retailers would be a catalyst for Portarlington to grow and become a better serviced town.

Kingdom

Sunny86 wrote: »

Well if you take Portarlington + Mountmellick + monastrevin + killenard +
Bracknagh + Cloneygowan+ Geashill + Emo + about 20 other little villages and townslands within a 10 minute drive you get a far bigger number than 5,000
from he last census(another project) i worked it out that the catchment area of Portarlington is about 20,000

I don't. I'm not trying to be insulting, but I think what you've just done is ridiculous to be honest.
I'd give you Bracknagh, Cloneygowan and Killenard, but the rest? C'mon!

I see you point about leisure actvities, but its putting the cart before the horse. You need jobs and people from sorrounding areas coming into the town
for leisure facilities to start up and prosper, i really feel major retailers would be a catalyst for Portarlington to grow and become a better serviced town.

I see your point, but only to a point! There have been at least 5 businesses quit the town in the past 6 months.
As I said earlier we should just agree to disagree.

Sunny86

Supervalu in Port saw it purposeful to hire a billboard in Portlaoise to target shoppers, why is it ridiculous for a major retailer not to target shoppers from 10 minute catchment area? Do you think they would invest 10's of millions in the place for 5000 people?
If you have an axe to grind there is a planning process, did you lodge a complaint? My family have been in business here for 49 years and we plan on being in business here for as long as im alive. I have plans in place which could directly create 20 well paid jobs in the town but people like you will probably object to that, as well as you regard industrial units as an eyesore.(Mc Mahons employ people too)
I'm all for making the town better, but development and investment is the only way it can happen, sure there will be casualties but there will be alot more sucess stories.

Minxie123

The town doesn't need another grocery shop, that's a fact. The only reason I leave Port to shop is for clothes (newbridge) and the odd trip to Argos (tullamore). I'd love to see some shops like River Island & Oasis in the town. Perhaps done in a concessionaire style. I think if they did that they would attract customers from Portlaoise & Tullamore because there's feck all there clothes wise either. The new shops need to be looking at targeting out of town business rather than just recycling the business that's already in town.

Sunny86

But a major retailer would attract new shops and most importantly customers, that overlook the town. It would also help alot of other local businesses that are already in the town. I know of at least ten business people that own sites
in Portarlington that are going to invest vast amounts on projects in the town but will not move until at least one major retailer has moved in. You are talking about hundreds of jobs in construction phase and hundreds more once its completed, either within the complex or in spin offs that it creates.
God knows Port needs jobs.

Minxie123

I hear you on the Port needs jobs front. But when you say major retailer, who do you mean? Dunnes? Tescos? Both are more of the same and I can't really see them attracting any new business that doesn't detract from the businesses already in town. What you're saying has a 'field of dreams' mentality - if you build it they will come. But what they build is off major importance. My point is that just thowing up another food hall is not the answer.

Sunny86

Well i would assume if one comes the other will follow supermarkets work on Market share and if Tesco move in Dunnes can't risk not moving in as they could lose out on market share. Not sure who is earmarked for this site but
i would assume judging from the scale of the unit its either Dunnes or Tesco.
I know from an being an investor and a business person in the area, i would welcome it with open arms, i know more people in the town will help my business ventures and would give me and the banks more confidence to invest in Portarlington. Port has potential to grow and improve vastly, but only if people invest money in the town.

Kingdom

Sunny86 wrote: »

Supervalu in Port saw it purposeful to hire a billboard in Portlaoise to target shoppers, why is it ridiculous for a major retailer not to target shoppers from 10 minute catchment area? Do you think they would invest 10's of millions in the place for 5000 people?
If you have an axe to grind there is a planning process, did you lodge a complaint? My family have been in business here for 49 years and we plan on being in business here for as long as im alive. I have plans in place which could directly create 20 well paid jobs in the town but people like you will probably object to that, as well as you regard industrial units as an eyesore.(Mc Mahons employ people too)
I'm all for making the town better, but development and investment is the only way it can happen, sure there will be casualties but there will be alot more sucess stories.

You're misrepresenting what I said. I said I thought it ridiculous on
a) your inclusion of certain areas
b) your figure of an approx population.

I don't have an axe to grind, I've stated more than once that I'd like to see the town prosper, on a realistic level. I'm also someone that will turn around and acknowledge if I'm wrong.
As for your, frankly immature contention that "people like you" would prefer to see invest elsewhere, catch yourself on. I've said the opposite on each post in this thread.
Bravo on the observation of the year in regards to McMahon's and employing people, but if you think how they (McMahon's & the council) finished the area is a testament to the planning authorities then good luck to you.
Their sign is in pieces, dangerous as the electrics are not covered, the public lighting hasn't been completed, a couple of years after development. But don't address any point I make, just waffle on.

Congrats on the business however, that kind of longevity is impressive, and if you can add jobs to the town, then further kudos.

Kingdom

Sunny86 wrote: »

Well i would assume if one comes the other will follow supermarkets work on Market share and if Tesco move in Dunnes can't risk not moving in as they could lose out on market share. Not sure who is earmarked for this site but
i would assume judging from the scale of the unit its either Dunnes or Tesco.
I know from an being an investor and a business person in the area, i would welcome it with open arms, i know more people in the town will help my business ventures and would give me and the banks more confidence to invest in Portarlington. Port has potential to grow and improve vastly, but only if people invest money in the town.

How many big employers are there in Port? I'm figuring Odlums as the biggest. After that, how many individual businesses based in the town employ hundred's of people?

irelandspurs

where is cooltederry anyway.And don't get me started on the road and such around mcmahons and crann nua,more needs to be done to the knob jockey builder that did crann nua and the other estate,YES BUILDER/COWBOY you know who you are.:mad:

artful_codger

Kingdom wrote: »

I'm not a doom and gloom merchant; I especially love outside the box thinking. If there were more pay as you go type of leisure pursuits you'd be onto a winner.

I'd like to see a small Beer Festival during the summer. It sounds dumb, but why not? Nobody would have thought an old mining town in Utah with a population of 7,000 could stage one of the most famous film festivals in the world.

elvis jones

artful_codger wrote: »

I'd like to see a small Beer Festival during the summer. It sounds dumb, but why not? Nobody would have thought an old mining town in Utah with a population of 7,000 could stage one of the most famous film festivals in the world.

There was a festival in the town, The French festival.

With festivals a lot of insurance and organisation is involved. The problem with is a the main ones to gain are the pubs yet they are slow to put the hand in the pocket to cover costs and help in the organisation.

Its the same in many towns, Millingar, Longford etc all had festivals in the 1990's but these died off due to the insurance costs and the unwillingness of the publicians to invest even when they got the majority of the good will and business from it.

Kingdom

irelandspurs wrote: »

where is cooltederry anyway.And don't get me started on the road and such around mcmahons and crann nua,more needs to be done to the knob jockey builder that did crann nua and the other estate,YES BUILDER/COWBOY you know who you are.:mad:

Do you have a newsletter sir, and if so, how can I subsribe to it?
The recent res assoc letter has a good bit of info Irelandspurs.

Kingdom

artful_codger wrote: »

I'd like to see a small Beer Festival during the summer. It sounds dumb, but why not? Nobody would have thought an old mining town in Utah with a population of 7,000 could stage one of the most famous film festivals in the world.

Now you're talking. And this is coming from a non-drinker.
There's a microbrewery in Carlow.