Penneys Development

road_high

pinkfloyd34 wrote: »

i find the lay out of kilkenny and carlow very similar, two main shopping streets, a couple of shopping centres very central, housing estates and retail parks on the outskirts, pretty much the same as any town,

pinkfloyd34

SoupyNorman wrote: »

Apart from the fact that Kilkenny is beautiful, steeped in history (and marketed likewise) and the footpaths are not humpier then the hunchback or Notre Dame.

You cant compare the two towns, I dont hear of too many people going for 'a romantic weekend to Carlow'.

What has romantic weekends got to do with the penny's development? Yes the castle and grounds in kilkenny are historic but that's the only difference between the two towns

iwillhtfu

pinkfloyd34 wrote: »

What has romantic weekends got to do with the penny's development? Yes the castle and grounds in kilkenny are historic but that's the only difference between the two towns

You compared both towns and soupynorman gave a very real indication of the difference. you can't compare towns solely on buildings and street layouts. I'm a blow in to Carlow and I can tell you before I moved down I spent many a weekend in Kilkenny and never once visited Carlow. The towns are poles apart and I would say that's even more obvious based on tourism figures.

Carlow has a lot going for it but years of poor planning and infrastructure have ruined some of their best assets. Clearly Carlow went through a ridiculous phase of allowing developers build abhorrent apartment blocks under the guise of tax incentives and to be honest it's a disgrace.

Carlow would benefit from this development no doubt but what will lure big chain companies. The town centre needs a thoroughfare or some sort of central area. As another has posted you could arrive in Carlow and think the only thing of note i the road into it and the road to Kilkenny. Again I mean no offence and it would be an almighty task to set the plans in motion to turn Carlow into a modern attractive town worth visiting. If I were to compare Carlow to paint it would be magnolia - It's a fine colour but just a bit meh..

DancingHomer

iwillhtfu wrote: »

The town centre needs a thoroughfare or some sort of central area. As another has posted you could arrive in Carlow and think the only thing of note i the road into it and the road to Kilkenny.

You could say the same about Naas, nobody goes to Naas for a romantic weekend, but i still think that's a town that Carlow should be looking to emulate. Carlow will never be a tourist town like Kilkenny. Instead it should look to improve itself over time by only approving planning applications for large, quality, family housing for commuters that exceeds what you could buy in Naas or Kilkenny, not cheap rubbish along the River banks. Attract the right type of people into the town, and the character and vibrancy of the town will change.

Do Carlow CoCo employ an architect?
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/there-s-a-connection-between-dying-towns-and-no-architects-1.2652185

ForstalDave

DancingHomer wrote: »

You could say the same about Naas, nobody goes to Naas for a romantic weekend, but i still think that's a town that Carlow should be looking to emulate. Carlow will never be a tourist town like Kilkenny. Instead it should look to improve itself over time by only approving planning applications for large, quality, family housing for commuters that exceeds what you could buy in Naas or Kilkenny, not cheap rubbish along the River banks. Attract the right type of people into the town, and the character and vibrancy of the town will change.

Do Carlow CoCo employ an architect?
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/there-s-a-connection-between-dying-towns-and-no-architects-1.2652185

To become a proper comuuter town the rail line needsw to be 2 tracks all the way though and irishrail will likly never front the money for that

Be well and win

DancingHomer wrote: »

You could say the same about Naas, nobody goes to Naas for a romantic weekend, but i still think that's a town that Carlow should be looking to emulate. Carlow will never be a tourist town like Kilkenny. Instead it should look to improve itself over time by only approving planning applications for large, quality, family housing for commuters that exceeds what you could buy in Naas or Kilkenny, not cheap rubbish along the River banks. Attract the right type of people into the town, and the character and vibrancy of the town will change.

Do Carlow CoCo employ an architect?
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/there-s-a-connection-between-dying-towns-and-no-architects-1.2652185

Naas is dying since Tesco's opened on the Monread road. Even McDonalds in Naas towncentre has closed. Some talk around developement on the old Superquinn site in Naas but nothing started yet.

As for saying Kilkenny is like Carlow, are people being serious?? From a shopping perspective, Kilkenny is a complete and utter different class, likewise from a pub/hotel/restaurant perspective.

SoupyNorman

Be well and win wrote: »

Naas is dying since Tesco's opened on the Monread road. Even McDonalds in Naas towncentre has closed. Some talk around developement on the old Superquinn site in Naas but nothing started yet.

Some people just find it hard to understand or accept that the high street is dying in general unless a city has a critical mass of a local population that uses it regularly. Carlow certainly does not have that critical mass.

However, if the proposed development went ahead then because of it's town centre location it could be the spark that ignites it's revival.

Big ask in fairness.

Jed and Dave

DancingHomer wrote: »

You could say the same about Naas, nobody goes to Naas for a romantic weekend, but i still think that's a town that Carlow should be looking to emulate. Carlow will never be a tourist town like Kilkenny. Instead it should look to improve itself over time by only approving planning applications for large, quality, family housing for commuters that exceeds what you could buy in Naas or Kilkenny, not cheap rubbish along the River banks. Attract the right type of people into the town, and the character and vibrancy of the town will change.

Do Carlow CoCo employ an architect?
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/there-s-a-connection-between-dying-towns-and-no-architects-1.2652185

This! the Council need to employ a Town Architect, with the same role as the one in Westport. There’s a great video on youtube on the stuff the guy in Westport is doing.
A town Architect could address the small things that add up, signage , replacing outdated lights with ugly telegraph wires(Carlow town blighted by it),designing shop fronts, public spaces, street furniture, planting etc. giving buildings a lick of paint(in fairness Carlow CoCo are doing this)
As a blow in myself I agree with the other Blow in about Carlow and Kilkenny. It’s a good comparison to make; both are the same size towns in the same region. Kilkenny have produced a local area plan to plan out the development of the riverfront they are hiding the car park in front of dunnes. You will notice the main car parks in Kilkenny are underground or hidden. People are attracted to live in and visit Kilkenny because it’s a nice place, Carlow you visit out of necessity, do your shopping in sports direct and hop in the car and split.
Someone was talking about making the town more traffic friendly, the town is blighted with traffic, surface car parks, and traffic fumes it needs a balance between being more accessible by car but yet more pedestrian friendly. Also when you think about it there is very little street parking on the 2 main shopping streets in KK because they have realised that even though you might have a street full of traffic making the street look busy that in reality this equates to only a handful of people- if you saw the graphic on that Westport town Architects presentation the penny would drop.
A good start would be to create an entrance to the fairgreen coming out at the top of tullow street create a high quality public space there and link it to the main street. You have 5 roads meeting at that junction when you only need 3.(you have access at the fire stn)
To me the town centre is the fountain, start in the middle and work out, redevelop that car park make the parking underground, look at that roundabout. Agree with the poster saying you need people living in the town to support footfall.. I could go on but…

iano.p

Jed and dave. You are 100% right In what you said. The council I feel will only cop on when they are forced and that will never happen now thanks too big phil. We have loads space In carlow to create a talking point and tourism hot spot

Jed and Dave

Lads I despair:mad:

Just reading a chief exectives report about progress on the town plan(2012-18)

It has all these objectives- build the ring road, develop all the opportunity sites in the town centre etc. etc.

In the summary the Executive says we have not achieved our objectives but we will extend this current plan for another 4 years... so it was a failure!

theres nothing outlined about what they are going to do to ensure carry out the objectives in the next 4 years. Its disgraceful.

http://www.carlow.ie/wp-content/documents/uploads/Carlow%20Town%20Environs%20LAP%202012%20-2018%20Extension%20of%20Life%20of%20LAP.pdf

DancingHomer

Not much to get excited about there.

Regarding the zoned land available, i wish they'd look at re-zoning the land around the O'Brien road from Industrial to Residential. It's such a dark, eerie place at night time i'd never consider going for a walk down there. It seems like the Pollerton area is kinda cut off by the O'Brien road. The town needs more housing on the Dublin side to cater for commuters priced out of Kildare, and O'Brien Road and Strawhall would be ideal to meet the demand for good quality homes within walking distance of the town centre.

road_high

Obrien road should be reserved for business/ industrial. Wouldn’t be fair on the businesses there or new residents.

SligoBrewer

DancingHomer wrote: »

The town needs more housing on the Dublin side to cater for commuters priced out of Kildare, and O'Brien Road and Strawhall would be ideal to meet the demand for good quality homes within walking distance of the town centre.

Becoming a full-fledged sleeper commuter town is not the answer to Carlow's woes, and simply is bad planning.

road_high

SligoBrewer wrote: »

Becoming a full-fledged sleeper commuter town is not the answer to Carlow's woes, and simply is bad planning.

Totally not but there seems to be a weird obsession with it in Carlow, like it’s a badge of honour. Which is sad because Carlow was always a strong regional town in its own right. Rather than some outpost of Dublin.

radharc

SligoBrewer wrote: »

Becoming a full-fledged sleeper commuter town is not the answer to Carlow's woes, and simply is bad planning.

The accommodation situation in the town is chronic, it would be bad planning to ignore that.

Snaffles2014

Carlow needs to paddle its own canoe and not be looking for crumbs. Chamber of Commerce need to look at opportunities and develop them and attract new business and industries to the town.

Agent Coulson

I see today that Jennifer Murnane say she has it on good authority that the development is still going ahead.

Nokia6230i

:rolleyes:

Agent Coulson wrote: »

I see today that Jennifer Murnane say she has it on good authority that the development is still going ahead.

Agent Coulson

Ah now don't tell you don't believe Jennifer? :pac:

Nokia6230i

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Ah now don't tell you don't believe Jennifer? :pac:

Ones "local" Senator'd say Mass if it got her on the wireless in fairness!

contrary_devil

Nokia6230i wrote: »

Ones "local" Senator'd say Mass if it got her on the wireless in fairness!

Especially in the run up to an election. Saying Mass will be done before the year is out.

road_high

Nokia6230i wrote: »

Ones "local" Senator'd say Mass if it got her on the wireless in fairness!

Is she a bit of a hardcore religious one?...She's regularly posting local religious stuff on FB! I guess part of her core vote is the mass going brigade.

road_high

Agent Coulson wrote: »

I see today that Jennifer Murnane say she has it on good authority that the development is still going ahead.

...of course our amazing local radio "journalists" couldn't be even bothered to probe her further as to what evidence she has exactly of this. Local media both radio and local paper in Carlow Kilkenny are unbelievably dire at present. They usually have the "latest news" a week to a month after the rest of us. Then they wonder why they're under financial pressure!

Nokia6230i

road_high wrote: »

...of course our amazing local radio "journalists" couldn't be even bothered to probe her further as to what evidence she has exactly of this. Local media both radio and local paper in Carlow Kilkenny are unbelievably dire at present. They usually have the "latest news" a week to a month after the rest of us. Then they wonder why they're under financial pressure!

You'll also note the dearth of interaction on social media regarding either the Nationalist or KCLR regarding their Status Updates.

Couple of likes here, a reaction there, maybe two to three comments, four or five if it's something "controversial" like the recent Barrow Blueway refusal decision for example.

Only for the story on front page of Nationalist that they post every week being about Syrian Refugees recently it would've been like tumbleweed too.

If you're a local journalist you should be trying to get the lowdown locally yet the editor of the Nationalist and news editor don't have much of a social media presence.

The presenters of the 2 main shows on the wireless are reasonably active in comparison I guess with one being based here and the other in Co. Kilkenny.

Nokia6230i

road_high wrote: »

Is she a bit of a hardcore religious one?...She's regularly posting local religious stuff on FB! I guess part of her core vote is the mass going brigade.

Think so yes; I do know she came out against RT8th on KCLR in January; mind you so'd 4 out of the 5 TDs here.

SoupyNorman

Agent Coulson wrote: »

I see today that Jennifer Murnane say she has it on good authority that the development is still going ahead.

I'll believe nothing until I see workers on site, then again I'll hardly be able to believe if I do.

road_high

Nokia6230i wrote: »

Think so yes; I do know she came out against RT8th on KCLR in January; mind you so'd 4 out of the 5 TDs here.

The more I follow her on FB, the more irritating she gets. Does she do any actual work apart from share posts on social media every two seconds?
She was ranting yesterday about how slow the govt response was and how people could collect even more state handouts. A classic hurler on the ditch that plays to an audience of the most ignorant and frankly uneducated.
In her little world the govt should control the weather as well

natc

road_high wrote: »

The more I follow her on FB, the more irritating she gets. Does she do any actual work apart from share posts on social media every two seconds?
She was ranting yesterday about how slow the govt response was and how people could collect even more state handouts. A classic hurler on the ditch that plays to an audience of the most ignorant and frankly uneducated.
In her little world the govt should control the weather as well

She has a local office with at least one staff member, I would imagine that person may also run her Facebook page....

Nokia6230i

natc wrote: »

She has a local office with at least one staff member, I would imagine that person may also run her Facebook page....

Here's the rub on that.

During late 2016/early 2017 the local FF Cumann advertised a vacancy with Carlow Volunteer Centre for a "Social Media Assistant" (I think I have exact title) with the vacancy to be based at/out of Bagenal Ct.

Not sure who to be angrier with; the Cumann/Jennifer or CVC; it's not an appropriate volunteer opportunity to be advertising and I'd love to know who gave the okay for a political party to advertise in this way with them.

Jed and Dave

I see that house of tiles premisis at the junction of barrack street and tullow street is up for sale.

would love to it bought and converted into a pedestrian link from the back of the fairgreen linking to the top of the tullow street. Would be an opportunity to get more footfall onto the main street,