What can be done to make Castlebar a better town?

foxy6

In the Events Arena at Breaffy House Resort on Sunday 20th November

headmaster

That's not Castlebar

spider guardian

headmaster wrote: »

That's not Castlebar

Close enough!

Would be nice to see some more businesses in Main St but the focus seems to be all on the Hopkins Rd now.

Pub scene in Castlebar isn't what it was. Used to be some great bands in the Humbert

Mickeroo

spider guardian wrote: »

Close enough!

Would be nice to see some more businesses in Main St but the focus seems to be all on the Hopkins Rd now.

Pub scene in Castlebar isn't what it was. Used to be some great bands in the Humbert

The Humbert is sorely missed alright.

I think castlebar could do with a proper mid sized venue for gigs. Seeing the likes of So I Watch You From Afar in Bar Ritz was great, but its not a proper music venue.

The linenhall is great but not really suited to that kind of music.

Samhain

The Humbert is sorely missed alright.

I think castlebar could do with a proper mid sized venue for gigs. Seeing the likes of So I Watch You From Afar in Bar Ritz was great, but its not a proper music venue.

The linenhall is great but not really suited to that kind of music.

Bar Ritz is no longer being used as a venue for those gigs. It has moved up to the Castlebar Celtic Clubhouse which is far more comfortable than the previous setup imo. As it happens, and so I Watch You From Afar are playing there this Christmas. See link for venue -

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Live-Original-bands-at-The-Clubhouse-Castlebar-Celtic/277816575576405

Mickeroo

Samhain wrote: »

Bar Ritz is no longer being used as a venue for those gigs. It has moved up to the Castlebar Celtic Clubhouse which is far more comfortable than the previous setup imo. As it happens, and so I Watch You From Afar are playing there this Christmas. See link for venue -

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Live-Original-bands-at-The-Clubhouse-Castlebar-Celtic/277816575576405

Yea I heard they were packing it in at Bar Ritz alright. Not been to the clubhouse yet, cheers for the heads up.

maddragon

..

Mach 2

Posts like this add nothing to the thread outside of inciting the locals.

jenno86

Mach 2 wrote: »

I love Castlebar

A dangerous road from Castlebar to Westport? Thats news to me.

Using a petrol station is dangerous?!

You need to get out more! You're in the wild wild west now baby!

yop

The last number of posts have not been at all beneficial to the topic of the thread.
This is a warning to anyone who comes on and starts posting nothing but inciting posts.

If this thread starts to go down that road it will be closed.

Thanks

headmaster

Talking of music in the Humbert, i've a nice story. Over 20 years ago my friend from Castlebar was married, ceremony in Ballyheane and reception in Breaffy House Hotel. The group playing that evening at the reception and in the church were "the humbert ? (something) They included a John Barrett and the now famous Mary Black, little did we know at the time, but I do still remember her haunting voice in the church, brilliant. For the other people who might think there's no music scene in C/bar. You're forgetting, we have the one and only John Hoban, a little gem who doesn't give two hoots about fame, thank god, because we have him all to ourselves. I've no doubt, if John wanted to, he could be up there with the best, long may he continue.

My_left_leg

what would make C'bar a better place?

let me see?
NAPALM?:D
A GIANT SIZE STEAMROLLER?:D
A TSUNAMI?:D

C'bar is the most depressing place on earth. The people are so unfriendly, depressed and inbred.
It rains constantly, "enjoying" about 3 days of sunshine per annum.

Doubtless the Mod will remove this, 'cos we cant have people expressing an opinion can we?:P

My_left_leg

it might 'er incite the locals!:eek:

biko

My_left_leg banned for trolling again.
Only constructive posts please as yop asked.

Neworder79

New paving and landscaping is continuing on The Mall and from Mountain View to the hospital. Combined with the main street upgrades this should see all the town center up brought to a modern standard and looking more attractive. Hopefully it will entice new business to some of the vacant buildings but may have to wait for economic conditions to settle.

The recently announced greenway linking Castlebar to the Great Western Greenway with via Lough Lannah, Rehins Woods trails and on to Islandeady and Westport will enhance the tourism product further, making better use of the natural resources surrounding the town.

It will also offer cyclists and commuters a safer alternative to the N5. And yes it is dangerous in parts, as evidenced in several crashes and fatalities, 2 of which have closed the road in the last few months. Most of these were near the sharp bends and sudden junctions, with few overtaking opportunities and no hard shoulder. The planned N5 won't go ahead in the near future but one of the most dangerous sections was upgraded recently, taking out a very narrow hill which left no margin for cyclists or walkers. If a couple of the worst bends were realigned the current road would suffice.

More incremental improvements like these can only improve life and visitor impressions of the town.

yop

Neworder79 wrote: »

New paving and landscaping is continuing on The Mall and from Mountain View to the hospital. Combined with the main street upgrades this should see all the town center up brought to a modern standard and looking more attractive. Hopefully it will entice new business to some of the vacant buildings but may have to wait for economic conditions to settle.

The recently announced greenway linking Castlebar to the Great Western Greenway with via Lough Lannah, Rehins Woods trails and on to Islandeady and Westport will enhance the tourism product further, making better use of the natural resources surrounding the town.

It will also offer cyclists and commuters a safer alternative to the N5. And yes it is dangerous in parts, as evidenced in several crashes and fatalities, 2 of which have closed the road in the last few months. Most of these were near the sharp bends and sudden junctions, with few overtaking opportunities and no hard shoulder. The planned N5 won't go ahead in the near future but one of the most dangerous sections was upgraded recently, taking out a very narrow hill which left no margin for cyclists or walkers. If a couple of the worst bends were realigned the current road would suffice.

More incremental improvements like these can only improve life and visitor impressions of the town.

Good points. Its a road to improvement. It will still take another 5 years but hopefully it will bring something to the town.

YouTookMyName

Bypass it, again.

C-J

I've lived in Castlebar for three years and love it, it has everything you need in close proximity. The one thing that initially struck was the unusually high number of beauticians, charity shops and hairdressers, I don't know how any of them are doing a decent trade there's so many!

headmaster

I know a lot of people are afraid of sunbeds and all that, but many thousands of people are using them. If you want them, there should be good well equipped salons available, not one or two in the back of a hairdressers with everyone staring at you if you want to use them. I would imagine a good business opportunity exists in Castlebar for, a good, well run, well equipped one OR TWO of these salons, with modern, clean, latest models of sunbeds.

irishgeo

headmaster wrote: »

I know a lot of people are afraid of sunbeds and all that, but many thousands of people are using them. If you want them, there should be good well equipped salons available, not one or two in the back of a hairdressers with everyone staring at you if you want to use them. I would imagine a good business opportunity exists in Castlebar for, a good, well run, well equipped one OR TWO of these salons, with modern, clean, latest models of sunbeds.

sure i passed one on linenhall st over the weekend.

SpatialPlanning

After reading this thread I'm not sure we are any closer to solving the problem of what can be done to improve Castlebar. There have been some good suggestions, but people, for the most part, are not 'thinking big' when it comes to solutions. I don't think a new pub, an additional shopping centre, or a pedestrianised street will serve to improve the town in the long run.

In terms of improving the town you must look at each individual area where you think it needs to be improved, from large to small scale. These are questions, rather than answers, that I am putting to you.

Some areas to consider;

Infrastructure, connectability and public health
Large Scale -
How well is Castlebar linked into the National Transport Grid? Road networks for private transport, road networks for public transport, railway services, connections to a nearby airport...etc. How easy is it for a local to access these transport networks from various locations around Castlebar? Improving links to the town is key in attracting investment and residents to the area. Who wouldn't want to live in an easily accessible area that allowed one to have a convenient base from which to travel to a multitude of locations throughout the country?! Once the wider picture has been addressed then it is possible to focus on improving the town itself.

Medium Scale -
What can be done in the environs of the town itself to make accessibility easier, for all modes of transport? Are there a number of alternative routes/modes of transport available to a user? Are people being discouraged from using one method of transport (walking/cycling) due to a lack of options (green routes/cycle paths), or an overabundance of existing traffic (cars/delivery vans...etc)? Are there areas that would be served by removing certain types of traffic? Are there alternative routes available to said traffic? A key concept of efficient and effective planning is the ability to make an area 'user friendly'. Is Castlebar user friendly? Would pedestrianising a large section of the inner town help or hinder this? Could this be used to encourage new businesses in the area? Would existing businesses be better served in other locations (ie. removing 'dead space' from a street and relocating it to the periphery of the town to allow businesses to flourish in close proximity to one another and re-energise an area)?

Again, once the large picture is evaluated, then the smore detailed analysis can begin.

Small Scale -
Focussing on a small scale, how is the user experience of the area? Are there enough public open spaces (parks)? Are these public spaces encorporating good urban design? What can be done to improve them and encourage more footfall in the area? Each site could potentially be linked (via walkways/green ways/cycle paths) to get maximum use from it whilst not excluding certain areas. Are there enough amenities for people of all ages in these public spaces?
Completing a transect of the main arteries of the town would be a necessity here. What state are the foothpaths in? Is the town pedestrian friendly? Access for disabled persons? Limited parking for deliveries to business? Sufficient off-site car parking that is within short walking distance of the main areas of the town?


These are just a few very simple questions for you to consider when thinking about what can be done to improve the town. As you can see, I've only dealth with infrastructure, connectability and public health here but you can see how everything is linked. If you want to talk about tourism, social, environmental or commercial/industrial aspects of the town then you can see how one issue will have a knock on effect. This is why the bigger picture must first be considerded before real progress can be made.

Coming back to it again - how will a pub benefit the area? There will be 1 more pub. People will go there, taking away from another existing business. Will it really change peoples perception of the town? Will it change the quality of life experienced by those who live there? Then factor in the added antisocial behaviour that inevitably comes with a new licenced premises...

Just something to think about...

EKClarke

**not clever**

Micealoidin

MOD NOTE - Boards.ie is not a place to be advertising paid events. Regards

Coillte_Bhoy

doh!

Castlebardude

MOD NOTE: I really dont know what your agenda on this forum is, but you posted the majority of this post in a separate thread and it was closed due to it been pie in the sky, not your coming at it as your "vision".
Well it doesn't sit right with the mods on here so we are not going to allow it.

Either post some real work non cloaked information or stay off the forum.

You won't be warned again.

Regards

Castlebardude

No agenda here mate actually no I take that back, my agenda is I care about my home town & would like to see
it do better than it currently is at the moment so I went to the bother & spent a considerable amount of time
in putting together some ideas that I think could be done & could work in bringing prosperity back to the town and would like to hear other people's opinions on my ideas.
Nothing wrong with that is there ? I've read through the Mayo charter & ca'nt see any rules that I may have broken. "Pie in the sky" you say why not let other people have a read & see what they think.It's exactly the
same as my other post, I just started the first one in a different manner so people might think my ideas were actually going to happen at first but I made it clear at the end that it was fictious but how great it would be
if it were to happen.
When my original post was modified then removed I emailed Boards & the other mod as to what exactly I've done
wrong here & now I ask you to either PM me or place it here as to what exactly you have an issue with. Is this post not keeping with the thread title ? Was the OP not looking for ideas to improve the town ?

P.S. I trust you are not from Castlebar ?

yop

Castlebardude wrote: »

No agenda here mate actually no I take that back, my agenda is I care about my home town & would like to see
it do better than it currently is at the moment so I went to the bother & spent a considerable amount of time
in putting together some ideas that I think could be done & could work in bringing prosperity back to the town and would like to hear other people's opinions on my ideas.
Nothing wrong with that is there ? I've read through the Mayo charter & ca'nt see any rules that I may have broken. "Pie in the sky" you say why not let other people have a read & see what they think.It's exactly the
same as my other post, I just started the first one in a different manner so people might think my ideas were actually going to happen at first but I made it clear at the end that it was fictious but how great it would be
if it were to happen.
When my original post was modified then removed I emailed Boards & the other mod as to what exactly I've done
wrong here & now I ask you to either PM me or place it here as to what exactly you have an issue with. Is this post not keeping with the thread title ? Was the OP not looking for ideas to improve the town ?

P.S. I trust you are not from Castlebar ?

No need to PM, we have reviewed the posts and have deemed it more a manifesto than thoughts of a person who just posts on boards.ie.
The reference to certain hotels groups and the detail of the posts also point towards this.
Been from Castlebar or Dublin in relation to this is irrelevant, we have reviewed your posts and deemed that they aren't going be allowed on the Mayo forum.

Posts remain deleted.

Regards

Irishgoatman

yop wrote: »

No need to PM, we have reviewed the posts and have deemed it more a manifesto than thoughts of a person who just posts on boards.ie.
The reference to certain hotels groups and the detail of the posts also point towards this.
Been from Castlebar or Dublin in relation to this is irrelevant, we have reviewed your posts and deemed that they aren't going be allowed on the Mayo forum.

Posts remain deleted.

Regards

I have to say that I agree with the mods decision on this.
I read the post when I received it as an email notification and although some of the ideas seemed good it certainly did not read as "Ideas from a man in the street". More like a well thought out business tender.

I'm not from Castlebar but I am from living in Mayo and used to enjoy shopping in Castlebar, but nowadays it's just a case of driving to the one or two shops for certain items and back home again.

Castlebardude

Wow ! So do you guys think I'm running for election & this is my manifesto ?
RE: reference to certain hotel groups - you could have just modified the names surely, I was only trying to give examples. Do you think I represent the 2 different worldwide Hotel Groups & UK Engineering company & maybe all the different Castlebar retailers I cited ?
I feel like I'm in China or something & my Western ideas are been repressed ! Sorry but I think ye need to lighten up a little with ye're moderating, it's a bit OTT !
We will have to agree to disagree on this I guess. I have posted on another forum on this who do'nt seem to take issue with it so I'll leave it at that with this particular topic on Boards.ie (very disappointing though)

nuac

I presume the post referred to is that recently put on the Castlebar Home Page.

If the references to particular firms etc offends forum rules, they could be deleted. However the post, while ambitious, does form a basis for discussion.

Years ago Padraig Flynn floated the idea of covering in the main street.

I am not sure where the investment would come from, nor the income to service the investment.

In the shortterm, covering in the main street would at least shelter those getting buses to Westport at weekends.

In the meantime the centre of the town is being hollowed out with all the major investment going outside the traditional urban centre.

These issues are worth discussing, plus many other ideas earlier in this thread. Why not here on this forum?