Tramore business closures

DeiseDan

Today brings the revelation that tonight is to be the last day of trading for the Seahorse tavern. this means that Tramore will be boasting the following closed premises. Freddies Arcade, Shanty Bar offshore off licence Sands Hotel, Baldy Man Pine rooms, Lous sweet shop HiB Bohans waterfront, Seahorse Tavern Pier Off licence, Dynasty chinese, not to mention ong closed businesses such as Daintys ice cream parlour, cuckoos nest 3 swans Tramore Hotel & Rocketts of Westown Not to mention the vacant units in the industrial estate & the new summerhill centre, as well as other units left empty by businesses still going but merely relocated. With all these closed premises can Tramore honestly hope to attract any kind of inward business or investment when there is so little there to start on. Tramore Chamber have started a great shopping in Tramore initative & many local busineses are on board but has time come for drastic action to save our town? anybody with thoughts or ideas of what maybe should or could be done to save what appears to be a sinking ship??

Sully

The above post had been unapproved until the Seahorse made the closure official, which they did late yesterday evening on their Facebook page (I have also spoken with them in person and confirmed such). The post is now live following this.

Anyway, yeah very weird seeing so many businesses close up. This time of the year is tough on everyone, as its the quietest time of the year due to lack of tourists. It just serves as another reminder that the people of the town need to get out there and support local businesses.

I was delighted to see a few businesses get together and run an initiative to get pictures of local shops and what they have on offer up on Facebook. Hopefully it will remind people what a great town we have and that its very much open for business but needs support. Before they went with this initiative, I had setup another 'Shop Local' initiative to encourage people to stay and shop in the town with a 'Bargain Friday' initiative through Discover Tramore. Good few of our members have joined up and are providing great offers and discounts which I hope will encourage more people to stay local.

What people don't seem to understand is that if we don't support each other, get involved in these initiatives and work together than we could potentially see more businesses close up which isn't going to help anyone or other businesses as it will result in less and less people in the town as it wont have as much on offer.

rasper

Sorry to hear about the seahorse, nice food and cosy atmosphere ,

SPQRI

Tramore was a lost cause for years as it stood still & never invested in itself. The run down Las Vegas of the South East, a racecourse that needs massive investment, & going by previous threads, a dingy caravan park. Dirty beaches, & footpaths.

marlin vs

And don't forget you have to pay for parking to go visit Tramore,long gone are the day's that you could just go out just for a spin and get a chip or an ice cream.

xperi

you cant even buy a hotel package for the family that includes admission to the amusements, in this day and age thats stone age tourism

xperi

cuckoos nest & the swans have been gone for years, their licenses were brought by supermarkets, they closed before the boom in ireland, dont see ur point in including them do you ??

Brick Session

And we still dont want Aldi to invest in Tramore????

I have a question for all of the serial objectors who have objected to Aldi coming to Tramore, the proposed Hotel & Golf Course for Westown area, the proposed Skate park etc etc,

Tell me lads what plans have ye got to create employment and attract investment in Tramore Town?

Sully

marlin vs wrote: »

And don't forget you have to pay for parking to go visit Tramore,long gone are the day's that you could just go out just for a spin and get a chip or an ice cream.

This is only during the summer months and along the promenade. You can park a little further away and you wont be charged for parking - for example, you can park along the road by the Majestic Hotel.

xperi wrote: »

you cant even buy a hotel package for the family that includes admission to the amusements, in this day and age thats stone age tourism

This is something I am working on through Discover Tramore and hope to have in place for the new season. I have managed to get a few of the indoor entertainment centers to give reduced entry but it was mid-summer by the time I got it up and running. I intend to get more, but its a bit of a challenge.

Sully

Brick Session wrote: »

And we still dont want Aldi to invest in Tramore????

I have a question for all of the serial objectors who have objected to Aldi coming to Tramore, the proposed Hotel & Golf Course for Westown area, the proposed Skate park etc etc,

Tell me lads what plans have ye got to create employment and attract investment in Tramore Town?

With respect, all and any developments in Tramore need to adhere to correct planning standards. The objectors can object all they like and the council may let it slip through but there has been far to many developments in Ireland that shouldn't have been given the go ahead. So, An Bord Pleanala will have the final say in ensuring it suits the area, is within proper planning and ensuring the objectors points are correct or not. I see no problem with that at all.

SPQRI

Sully wrote: »

With respect, all and any developments in Tramore need to adhere to correct planning standards. The objectors can object all they like and the council may let it slip through but there has been far to many developments in Ireland that shouldn't have been given the go ahead. So, An Bord Pleanala will have the final say in ensuring it suits the area, is within proper planning and ensuring the objectors points are correct or not. I see no problem with that at all.

Another Brendan McCann supporter!!!

Where would we be without him! Anyone in Dundrum lately???

Brick Session

You are right Sully, tis better to have a ghost town and people unemployed as long as the planning laws are not breached. Are these the same planning laws that our elected officials from all parties have adhered to down through the years?

To be honest Sully it gets me down when companies want to invest and create employment in Waterford city & county that all we hear about is objections to planning. Do any of these people who object to every proposed development engage with any of these companies to work with them to provide alternatives and keep them interested in locating in the town and county.

Sully

Brick Session wrote: »

You are right Sully, tis better to have a ghost town and people unemployed as long as the planning laws are not breached. Are these the same planning laws that our elected officials from all parties have adhered to down through the years?

To be honest Sully it gets me down when companies want to invest and create employment in Waterford city & county that all we hear about is objections to planning. Do any of these people who object to every proposed development engage with any of these companies to work with them to provide alternatives and keep them interested in locating in the town and county.

There is nothing to suggest that these businesses would actually fix our towns problem for a start. But, yes, I would prefer all our planning laws and guidelines were upheld and we didn't just build anything for the sake of jobs and investment. Mistakes have been made in the past and we are living to regret it - why continue to make the same mistakes?

If they are in breach of planning - fix and return with a new application. Whats the big deal with that?

SPQRI

I watched a documentary a few years ago about an area in the west of Ireland where there built an ugly power station or factory & they were talking to a former employee against a very scenic backdrop with the unscenic factory also in the picture.

The interviewer said to the man 'It doesn't make a pretty view' to which he replied 'neither does poverty'

Brick Session

Sully wrote: »

There is nothing to suggest that these businesses would actually fix our towns problem for a start.

Employent might encourage spending money in our town, while this won't solve all of Tramores problems it will help to get money circulating in the town again.

But, yes, I would prefer all our planning laws and guidelines were upheld and we didn't just build anything for the sake of jobs and investment.

Tell that to all of the people who sign on every week and can't pay their mortgage or make ends meet

Mistakes have been made in the past and we are living to regret it - why continue to make the same mistakes?

Because times change and maybe the laws need to change to reflect that.

If they are in breach of planning - fix and return with a new application. Whats the big deal with that?

Why can't the objectors who can give plenty of reasons to knock a proposal turn their negative creativity into positive creativity for some good and assist the proposers in coming up with an application thats win win for everyone

realworld82

i would love to know what kind of economics some of the above posters have studied or believe in. Tramore should count it self lucky that the proposed shopping centre was never developed on the old celtworld site despite the fact the council allowed the developers to leave the site go to such a state.
the fascination with multi national retail being brought to the town is laughable, less people are now employed in retail in Tramore than was the case 10 years ago and decisions being made by those only interested in a political career rather than the town itself has led to a town of some 10000 people with no main street or focal point.

Jason Todd

I'll defend Sully's stance on planning in Tramore. I'd wager he knows his stuff when it comes to Tramore and he is doing as much if not more than anyone else to boost footfall in Tramore through his tourism endeavours.

SPQRI

xperi wrote: »

you cant even buy a hotel package for the family that includes admission to the amusements, in this day and age thats stone age tourism

I wonder if you can buy a package that includes the racing festival?

DeiseDan

The Main point that worries me is the fact the town seems to be sinking without a survival plan, & although @xperi you are right, the 3 swans etc have been gone a long time, it does not take too long for someone to say the places that have now just closed have been closed a long time. Do we just wait for a period of time then pretend these places never existed? To be truthful to drive from the railway building up turkey road & up strand St to the cross is a sad journey now especially in the evening. Tramore has it's problems but the question is how to rectify it or at least combat it which seems not to happen. maybe gag the objectors, & bring fresh investment into the town although I firmly believe the proposed hotel by Garrus was a huge white elephant. If the town stays as it is or even more places close, The few that may come next year simply wont return & that's when the main problems will really kick in, facilities that benefit from the tourist trade eg splashworld, run amuk, amusement park, take aways B&B's etc will start suffering & fall into the same hole. I think revolutionary thinking is desperately needed.

Sully

SPQRI wrote: »

I wonder if you can buy a package that includes the racing festival?

The Grand Hotel sometimes does, IIRC, yes.

SPQRI

Sully wrote: »

The Grand Hotel sometimes does, IIRC, yes.

Sometimes isn't exactly a definite, is it Sully!

Does anyone speak in english anymore??

Sully

SPQRI wrote: »

Sometimes isn't exactly a definite, is it Sully!

Does anyone speak in english anymore??

Right, I am actually fed up getting reported posts and complaints about your posting style. I defended you at the start as you are entitled to your opinion. But now you are straying into the insulting and trolling territory which is where the line is crossed. If you have nothing constructive or positive to say, it might be best you avoid posting before you turn everybody away from the forum. Thx bud, rly appreciated k?.

SPQRI

Sully wrote: »

Right, I am actually fed up getting reported posts and complaints about your posting style. I defended you at the start as you are entitled to your opinion. But now you are straying into the insulting and trolling territory which is where the line is crossed. If you have nothing constructive or positive to say, it might be best you avoid posting before you turn everybody away from the forum. Thx bud, rly appreciated k?.

Am I being censored, again!

This is what you might call 'another point of view' & if you can't deal with it you have no place as a moderator!

This is a democracy or maybe I am just deceiving myself into believing such! But then again as the late great Karl Marx said "Democracy is the road to socialism"

Wasn't he full of siht!

Captain Havoc

If you have a problem with a mod decision, please discuss via PM, if you're still not happy, please use the disputes resolution forum. In the mean-time have a one week holiday.

Sully

SPQRI wrote: »

Am I being censored, again!

This is what you might call 'another point of view' & if you can't deal with it you have no place as a moderator!

This is a democracy or maybe I am just deceiving myself into believing such! But then again as the late great Karl Marx said "Democracy is the road to socialism"

Wasn't he full of siht!

We have had a number of threads 'derailed' on off topic, incoherent rants and thoughts. So stick to the original topic at hand, don't bring it away from that point and lets not talk moderation in public. So, if you want to discuss moderation - my Inbox awaits you. We don't do censorship - we do fair posting.

looksee

I would love to see Tramore develop and become more vibrant - though to be honest I think there is more going on than there was a few years ago, and while there is a lot still to be done it is looking well too.

I do not agree however that a big hotel on the Garrarus site was ever going to be a good idea. The coast is what we have, stick a massive hotel on it and that's a chunk of it gone. If something similar could be developed in a less sensitive spot then fine, but I wonder if it would attract the numbers to this area, or would it just be another nama project.

Brick Session

realworld82 wrote: »

i would love to know what kind of economics some of the above posters have studied or believe in. Tramore should count it self lucky that the proposed shopping centre was never developed on the old celtworld site despite the fact the council allowed the developers to leave the site go to such a state.
the fascination with multi national retail being brought to the town is laughable, less people are now employed in retail in Tramore than was the case 10 years ago and decisions being made by those only interested in a political career rather than the town itself has led to a town of some 10000 people with no main street or focal point.

On the subject of multinationals in Ireland and their value to local economy, then this artcile is worth a read.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/pricewatch/2012/1126/1224327089450.html

With regard to Sully, while I would not know him if he stood in front of me, I do think his heart and passion are in the right place. He works tirelessly to promote Tramore and probably does not get much support on here for his efforts.

Tramore businesses need to get creative and attract visitors to our town by using joined up thinking, offering value add holidays like the entrance to the rides on the amusements or tickets to Splashworld or Run Amuk etc is just one of the ideas that might work. The same with the Races packages.

We are unfortunately up against it in Ireland due to our weather but if we can look past the constant need for sunshine we can get involved in Watersports and activities that once you dress suitably they can be good fun.

tramoreman

on the positive
summer hill market tramore has about 12 or 13 vacant units theres 8 units opened the market has only been opened a few weeks

the sands hotel had contract cleaners in there so i think it might be going to open again (not confirmed)

Itchianus

The rides in the amusement park in Tramore are operated by a number of different businesses. it's not the same as getting a pass into a theme park where all the rides are operated by the same entity. Someone with an economics brain better than mine can explain to me how they'd manage to make that work.

looksee

tramoreman wrote: »

on the positive
summer hill market tramore has about 12 or 13 vacant units theres 8 units opened the market has only been opened a few weeks

They could do with some more noticeable and informative signage though. Some nice little shops in there.

tramoreman

they have put a new sign up over the entrance saw that last weekend they also have a facebook page for the market