Odeon Cinema, Charlestown Centre, Finglas

Peregrine

dcollins wrote: »

Any chance you remember which TD it is? i might send them a mail to ask more details.

Cheers! That was a great quick response :-)

I believe it was John Lyons.

Gumbo

I heard from a site contact that the delay was caused by the wrong type of sound insulation being erected. Hence the interior having to be stripped and reinstated with the correct grade of insulation.

Kinda makes sense as there is still a constant flow of builders into the place but nobody working externally.

The basement car park has been extended and external road layout near completion around the back of the cinema.

Muahahaha

kceire wrote: »

I heard from a site contact that the delay was caused by the wrong type of sound insulation being erected. Hence the interior having to be stripped and reinstated with the correct grade of insulation.

Kinda makes sense as there is still a constant flow of builders into the place but nobody working externally.

The basement car park has been extended and external road layout near completion around the back of the cinema.

Yep, I heard pretty much the exact same thing a few days ago, something along the lines of being able to hear bowling balls slamming hard wood while you're watching a movie.

datk

At least that explains it - a few people had questioned if they had anyone to run it. I wonder is it still a UCI/ODEON?

I emailed the shopping centre in January and they said it was due to open in
Q3. Not too long now - although I seem to remember saying that last year!!

D

Gumbo

datk wrote: »

At least that explains it - a few people had questioned if they had anyone to run it. I wonder is it still a UCI/ODEON?

I emailed the shopping centre in January and they said it was due to open in
Q3. Not too long now - although I seem to remember saying that last year!!

D

Got a newsletter in the door this week saying it will open in Q4 of this year.

Peregrine

kceire wrote: »

Got a newsletter in the door this week saying it will open in Q4 of this year.

I don't think I got that. A newsletter from the shopping centre?


Or I may have thrown it away with the election stuff today

Gumbo

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

I don't think I got that. A newsletter from the shopping centre?


Or I may have thrown it away with the election stuff today

Meakstown area newsletter. Went through all the issues about the traffic lights, junctions etc it may have been a "party" backed look at what were doing type leaflet though.

Muahahaha

kceire wrote: »

Meakstown area newsletter. Went through all the issues about the traffic lights, junctions etc it may have been a "party" backed look at what were doing type leaflet though.

What did it say about issues at traffic lights ? The ones outside the shopping centre can be a pain as if you get stuck on red you're in for a long wait. It is a busy junction though so not sure how they can improve it.

The cinema sounds like a cock up of large proportions, it's NAMA who are funding it , no doubt the taxpayer is footing the bill for this mess too.

Asdfghjkl987

Saw a lot of activity there today. Large trucks pulling up delivering some mysterious items. I think the building itself looks awful. it looks like it's made of that packaging you'd take off your new fridge

Gumbo

Muahahaha wrote: »

What did it say about issues at traffic lights ? The ones outside the shopping centre can be a pain as if you get stuck on red you're in for a long wait. It is a busy junction though so not sure how they can improve it.

The cinema sounds like a cock up of large proportions, it's NAMA who are funding it , no doubt the taxpayer is footing the bill for this mess too.

The new lights at the Jamestown road and St. Margaret's road junction which were recently installed. A proposal for a pedestrian crossing at the entrance to cityside phase 1 (at night line) to get access to the Dublin bus stops.

The lights at the centre are actually ok IMO. They have a set sequence so you know how they are gonna go.

Asdfghjkl987 wrote: »

Saw a lot of activity there today. Large trucks pulling up delivering some mysterious items. I think the building itself looks awful. it looks like it's made of that packaging you'd take off your new fridge

In fairness,it's a cinema. Most look the same. There's a certain amount of architectural spark that is not needed when building a large cube to hold large screens

Asdfghjkl987

kceire wrote: »

In fairness,it's a cinema. Most look the same. There's a certain amount of architectural spark that is not needed when building a large cube to hold large screens

It just seems so out of place when you look at the existing centre! I would've thought they would at least incorporate the two in some way!

Muahahaha

kceire wrote: »

In fairness,it's a cinema. Most look the same. There's a certain amount of architectural spark that is not needed when building a large cube to hold large screens

I disagree, it's another topic but IMO developers just fire in planning applications for whatever will get them the permission at the lowest possible cost. Architectural aesthetics are never even a consideration with the average Irish developer which is why we have a city full of eyesores. Buildings and streets in Paris dont look so beautiful by accident, it was by design of good urban planning. There's a reason why Dublin is held up as an example of bad planning in academic courses in urban planning throughout Europe (Tel Aviv is the other), namely because our planners have allowed a free for all to take place over the last 60 years.

With a bit of innovation even a cube can look pleasing to the eye:https://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstein/7097253629/

Or this theatre in Israel http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665566/wild-new-israeli-theater-looks-like-a-cubist-boom-box

Nobody is against development and progress in the city we live in. But if our planners are going to allow buildings go up that are going to be with us the rest of our lives can they not at least insist that the buildings are pleasing to the eye ? Is it really too much to ask to not cover the city in identikit buildings that are of little to zero architectural quality and do nothing to enhance our environment ? We really need to demand more when developers roll into town because it is all of us who have to live with the future consequences.

Asdfghjkl987

Really starting to believe that they lost odeon as the tenant as they are taking ages to open and Charlestown themselves are keeping very quiet about the whole thing. No advertising, no open date etc...

Gumbo

Asdfghjkl987 wrote: »

Really starting to believe that they lost odeon as the tenant as they are taking ages to open and Charlestown themselves are keeping very quiet about the whole thing. No advertising, no open date etc...

Have you looked through this thread?
It has been outlined what went wrong.

Wrong material used.
New material to be placed in.
Leaflets issued to surrounding estates outline a Q3/Q4 opening in 2014.

Asdfghjkl987

kceire wrote: »

Have you looked through this thread?
It has been outlined what went wrong.

Wrong material used.
New material to be placed in.
Leaflets issued to surrounding estates outline a Q3/Q4 opening in 2014.

Of course I looked through the thread. I'm no idiot.

I know about the wrong materials used and I know about the leaflet issued from a local TD. I was saying how there was no word from the centre themselves about the development and official open date which is quite strange because I thought they would want to promote the new openings. That's all.

datk

I contacted ODEON via private message on their Facebook page the other week when this thread came back to life. I asked if they were still opening in Charlestown and did they know when. They replied saying yes they were but just didn't know what date yet and would have it on Facebook and Twitter when they knew the date.

Asdfghjkl987

datk wrote: »

I contacted ODEON via private message on their Facebook page the other week when this thread came back to life. I asked if they were still opening in Charlestown and did they know when. They replied saying yes they were but just didn't know what date yet and would have it on Facebook and Twitter when they knew the date.

That's what Dunnes Stores told me when I pm'd them on Facebook asking about the opening of the Point Village store and 3 years later it still looks FAR from opening

Asdfghjkl987

Anyone know the latest on this? Seems unlikely to be open this year...

Muahahaha

Its bizarre. If wrong matieral was used then fair enough but this is taking so long at this stage that there has to be something up. The building was built quicker than its taking to sort out the soundproofing issues which speaks volumes. Also just like this time last year when it was flagged for opening we are about to enter winter, darker evenings, etc when cinemas do better. So if it was opening sometime between now and Xmas you'd be expecting an announcement and some promotion of it by this stage in October. But all there is is silence, deafening silence.

dcollins

I pass there every day- still don't see anything. I'd be doubtful too.

Gumbo

Asdfghjkl987 wrote: »

Anyone know the latest on this? Seems unlikely to be open this year...

Very strange at this stage. I do know that Bovale Developments are building 50 houses in Fonglas at the moment, maybe they have re-concentrated their efforts and financing to there based on the current housing market.

Muahahaha

kceire wrote: »

Very strange at this stage. I do know that Bovale Developments are building 50 houses in Fonglas at the moment, maybe they have re-concentrated their efforts and financing to there based on the current housing market.

Whereabouts are the building the 50 new houses ?

AFAIK the whole Charlestown SC, apartments above it and this cinema are all in NAMA which would make things even stranger given that it was NAMA who ordered them to build and finish the cinema so they could extract maximum value when it came to the selling the site off in its entirety. Part of that strategy would have been to have a fully operating cinema in place with a long term tenant paying rent on it to help bring up the overall value of the site. It's been built almost a year now and still no tenant has moved in.

I never really bought the soundproofing story as to why its not open. Like I believe there was problems with soundproofing as there were people back on site working at something, but I don't believe that this was the real or full truth behind the delay.

My guess is more simple, cinema operators do not operate in a bubble so they will be keenly aware of how their other cinemas are doing in other locations right now. My thinking is that this cinema is a risk to open in Finglas. If the local Finglas population can't sustain it then I can see it becoming a white elephant pretty quick. If I was a cinema operator I'd be very wary of opening there so close to Blanch. People travel to Blanch from all over Meath and Dublin because it is a shopping, eating and entertainment destination. Charlestown is not a shopping or entertainment destination, its a shopping centre that is useful but still only has around 30 shops, less than Santry and far, far less than Blanch. So my guess is that opening a cinema at Charlestown can work but that it has to be certain of the local D11 population to support it. People aren't going to be sitting in their house in Dunshaughlin thinking 'Lets go to Charlestown Shopping Centre' in the same way they do for Blanch.

So if I were a cinema operator trying to make a decision I'd be looking at sales figures from other venues and trying to estimate how much lower they are going to be in a venue like Charlestown. I'd also be keeping a keen eye on the numbers of under 30s who are unemployed in Finglas and right now those figures are still pretty high.

I hope I'm wrong on all the above and the dam thing opens this side of Xmas. Otherwise NAMA have just blown even more millions of taxpayers money on yet another white elephant.

Peregrine

Not sure if it's Bovale but the site of the factory beside Finn Eber Fort that's being demolished now has planning permission for around 50 houses.

2525/13

Gumbo

Muahahaha wrote: »

Whereabouts are the building the 50 new houses ?

Nimr wrote: »

Not sure if it's Bovale but the site of the factory beside Finn Eber Fort that's being demolished now has planning permission for around 50 houses.

2525/13

Yep, thats them.
They currently have a Commencement Notice lodged for the demolition phase. Another Commencemtn Notice required when they actually start building the houses, but expect a showhouse by March/April 2015.

L1011

Odeon Point Village is like a graveyard most of the time so I suspect they've become wary of new openings

Asdfghjkl987

MYOB wrote: »

Odeon Point Village is like a graveyard most of the time so I suspect they've become wary of new openings

They were probably thinking long term in Point Village though. I would imagine when that area becomes a little more developed it will start to kick off

Muahahaha

Asdfghjkl987 wrote: »

They were probably thinking long term in Point Village though. I would imagine when that area becomes a little more developed it will start to kick off

I'm not sure when it was they signed up to the Point Village but it was likely at the same time as Dunnes who later pulled out. The economy crashed just as the buildings were being finished so I doubt Odeon were ever going into it with a long term view, if the boom had of continued the almost the entire Docklands would be developed by now. My bet is when things crashed there was no way they wanted to open the cinema down in the Point but had to as they were contracted into it. Dunnes did their best to sliver out of their contract but ultimately lost in the courts iirc.

If Odeon already have one loss making cinema on their books it shouldn't be too surprising that they are cautious about adding to that which might explain the delays in Charlestown. Hopefully they will go ahead and hopefully it will be successful and an addition to the area but these latest delays and radio silence from the company don't bode well IMO. If its not open this side of Xmas then you'd really have to wonder

Asdfghjkl987

Drove by it today and I could see the sun shine through the glass type stuff on building which might mean the inside is completely empty!

Cantstandsya

Anyone heard anything new on this?

datk

Cantstandsya wrote: »

Anyone heard anything new on this?

Apparently next summer, although I think I may have heard that somewhere before!! There were problems with it - fit out takes 20 weeks from starting - they don't have a date for starting! Great managing of Nama money - not!