Just what Galway DOESN'T Need :(

squonk

According to http://www.galwaynews.ie/31506-developers-go-ahead-massive-%E2%80%98dundrum-style%E2%80%99-centre, developers have bought up a lot of the eastern side of Eyre Square with the intention down the line of building Galway's answer to Dundrum. I wasn't aware the mobs were baying for a Dundrum style centre in Galway. In the meantime we will lose O'Connells, which is a criminal shame. Murty Rabbittes and An Pucan are to go as well. Shameful and a disgraceful erosion of the character of the square.

Bits_n_Bobs

Dundrum should be held up as the single reason never ever to let us have any money ever again. Hideous monstrous cess pitt filled to the brim with generic international consumer lowest common denominated crud. I feel your Galwegian pain

Ash.J.Williams

it would be a shame if that happened to Galway

pleasant Co.

I'm sure it won't happen for a very very very very long time, if at all.

Links234

whatever happened to this?

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3664-biggest-retail-park-west-2010-opening

biko

I sure hope not.
There already is one massive shopping centre at the square, we don't need another one.

The site

evil_seed

We already have the eyre sq shoping centre, birarhill and headford road ones too. We don't need another one. dundrum is a load of **** anyways

Mrs OBumble

How many years do you think it would take to get planning?

Now some bit of that block do need fixing - have ye wandered down St Patrics Ave lately?

But I'm sure we won't be losing O'Connells anytime soon, or Rabbits. Not sure of the historic status of An Pucan ... maybe it's not that special ...

Brad768

Well, I feel the most important question here is: Will it have a Nando's?

ben.schlomo

squonk wrote: »

According to http://www.galwaynews.ie/31506-developers-go-ahead-massive-%E2%80%98dundrum-style%E2%80%99-centre, developers have bought up a lot of the eastern side of Eyre Square with the intention down the line of building Galway's answer to Dundrum. I wasn't aware the mobs were baying for a Dundrum style centre in Galway. In the meantime we will lose O'Connells, which is a criminal shame. Murty Rabbittes and An Pucan are to go as well. Shameful and a disgraceful erosion of the character of the square.

No loss really.

wp_rathead

I'll reluctantly participate in a lock into O'Connells if needs be...

Do they really own the old St. Patrick's church?

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

Private Joker

Links234 wrote: »

whatever happened to this?

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3664-biggest-retail-park-west-2010-opening

Its a big hole in the ground now.

what_traffic

Probably they will want to put in a multi story car park in this development?

flynnlives

Deleted User wrote: »

Do they really own the old St. Patrick's church?

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

even still i reckon its a listed building so cant be knocked

yer man!

Deleted User wrote: »

Do they really own the old St. Patrick's church?

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

Would make a class bar or restaurant.

Svalbard

I think Galway needs some better shops or even a new shopping centre. City centre space is limited and the Galway Shopping Centre is rubbish. I also think the city centre east of the square is quite run down and nowhere near as nice as the west side.
However I don't think lumping in a great big shopping centre is the answer, certainly not in that location. It would be much better to have a sympathetic revamp of Forster Street and Prospect Hill, more along the lines of Quay Street, keeping the existing landmark pubs and enhancing them. A development like Opera Lane in Cork may work well also to increase city centre retail space and attract quality tenants.

_Whimsical_

Seems like a pretty crazy idea to me. The attraction of Dundrum,as far as I know,is as a shopping location where you can hit all the high street stores outside Dublin City centre. What's the point of having one 2 mins from our actual high st? Sure we can hardly support all the shops we have as it stands.

It'd obliterate shop street to the status of ghost town and much as we all like Quay St I don't see that sort of experience stretching all the way up shop st and surviving.

I'd imagine the pitch would be that it would bring in bigger retailers absent from Galway at the moment such as H&M or Zara (both present in Athlone for example)

Galway shoppers do travel to these places currently.

snubbleste

Sure it will all be turned into social housing

Doom

It'll be like the Opera Centre in Limerick. ..a complete failure. The day of huge developments is over for anywhere outside Dublin.

_Whimsical_

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

It'd obliterate shop street to the status of ghost town and much as we all like Quay St I dont see that sort of experience stretching all the way up shop st and surviving.

That's what they said when the Eyre square center opened.

Also you do realise people walk much greater distances in the likes of Dublin, Cork & Limerick city centres when doing shipping or browsing.

The far side of the square is not that far to walk.

As for saving pubs, meh, listed buildings, yes.

So long as the facade and the overall height don't impact to greatly then it will fit in the same as Eyre square center, Corrib tShopping Center, TK Max building etc

hal9000

Yup thats exactly what Galway needs more traffic in the centre of the city! and more vacant commercial premises like in eyre sq shopping centre!

_Whimsical_

Deleted User wrote: »

That's what they said when the Eyre square center opened.

Also you do realise people walk much greater distances in the likes of Dublin, Cork & Limerick city centres when doing shipping or browsing.

The far side of the square is not that far to walk.

As for saving pubs, meh, listed buildings, yes.

So long as the facade and the overall height don't impact to greatly then it will fit in the same as Eyre square center, Corrib tShopping Center, TK Max building etc

Oh I wasn't suggesting it was far to walk from shop street to the other side of the square, my point was the exact opposite, that a new centre would only provide what we have a mere 2 minutes away from where we already have it thus being completely different from Dundrum.

What I meant was that if Shop Street was taken out of contention as a shopping location that I didn't think it would be financially viable or work as a street filled with cafes and curiosity shops as Quay Street does.

As for Zara and HM being missing in Galway, I fully agree, I'd love to see them here as much as the next person. Id love a huge food hall M&S too. But what else would we fill an enormous cente with ? Yet another dunnes, another New Look, another Debenhams, another Next, another cinema ? There's no way this city can support all the shops it has and then more. I could only imagine it being financially impossible without completely killing off lots of what we already have.

Also I don't think the Eyre Square Centre works that well. It's always felt a bit cavernous to me. There's only ever been a couple of shops I'd wander into down there, I don't think anyone thinks "well I've a few hours to kill ,I'll go to eyre square centre", its more of a in and get what you want and leave kind of place so it's provided little threat so far.

asdfg!

Seriously this is needed, both the Eyre Square Centre and Galway Shopping Centre are rubbish. The Galway shopping centre is like a walk down memory lane. I remember centres like that in Dublin in the seventies. I speak as a man who as struggled to find a half decent selection of clothes or shoes in this town. But the women in my life have it worse. All too often it's a trip to Athlone? For heaven's sake, Athlone? The shopping is Athlone is actually better, I'm told than Galway. Or Dublin, to Dundrum, which I like but really we shouldn't have to go that far to get a decent pair shoes or a jumper.

Galway is a black hole in shopping terms. Seriously do I have to buy all my clothes in Dunnes or M&S? Shop street is ridiculous. The only places I visit are Easons and McDonalds. As for Anthony Ryans. Reminds me a bit of Clerys in the good old days back in the eighties. It's a time capsule. 'Are you being served?'

It's long overdue for things to change in Galway.

ben.schlomo

ben.schlomo wrote: »

No loss really.

Pucan would be, they do a lovely breakfast and are often good for an "early" pint.

I think Galway needs something like Dundrum, but it should be located outside the city. Don't get people running down Dundrum, it has an excellent choice of big retailers etc all under one roof. You cannot possibly compare the eyre square centre or Galway shopping centre to it, they have very little really.

ben.schlomo

asdfg! wrote: »

Seriously this is needed, both the Eyre Square Centre and Galway Shopping Centre are rubbish. The Galway shopping centre is like a walk down memory lane. I remember centres like that in Dublin in the seventies. I speak as a man who as struggled to find a half decent selection of clothes or shoes in this town. But the women in my life have it worse. All too often it's a trip to Athlone? For heaven's sake, Athlone? The shopping is Athlone is actually better, I'm told than Galway. Or Dublin, to Dundrum, which I like but really we shouldn't have to go that far to get a decent pair shoes or a jumper.

Galway is a black hole in shopping terms. Seriously do I have to buy all my clothes in Dunnes or M&S? Shop street is ridiculous. The only places I visit are Easons and McDonalds. As for Anthony Ryans. Reminds me a bit of Clerys in the good old days back in the eighties. It's a time capsule. 'Are you being served?'

It's long overdue for things to change in Galway.

Might the reason you cant find/fit into a jumper be anything to do with eating in McDonalds, im gonna say yes.

kraggy

Maybe I'm missing something here but are all of the businesses in the area, including the church, willing to sell?

Seaneh

Deleted User wrote: »

Galway shoppers do travel to these places currently.

Do they? Athlone Town Centre has been like a graveyard since it opened.

There is so little footfall, many of the businesses in the centre are exempt from paying rent as their contractual promises are not being met by the developer/landlord.

antoobrien

Links234 wrote: »

whatever happened to this?

http://www.galwaynews.ie/3664-biggest-retail-park-west-2010-opening

It's a quite large hole in the ground in Mervue, beside Eircom.

antoobrien

Deleted User wrote: »

€100,000,000 to buy up the block was crazy.

IIRC O'Connels was bought for around €15m, the Mulryan Auctioneers office was somehwere between €8m & €12m. That's over €20m for two units. Add it up and the original price comes to a pretty penny.