Largest shopping centre in the midlands enters receivership

galait

Not surprised really as within months of opening the writing was on the wall - Discuss

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/athlone-town-shopping-centre-receivership-1214107-Dec2013/

cena

The town council well have to make sure they don't have two shopping centres standing still and not been used.

I feel they should of made golden island maybe a 2 or 3 story building. The town really didn't need two centres in it.

tubos

I'm a big fan of both the town centre and golden island also. Hopefully if there is a buyer they will have a new plan for the town centre and take it in a good direction. But I think Church Street needs to be invested in as its looking very run down. I think the one way system/pedestrian system should be brought back in, get rid of the cars off that street.

Lets hope this place sold at auction today and is in the hands of the right investor....
http://www.allsopspace.ie/auction/lot/5688

cena

Did that restaurant close down

tubos

yes, as did the shops below.

cena

tubos wrote: »

yes, as did the shops below.

I thought it was still open. I know the shops are closed. They have been for a while now

John_Rambo

What was the restaurant?

tubos

The restaurant that was above those shops was a chinese and it was only open for a few months, its closed down a long time now.

On a related note, that newish restaurant on church street, La Cucina Di Angelo's seems to be doing very well.

I really think though that the town has become very dis-jointed and there is no real centre to the town.

Sunny Dayz

Sold for €295,000

(hope the link works)

http://auctioneertemplates.eigroup.co.uk/LotDetails.aspx?LotID=713531&a=684&c=als

tubos

Good price, hopefully that will mean the new owner can do something useful with it.

galait

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Sold for €295,000

(hope the link works)

http://auctioneertemplates.eigroup.co.uk/LotDetails.aspx?LotID=713531&a=684&c=als

Wow that is a great deal - Considering the Developers/Owners of Athlone Town Centre had a deal agreed to sell to for €345 Million just when they were opening , The deal fell through and they have just effectively handed back to keys to the bank still owing €200 Million ,

galait

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/retail-and-services/aib-takes-control-of-athlone-towncentre-1.1622487

Above is the reality , Basically its been repo'ed by the AIB


The Westmeath Independent would have you believe that this is normal , Nothing to see and move on,

http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/roundup/articles/2013/12/09/4018694-receiver-appointed-to-athlone-towncentre-as-centre-moves-to-new-phase-/

tubos

Once the rent doesn't go up the centre will keep going, there's no empty units currently (well A-wear is shut down!). What has always confused me though was how the Tommy Hilfiger shop is still there, the price of the gear is unreal!!

veryangryman

tubos wrote: »

Once the rent doesn't go up the centre will keep going, there's no empty units currently (well A-wear is shut down!). What has always confused me though was how the Tommy Hilfiger shop is still there, the price of the gear is unreal!!

Always the odd fool who'll pay it. Brown Thomas still has all its doors open in Ireland.

tubos

veryangryman wrote: »

Always the odd fool who'll pay it. Brown Thomas still has all its doors open in Ireland.

True but there's a difference between Grafton street and downtown Athlone!

veryangryman

tubos wrote: »

True but there's a difference between Grafton street and downtown Athlone!

And Shop St Galway, O Connel St Limerick and Patrick St (?) Cork.

I mean theres still enough rich folk with that kinda money to burn. Enough of which live in (or go to) the midlands.

nice_guy80

should never, ever have got planning permission

same with Golden Island.

athlonelad

nice_guy80 wrote: »

should never, ever have got planning permission

same with Golden Island.

Why is that niceguy?

athlonelad

nice_guy80 wrote: »

should never, ever have got planning permission

same with Golden Island.

Why is that niceguy?

nice_guy80

golden island was built on a flood plain and there was some very dodgy planning decisions allowing it to be built.
the logical place to have anything built in Athlone would have been between the main street and the bypass

the centre up the town has very little street frontage, it barely connects with the streets around it, terrible access for cars to the car park, no public toilets in the shopping centre - you've to go into the basement!

athlonelad

nice_guy80 wrote: »

golden island was built on a flood plain and there was some very dodgy planning decisions allowing it to be built.
the logical place to have anything built in Athlone would have been between the main street and the bypass

the centre up the town has very little street frontage, it barely connects with the streets around it, terrible access for cars to the car park, no public toilets in the shopping centre - you've to go into the basement!

Most of irishtown was formally a flood plain, correct, although it was spared even in the real bad floods a few years back.
I disagree with you about where you say a shopping centre should have been built. Look at Tullamore who allowed major shops to be built on the outskirts of town. Its bad for a town and drives people away from traditional services and existing retail premises, which are usually family and locally owned. Its hard enough for them to compete with multinationals without taking away their passing trade.
The toilets as I only discovered myself this week when I was in shopping have been taken out of the centre. Id be curious to know if this is allowed given all the food places and as I understand current law states that if seats are provided for customers to dine at then toilets must also be provided. Hence Takeaways do not have to provide toilets if no sets are provided. The toilets are some distance from the foodhall on the ground floor.

nice_guy80

athlonelad wrote: »

Most of irishtown was formally a flood plain, correct, although it was spared even in the real bad floods a few years back.
I disagree with you about where you say a shopping centre should have been built. Look at Tullamore who allowed major shops to be built on the outskirts of town. Its bad for a town and drives people away from traditional services and existing retail premises, which are usually family and locally owned. Its hard enough for them to compete with multinationals without taking away their passing trade.
The toilets as I only discovered myself this week when I was in shopping have been taken out of the centre. Id be curious to know if this is allowed given all the food places and as I understand current law states that if seats are provided for customers to dine at then toilets must also be provided. Hence Takeaways do not have to provide toilets if no sets are provided. The toilets are some distance from the foodhall on the ground floor.

I remember there being a courtcase about the rezoning of the land for the golden island and illegal payments to facilitate that

I didn't say anything about beside the bypass
I said between the town and bypass.
eg where the radisson blue hotel was later built.

Zubeneschamali

nice_guy80 wrote: »

no public toilets in the shopping centre - you've to go into the basement!

There were toilets when it was planned and built, just beyond the Click computer shop, but they later made them into a shop unit, some sort of pound shop, forcing everyone to use the loos in the carpark.

tubos

In fairness the toilets are right beside the lifts.

athlonelad

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

There were toilets when it was planned and built, just beyond the Click computer shop, but they later made them into a shop unit, some sort of pound shop, forcing everyone to use the loos in the carpark.

I suppose you dont get rental income from toilets!

nice_guy80

original planning permission would have been based on toilets being on the concourse

Zubeneschamali

nice_guy80 wrote: »

original planning permission would have been based on toilets being on the concourse

Yes, and they were on the concourse.

athlonelad

Wonder was a change of use filed with the council at all?

nice_guy80

You'd wonder alright.
They are a bit of a trek for someone with a baby to get to changing facilities or elderly with poor mobility

Though nothing would surprise me with that shopping centre.

boredatwork82

athlonelad wrote: »

Wonder was a change of use filed with the council at all?

I doubt it! Some chancers around building and changing stuff without planning permission. Them Tullamore lads are awful for it (Texas Tom!, amongst others)

athlonelad

boredatwork82 wrote: »

I doubt it! Some chancers around building and changing stuff without planning permission. Them Tullamore lads are awful for it (Texas Tom!, amongst others)

Thats the biffos for you