Golden Island Athlone

Steven81

Was checking the net to see what year the Golden Island opened, 1997 anyway when i found this article about stage 2 development. Does anyone know if this was rejected or still ongoing?.

http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/property/athlones-golden-island-enters-phase-2-26056444.html
UPDATED 24 NOVEMBER 2012 05:31 AM

Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, has submitted a planning application to Westmeath County Council to commence phase two development at the site of the existing centre.

THE new ?25m Golden Island Shopping Centre, development in Athlone will include four large-scale retail outlets totalling 3,400 sq.m., one medium size retail outlet, six small-scale retail outlets and a 909 sq.m. extension to the existing anchor tenant. This will bring the total retail shopping area in the centre to 14,419 sq.m.

A hotel, restaurant facilities and civic area will complement the proposed retailing facilities. A multi-storey car park will also be constructed.

A 92 bedroom hotel, designed as a landmark building on the north-west corner of the site, will be 5,935 sq.m. and will be the premier town centre hotel in Athlone. The multi-storey car park will cater for an additional 500 cars.

Located to the south of Athlone town, the site measures 8.1 hectares and the new development will complement the existing retail outlets providing additional commercial and leisure uses. The centre is low rise with double/one and-a-half height units. The existing development includes 45 retail outlets, a six screen multiplex cinema and 1,000 car park spaces.

The new retail development will connect to the existing centre to the south-west of the site. The site's frontage on the new town ring road means that it directly addresses the main commercial and retail streets of the town.

Commenting on the new development, Mr Bill Ledwidge, chairman of Devonstar, the company that owns Golden Island Shopping Centre, and Partner, BDO Simpson Xavier, said that phase two of Golden Island will be a landmark development for Athlone. "Since opening in 1997 Golden Island Shopping Centre has established itself as a premier league shopping centre, attracting over 4 million shoppers per annum. In response to consumer demand and in line with market trends the planned development will add significant value from a customer and tenant perspective. The new retail outlets will enhance our offering at the Centre and provide facilities to attract high calibre fashion outlets to Athlone. The hotel, restaurant facilities and civic area will also complement the six screen cinema providing high class leisure amenities" said Mr. Ledwidge.

Long Gone

Well God knows they need to do something with it - Golden Island Shopping Centre holds the dubious distinction of having been well out of date in its design before it even opened !

At least the Town Centre development, white elephant monument to bling that it is, was well designed to a modern standard internally. The "tower" that the Sheriton is in as horrendously ugly though - What an eyesore and what a wasted opportunity to add something really distinctive to the Athlone skyline.

nice_guy80

both of them corrupt developments

Long Gone

nice_guy80 wrote: »

both of them corrupt developments

Agreed - Oodles of slimy political "pull" used to get both developments built.....

Sunny Dayz

There's no way a second phase for Golden Island could ever have been considered. The original building was built on the old town dump and was not built on good ground. I have heard from someone who used to work there that there were cracks in the walls. Sure even in the car park there's a big swell around one or two parking spaces about two or three rows down from dealz.

I heard rumours on a number of occassions about the anchor store which owns the centre looking to expand and also to install a petrol forecourt.

I think the vision phase two - was to expand the site to take over the Diskin centre. However that area is prone to flooding and those units have flooded out in the past. I don't know how Aldi or that car place (is it Kwik-fit) got to build there!

nice_guy80

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

There's no way a second phase for Golden Island could ever have been considered. The original building was built on the old town dump and was not built on good ground. I have heard from someone who used to work there that there were cracks in the walls. Sure even in the car park there's a big swell around one or two parking spaces about two or three rows down from dealz.

I heard rumours on a number of occassions about the anchor store which owns the centre looking to expand and also to install a petrol forecourt.

I think the vision phase two - was to expand the site to take over the Diskin centre. However that area is prone to flooding and those units have flooded out in the past. I don't know how Aldi or that car place (is it Kwik-fit) got to build there!

sure the whole centre should not have been built.
it was done against all zoning and planning advice

veryangryman

Has the building of it done any harm? Really i mean? G.I has been a roaring success, making the town unique with plentiful free parking right by the town centre.

Plus one can get in and out of there quite quickly for a town its size. Compare this with access to Naas, Portlaoise, Tullamore, Tralee i could go on.

End of the day, did the consumer get screwed? I think not.

A lot of bad decisions were mad vis a vis property and development, but G.I was not one of them. Town Centre I could take or leave; sometimes it substitutes for a trip to Galway on the rare occasions i got money to burn.

Long Gone

veryangryman wrote: »

Has the building of it done any harm? Really i mean? G.I has been a roaring success, making the town unique with plentiful free parking right by the town centre.

Plus one can get in and out of there quite quickly for a town its size. Compare this with access to Naas, Portlaoise, Tullamore, Tralee i could go on.

End of the day, did the consumer get screwed? I think not.

A lot of bad decisions were mad vis a vis property and development, but G.I was not one of them. Town Centre I could take or leave; sometimes it substitutes for a trip to Galway on the rare occasions i got money to burn.

Not so sure about " Roaring success" - It just about limps along and it's destroyed the old Athlone Shopping Centre. Free parking by the town centre ? - It's a fair trek from Golden Island up to the town centre. And remember that they tried to start charging for parking in contravention of the planning terms. They're still trying to restrict the time that people can park there. The issues around the planning permission for the G.I. development stank to high heaven - That should not happen in any civilized country and is not in the interests of Irish consumers.

cena

Sure most to of golden island car park is closed off after 11pm and reopened at 8am.

Not sure what the deal is with this.

BoB_BoT

cena wrote: »

Sure most to of golden island car park is closed off after 11pm and reopened at 8am.

Not sure what the deal is with this.

To deal with the boy racers in the back of the carpark at night.

BoB_BoT

Long Gone wrote: »

Free parking by the town centre ? - It's a fair trek from Golden Island up to the town centre.

I would hardly call 5 minutes of a walk from Golden Island to the middle of town a "fair trek". If the shopping centre was placed on the outskirts of town with a 20-25 minute walk, that would be a fair trek.

Long Gone

BoB_BoT wrote: »

I would hardly call 5 minutes of a walk from Golden Island to the middle of town a "fair trek". If the shopping centre was placed on the outskirts of town with a 20-25 minute walk, that would be a fair trek.

1-2 minutes is near, 5 minutes is a fair trek, 20-25 minutes is a hell of a trek .;)

veryangryman

Long Gone wrote: »

Not so sure about " Roaring success" - It just about limps along and it's destroyed the old Athlone Shopping Centre. Free parking by the town centre ? - It's a fair trek from Golden Island up to the town centre.

As a guy with 2 feet that can actually walk the (at a stretch) 5 minutes required, i stand by my point of free parking very convenient to the majority of town. This may become an issue when i get to 80 or so. People want to be able drive inside the bloody shop door these days.

The old shopping centre was useless, hard to get in and out of with tight parking and a staggered crossroads, awkward hairpin turn hill and not enough space inside for many shops. Make apartments out of whats left there would be a good idea.

John_Rambo

veryangryman wrote: »

People want to be able drive inside the bloody shop door these days

This is so true! Is it cause it rains so much when you cross the Shannon? Any time I suggest parking and walking more than 100 metres my Athlonian friends look at me like I suggested we should all iron our sacks.

John_Rambo

Golden Island is East of the Shannon isn't it?








fail.


I'm off to iron my sack now.

flazio

I will have to compliment Golden Island on one thing, its flood defenses. Couple of years ago when we had huge levels of water in the Shannon, the banking around the centre did its job and the place stayed open and dry throughout, (Think there's a pump as well, not sure) while the Diskin centre beside it got badly hit.

charlieIRL

flazio wrote: »

I will have to compliment Golden Island on one thing, its flood defenses. Couple of years ago when we had huge levels of water in the Shannon, the banking around the centre did its job and the place stayed open and dry throughout, (Think there's a pump as well, not sure) while the Diskin centre beside it got badly hit.

the basement along with the ones over in Belhavel flood every year though!!

Long Gone

charlieIRL wrote: »

the basement along with the ones over in Belhavel flood every year though!!

Has the shopping centre got a basement ? ?

charlieIRL

Long Gone wrote: »

Has the shopping centre got a basement ? ?

Just for storage AFAIK, most of the ones in Belhavel and the other side of the road have basements - remember the toilets in McDonalds were downstairs?

Long Gone

flazio wrote: »

I will have to compliment Golden Island on one thing, its flood defenses. Couple of years ago when we had huge levels of water in the Shannon, the banking around the centre did its job and the place stayed open and dry throughout, (Think there's a pump as well, not sure) while the Diskin centre beside it got badly hit.

It'd need to be a big pump to hold back the Shannon if it ever gets high enough to to breach the banking ! .:D

Have you noticed that some parts of the car park are suffering serious subsidence ?

Helfyre

Man I don't know. I don't really like Golden Island. It's always got a bunch of leering teens in front unless you go in the morning and Burger King has been rendered inhospitable. I don't like it at all... plus the only clothes shop there is Penney's. I usually go shopping in Athlone Town Centre. More choice. Food and all, just use Lidl /Aldi.

Long Gone

Helfyre wrote: »

Man I don't know. I don't really like Golden Island. It's always got a bunch of leering teens in front unless you go in the morning and Burger King has been rendered inhospitable. I don't like it at all... plus the only clothes shop there is Penney's. I usually go shopping in Athlone Town Centre. More choice. Food and all, just use Lidl /Aldi.

I'm not crazy about it myself - It has the dubious distinction that its design was completely outdated even before it opened ! I have it on very good authority that one of the reasons for the way it's designed having only one entrance (apart from the obvious reason of forcing you to traipse for ages past all the other shops on both the way in and the way out) was to make it easier to try to keep local undesirables out of the shopping centre.

athlonelad

Long Gone wrote: »

I'm not crazy about it myself - It has the dubious distinction that its design was completely outdated even before it opened ! I have it on very good authority that one of the reasons for the way it's designed having only one entrance (apart from the obvious reason of forcing you to traipse for ages past all the other shops on both the way in and the way out) was to make it easier to try to keep local undesirables out of the shopping centre.

How would that keep them out? Cant they just use that entrance?

The reason for the one entrance was to ensure there was foot traffic for the shop tenants. Anyone going to tesco has to pass each and every storefront. Tesco tried to make a new entrance a few years back but the shops gave out stink and it was abandoned.
Golden Island was one of the best things to happen to Athlone I cant see why anyone would give out about it. Its probably one of if not the best shopping centre in the whole Midlands

Long Gone

athlonelad wrote: »

How would that keep them out? Cant they just use that entrance?

I would have thought that was obvious - It's easier for the security men to control just one entrance rather than have to control several.

athlonelad wrote: »

The reason for the one entrance was to ensure there was foot traffic for the shop tenants. Anyone going to tesco has to pass each and every storefront. Tesco tried to make a new entrance a few years back but the shops gave out stink and it was abandoned.

I said that was one of the reasons in my post - But it's a double edged sword. Many people resent being forced to walk past all the other shops......


[QUOTE=athlonelad;9133[/QUOTE]9709]

Golden Island was one of the best things to happen to Athlone I cant see why anyone would give out about it. Its probably one of if not the best shopping centre in the whole Midlands[/QUOTE]

One of the best things to happen to Athlone? - I don't agree. As I've said, the design was out of date before it even opened.

It's not as if there's much competition in the Midlands. The Athlone Town Centre is much more impressive. The problem is that because the Town Centre was designed and built right at the height of the celtic tiger it's too much a monument to bling rather than the type of modern shopping centre that a town like Athlone really needs. Do you remember that ridiculously expensive French clothes shop that was in there at the start ? - I mean who in their right mind believed that was going to get enough business in Athlone to survive ?

athlonelad

Long Gone wrote: »

I would have thought that was obvious - It's easier for the security men to control just one entrance rather than have to control several.



I said that was one of the reasons in my post - But it's a double edged sword. Many people resent being forced to walk past all the other shops......


9709]

Golden Island was one of the best things to happen to Athlone I cant see why anyone would give out about it. Its probably one of if not the best shopping centre in the whole Midlands

One of the best things to happen to Athlone? - I don't agree. As I've said, the design was out of date before it even opened.

It's not as if there's much competition in the Midlands. The Athlone Town Centre is much more impressive. The problem is that because the Town Centre was designed and built right at the height of the celtic tiger it's too much a monument to bling rather than the type of modern shopping centre that a town like Athlone really needs. Do you remember that ridiculously expensive French clothes shop that was in there at the start ? - I mean who in their right mind believed that was going to get enough business in Athlone to survive ?[/quote]
Id much prefer the overall layout of Golden Island to the town centre one. I must be oldschool. Golden island is just so handy. All on the one level with ample free parking. The town centre has a horrible layout and the parking there drives me beserk.
Each to their own I suppose.

athlonelad

Long Gone wrote: »

I would have thought that was obvious - It's easier for the security men to control just one entrance rather than have to control several.



I said that was one of the reasons in my post - But it's a double edged sword. Many people resent being forced to walk past all the other shops......


9709]

Golden Island was one of the best things to happen to Athlone I cant see why anyone would give out about it. Its probably one of if not the best shopping centre in the whole Midlands

One of the best things to happen to Athlone? - I don't agree. As I've said, the design was out of date before it even opened.

It's not as if there's much competition in the Midlands. The Athlone Town Centre is much more impressive. The problem is that because the Town Centre was designed and built right at the height of the celtic tiger it's too much a monument to bling rather than the type of modern shopping centre that a town like Athlone really needs. Do you remember that ridiculously expensive French clothes shop that was in there at the start ? - I mean who in their right mind believed that was going to get enough business in Athlone to survive ?[/quote]
Id much prefer the overall layout of Golden Island to the town centre one. I must be oldschool. Golden island is just so handy. All on the one level with ample free parking. The town centre has a horrible layout and the parking there drives me beserk.
Each to their own I suppose.

athlonelad

Long Gone wrote: »

I would have thought that was obvious - It's easier for the security men to control just one entrance rather than have to control several.



I said that was one of the reasons in my post - But it's a double edged sword. Many people resent being forced to walk past all the other shops......


9709]

Golden Island was one of the best things to happen to Athlone I cant see why anyone would give out about it. Its probably one of if not the best shopping centre in the whole Midlands

One of the best things to happen to Athlone? - I don't agree. As I've said, the design was out of date before it even opened.

It's not as if there's much competition in the Midlands. The Athlone Town Centre is much more impressive. The problem is that because the Town Centre was designed and built right at the height of the celtic tiger it's too much a monument to bling rather than the type of modern shopping centre that a town like Athlone really needs. Do you remember that ridiculously expensive French clothes shop that was in there at the start ? - I mean who in their right mind believed that was going to get enough business in Athlone to survive ?[/quote]
Id much prefer the overall layout of Golden Island to the town centre one. I must be oldschool. Golden island is just so handy. All on the one level with ample free parking. The town centre has a horrible layout and the parking there drives me beserk.
Each to their own I suppose.

Long Gone

I wouldn't park at the town centre either - The car park is really badly designed and a nightmare to get into and out of. I'm not prepared to pay for parking there either. I don't mind the layout of the shops in the town centre, but in general the overall architecture of the town centre is really poor - That hotel block could have been a real signature addition to the Athlone skyline (think the Gherkin or the shard in London), but instead some philistine just designed it as a pig ugly concrete and glass block.

Bear in mind that Golden Island tried to start charging for parking - They were only stopped because providing free parking was one of the conditions of planning permission for the centre being granted...

What Golden Island need to do for a start to improve the place is to get rid of all those tracksuit wearing f***wits and hooded wasters that seem to always hang around the entrance.

athlonelad

Long Gone wrote: »

 
What Golden Island need to do for a start to improve the place is to get rid of all those tracksuit wearing f***wits and hooded wasters that seem to always hang around the entrance.

They are everywhere! They are outside the town centre too. They aren't as bad as them Roma Gypsies outside the town centre with the Big Issue magazines. They are actually rude

athlonelad

Long Gone wrote: »

 
What Golden Island need to do for a start to improve the place is to get rid of all those tracksuit wearing f***wits and hooded wasters that seem to always hang around the entrance.

They are everywhere! They are outside the town centre too. They aren't as bad as them Roma Gypsies outside the town centre with the Big Issue magazines. They are actually rude

Long Gone

athlonelad wrote: »

They are everywhere! They are outside the town centre too.

What they need to do is declare "No Loitering" zones and enforce them properly. Schools should play a part too - It's disgraceful to see kids in school uniforms loitering around, even sat on the ground sometimes...:(

athlonelad wrote: »

They aren't as bad as them Roma Gypsies outside the town centre with the Big Issue magazines. They are actually rude

I always tell them that I don't need bigger shoes - The ones that I have fit me fine ! .:D