How to improve Sligo!

L.Jenkins

I'm not a native, but the Wife is Sligo born and raised and we spent a bit of time there on weekends and overnights. I'm posting the thread, just to see how people from Sligo would improve the town itself.

Some of the more obvious things I can see, is the Quayside Shopping Centre and the number of vacant units. Is it rent costs and service charges that's keeping business away? Even time I do visit the Centre, it looks a bit dull, maybe it's the number of empty units and poor lighting.

The other, which I've seen proposed by a number of Sligo residents is the Pennys and Tesco outlets. Both are in desperate need of being updated. The other thing I can see is the need for free Car Parking in the Town and better broadband in the surrounding towns and areas.

Mint Sauce

Itzy wrote: »

I'm not a native, but the Wife is Sligo born and raised and we spent a bit of time there on weekends and overnights. I'm posting the thread, just to see how people from Sligo would improve the town itself.

Some of the more obvious things I can see, is the Quayside Shopping Centre and the number of vacant units. Is it rent costs and service charges that's keeping business away? Even time I do visit the Centre, it looks a bit dull, maybe it's the number of empty units and poor lighting.

The other, which I've seen proposed by a number of Sligo residents is the Pennys and Tesco outlets. Both are in desperate need of being updated. The other thing I can see is the need for free Car Parking in the Town and better broadband in the surrounding towns and areas.

Where to start. IW and the CoCo get their act together and do something with OConnell St.

Tescos tidy up what must be your worst laid out store in the country, and Pennys the same even though i dont shop there that often, Wine Street Duunes too in that.

Changing them would do the town no harm, along with tidying up Wine Street Carpark, might keep people in the town.

Some kind of investment or change of the rules for the retail park, massive car park, only about a qtr of it used, i wonder why.

Should have made the planned dual carriage way to from Collooney to Castlebaldwin HQDC, rather than the Type 2 they are going to build. Motorway Standard road, no roundabouts, no stops all the way to/from Sligo Town would do no harm to the region, attracting more business and visitors.

On the Hughes Bridge improvements. Continue the widning till atleast Hendersons Garrage. Three lanes down to two within a couple hundred metres is surely only movimg the bottle neck.

Tidy up the Pearse/Carins Roaf junction, and tidy up the new line paintings and give driver education re there use. Youcan not cross a cyclelane with a soild white line for any reason, unless for access. Its not for parking in or used for undertaking drivers turning right.

Look into reopening Sligo airport. The morning/evening flight to/from dublin was great for them onward flights.

I'm sure i could think of more, but that will do for now.

T-Bird

IMO Sligo desperately needs at least one major investment by a multi national company that will bring in hundreds of job's.

I heard that there was meant to be a major announcement late last year, but it never happened.

More job's will bring in more money, and that will attract more investment in the long term.

shenanagans

They council made O'Connell street a pedestrianised zone a few years ago then they did a U-turn and quickly reverted back, it should have been left alone and they should have removed the traffic from the main street permanently. Galway city centre is pedestrianised and it's a great job and really improved the city and the vibe around the main shopping zone. Anyone who spent time around Sligo during the Fleadh Cheoil in the summer must see the benefit of having the central part of the town pedestrianised.

Vlove

More jobs

Sligo airport reopening

JFK bridge on right hand side should be changed!

More activities for youths, adults, etc

malibu4u

Itzy wrote: »

The other, which I've seen proposed by a number of Sligo residents is the Pennys and Tesco outlets. Both are in desperate need of being updated. The other thing I can see is the need for free Car Parking in the Town

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Tescos tidy up what must be your worst laid out store in the country, and Pennys the same even though i dont shop there that often, Wine Street Duunes too in that.

Changing them would do the town no harm, along with tidying up Wine Street Carpark, might keep people in the town.

+1. Those 3 are the 3 main anchor stores in town. The Pennys store is the best condition of those 3, but definitely Tesco and Dunnes should be re-developed. I have relations from Sligo who say that the Dunnes building is the same as Bests had 50 years ago, and that there was was plans to knock it and build a much larger Dunnes about 10 years ago, complete with spacious multi-storey car park?

If the Anchor stores got their act together and were redeveloped, and car parking was extended in Sligo, I could see Sligo thriving. I sometimes pass through Sligo on the way to Donegal and would stop more often for a cup of coffee / shopping if there was cheaper and easier car parking between the inner relief road and the town centre. That new small car park in Adelaide Street is handy but was full in the month before Christmas. Its also expensive at €1.20 per hour. If it was extended and reduced in price it would be great for Sligo. Parking in other towns is cheaper. Time Sligo Borough Council done something to support Sligo. I read in one of the national papers that Sligo is the county with the highest percent of unoccupied commercial property in the country. If the Borough Council does nothing I can see someone putting up a sign declaring Sligo to be Irelands detroit, as suggested elsewhere on another thread!

GG66

Always good to see some positive suggestions. I think in the last couple of years the business community have really come together around tidy towns, Fleadh and other initiatives.

Itzy wrote: »

The other thing I can see is the need for free Car Parking in the Town and better broadband in the surrounding towns and areas.

Any time free parking was introduced, those working in town took up all the space leaving less space for shoppers. Plus how do we pay for upkeep if there are no fees collected?
[/QUOTE]

Any time free parking was provided to encourage more shoppers all the people working in the town used it, leaving less parking. I think it's been tried and doesn't work.

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Some kind of investment or change of the rules for the retail park, massive car park, only about a qtr of it used, i wonder why.

Should have made the planned dual carriage way to from Collooney to Castlebaldwin HQDC, rather than the Type 2 they are going to build. Motorway Standard road, no roundabouts, no stops all the way to/from Sligo Town would do no harm to the region, attracting more business and visitors.

Look into reopening Sligo airport. The morning/evening flight to/from dublin was great for them onward flights.

Building the out of town shopping centre was always a bad idea and an ugly eyesore on one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Europe (Cairns Hill, Carrowmore, Knocknarae).

Adding a retail shopping centre there will decimate the town centre.

I welcome the road improvements but don't see how an upgrade to a motorway will bring more business and visitors. It will make it more inconvenient for those using it every day if there is limited access to it, no?

Sligo airport was handy for the few times I ever used it but it was getting ridiculous unsustainable subsidies to operate flights. Business people flying to Dublin rather than taking the train and being paid for by taxpayers. Knock is only 40 mins from Sligo. Flights from Knock to Dublin would be better.

The council should be encouraging more people to live in the town and create a living thriving community instead of the mistakes made during the boom, building too many house in villages around the county.

blinding

Make it the Gay Capital of Ireland .

Then you will have loads of Twinks (twin income no kids) coming to sligo to spend their dosh.

ianuss

Tarmac over the whole thing.

rizzodun

saywhatyousee wrote: »

There is a burrito eatery street cart across from the courthouse agree about mc donalds and burger king though shocking decision to take them out of the center and to think there are people that want everything in carraroe

I believe you'll find that taking them out of the town center was a business decision, it's not like both got ran out of the town. Also, drive thru's a lot more profitable than town center restaurants, if you ask me, they'd be crazy to invest in rent and equipment needed to start back in the town center, it'd be a good few years before they'd see a return on their investment.

Feed Up

IMO the long term solution is employment - more money in circulation, etc. etc.

However, that is the same problem up and down the country.

redarmyblues

shenanagans wrote: »

They council made O'Connell street a pedestrianised zone a few years ago then they did a U-turn and quickly reverted back, it should have been left alone and they should have removed the traffic from the main street permanently. Galway city centre is pedestrianised and it's a great job and really improved the city and the vibe around the main shopping zone. Anyone who spent time around Sligo during the Fleadh Cheoil in the summer must see the benefit of having the central part of the town pedestrianised.

I think the reason the reason that U turn was made was that predestination did not increase footfall and caused traffic problems elsewhere, the comparison with Galway is fatuous, the question is, how many other successful pedestrianised main or central streets/areas are there in Irish towns? Cork has Oliver Plunkett Street which is just off Patrick's Street (the Main Street) Now in the unlikely event of sense and money were ever to coming to Sligo at the same time, sense being a rarer commodity here-about even in these straightened times, surely the Rockwood Parade and what is now Stephens Street Carpark could be made into an attractive space. Restore the weir at Barton Smiths, make the car park into a people park, make the streetscape more coherent and less ugly, there are huge untapped advantages there, a lovely curve of river at the centre of a town equally divided by three attractive bridges, I could go on but won't, it will never happen.

Feed Up

redarmyblues wrote: »

I think the reason the reason that U turn was made was that predestination did not increase footfall and caused traffic problems elsewhere, the comparison with Galway is fatuous, the question is, how many other successful pedestrianised main or central streets/areas are there in Irish towns? Cork has Oliver Plunkett Street which is just off Patrick's Street (the Main Street) Now in the unlikely event of sense and money were ever to coming to Sligo at the same time, sense being a rarer commodity here-about even in these straightened times, surely the Rockwood Parade and what is now Stephens Street Carpark could be made into an attractive space. Restore the weir at Barton Smiths, make the car park into a people park, make the streetscape more coherent and less ugly, there are huge untapped advantages there, a lovely curve of river at the centre of a town equally divided by three attractive bridges, I could go on but won't, it will never happen.

Some very good points there.

From Hyde bridge looking out to sea, the block work on the Victoria Line (just showing my age) is fantastic. The corresponding bank has great potential for the same. All it needs is to be finished/repaired and both sides cleaned up. Would look great.

The stretch back up the river has great potential. Have a walkway on The Mall side of the river as well. Up as far as the footbridge for a start.

Years ago the tendency was to 'turn your back on the river' and use it as a sewer. Hence all the old buildings you could see from the Hyde Bridge and New Bridge.

The local traders, Chamber of Commerce, whoever, should start a campaign to clean up the town. By that I mean cleaning and painting the shopfronts on a regular basis. The owners of closed/dilapidated buildings should be named and shamed into cleaning up and painting the fronts/sides of the buildings.

The local Council, Government, etc. have no interest in doing any of this. It's all about devising ways of increasing the tax take and reducing the service provided.

Parking needs to be looked at. You have to have an incentive particularly as other posters have referred to people going to Tesco in C-on-S.

An interesting scheme I came across was in Penrith, Cumbria a few years ago. All parking on the main streets in the town centre was free. But limited to 30 minutes. You could get a free parking clock from any shop - basically a cardboard clock face with movable hands. You set the time you parked at and you had 30 minutes free. Great idea and a parking ticket if you over stayed. There were fee paying cars parks as well.

Yes, I too could go on and on.

SO7378

Gardai need to crack down on the dealers in town and especially the anti-social behaviour.
Gives it a bad name, and especially some of the areas from previous incidents and events.
I dont know who lined all the roads lately, either the council were drunk when doing them..The cemmetary road and pearse road are outrageous the cycle lanes are bigger than a lorry...

Asarlai

blinding wrote: »

Make it the Gay Capital of Ireland .

Then you will have loads of Twinks (twin income no kids) coming to sligo to spend their dosh.

Good idea, but among 'de gays', a twink has a different meaning (but it would also probably be fun for many gays if Sligo became a twink destination)

I think the acronym you need here is DINK (Double Income No Kids)

And, of course, if two twinks got together, you would then have TWINK DINK

And, if y'all pass the same sex marriage bill, then you could also have TWINK DINKYs (Double income no kids YET), until the two twinks decided to have children. Then, they would be back to being just TWINKs again, but of course, they're now getting older, so their TWINK days are probably coming to an end.

I know it all sounds very complicated, but if Sligo becomes the gay capital of Ireland, you'll be used to all these acronyms in no time....

Kettleson

Asarlai wrote: »

Good idea, but among 'de gays', a twink has a different meaning (but it would also probably be fun for many gays if Sligo became a twink destination)

And for the curious...you learn something new everyday..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twink_%28gay_slang%29

Mint Sauce

shenanagans wrote: »

They council made O'Connell street a pedestrianised zone a few years ago then they did a U-turn and quickly reverted back, it should have been left alone and they should have removed the traffic from the main street permanently. Galway city centre is pedestrianised and it's a great job and really improved the city and the vibe around the main shopping zone.

I would be happy enought with improvements at this stage. Hard to know wahts going on at this point, initally it was being left after Fleadh, then talk that that IW was going to lift it again after work done to do theirs, now I hear its negotiations with IW thats holding the whole thing up. At this stage, it will be after this years Fleadh before its done.

Anyone who spent time around Sligo during the Fleadh Cheoil in the summer must see the benefit of having the central part of the town pedestrianised

Would need to have a tried and tested traffic plan though first. Grand if you are a shopper or walker, but even the current traffic set up can be crazy if trying to drive through it.

SO7378 wrote: »

Gardai need to crack down on the dealers in town and especially the anti-social behaviour.

Drug or Illegal traders? Have only been offered about twice on nights out since moved here over 8 years ago, as for illegal traders, only ever seen them during the festivals.

Gives it a bad name, and especially some of the areas from previous incidents and events.

I dont know who lined all the roads lately, either the council were drunk when doing them..The cemmetary road and pearse road are outrageous the cycle lanes are bigger than a lorry...

Dont get me started on them again

saywhatyousee

There has been a big improvement in shops fronts and getting buildings painted and looking presentable in the last few years the only areas that need to be badly done are holbourn street and the top of high street

Mint Sauce

Since they are not going to build on Wine Street car park, the least they can do is resurface it. I dont usally get a trolley, but I did today, eggs were nealry scrambled by the time i got as far as the car.

LaGlisse

Dread going into sligo town for anything, traffic flow is a disaster and then they absolutely gouge you on parking.
Donegal town is a slightly further journey for me but 30cent an hour parking and a breeze to get around along with some nice places to eat means Sligo wont be getting any money from me. Council has a lot to answer for

sligono1

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Since they are not going to build on Wine Street car park, the least they can do is resurface it. I dont usally get a trolley, but I did today, eggs were nealry scrambled by the time i got as far as the car.

It is shocking when was that carpark fist surfaced or built for that matter ?? I would say it has never been resurfaced since.and not for the distant future there is no money I'm sure you will be told

malibu4u

LaGlisse wrote: »

Dread going into sligo town for anything, traffic flow is a disaster and then they absolutely gouge you on parking.
Donegal town is a slightly further journey for me but 30cent an hour parking and a breeze to get around along with some nice places to eat means Sligo wont be getting any money from me. Council has a lot to answer for

Agree with you there. Most traffic coming in to Sligo comes along the inner relief road. There should be more and cheaper parking between that and the town centre. The reason some tourist buses pass through Sligo without stopping is because there is no proper parking for them. Some of the existing car parks eg the one in Adelaide street should be expanded and made cheaper. If it was opened up and the graffiti removed from the half hidden corners of the car park there, it would be better. Make it 30 cent an hour and it could be twice the size and you could have an extra 100 shoppers or tourists in Sligo.

LaGlisse wrote: »

Donegal town is a slightly further journey for me but 30cent an hour parking

lots of people are like you LaGlisse- they live halfway between Sligo and Donegal town or halfway between Sligo and Enniskillen or halfway between Sligo and Carrick or halfwayway between Sligo and Ballina. People need cheap, easy parking in Sligo. Knock overgrown unused sites / properties if necessary to get it.

T-Bird

They could go up north and advertise Sligo and its shops etc. Euro is very week in comparison to Sterling, which makes for cheap buying.
At least it will get a bit of money in.

SO7378

T-Bird wrote:

They could go up north and advertise Sligo and its shops etc. Euro is very week in comparison to Sterling, which makes for cheap buying. At least it will get a bit of money in.

good idea in fairness

peasant

As for tourism:

The tourist information needs to be moved from the Hawkswell to somewhere at the relief road ...and it needs to have parking. No passing tourist will ever find it, never mind stop there where it is now.

The mountains around Sligo (Benbulben in particular) need to have public access. The land owners need to be negotiated with, a proper path created, marked and marketed.

Save our libraries

peasant wrote: »

As for tourism:

The tourist information needs to be moved from the Hawkswell to somewhere at the relief road ...and it needs to have parking. No passing tourist will ever find it, never mind stop there where it is now./quote]

It was moved months ago to the top of o Connell st

Mint Sauce

Save our libraries wrote: »

peasant wrote: »

As for tourism:

The tourist information needs to be moved from the Hawkswell to somewhere at the relief road ...and it needs to have parking. No passing tourist will ever find it, never mind stop there where it is now./quote]

It was moved months ago to the top of o Connell st

Even less parking there though. Town centre probably more ideal, but a purposes built, more accessible would probably be better.

Save our libraries

I would say that where is is now is ideally located. Centre of town, nice old building. I also don't get all the moaning about parking, I'm a learner driver and have no problems parking in Sligo. The only issue is that's its too expensive.

John_Rambo

peasant wrote: »

As for tourism:

The tourist information needs to be moved from the Hawkswell to somewhere at the relief road ...and it needs to have parking. No passing tourist will ever find it, never mind stop there where it is now.

The mountains around Sligo (Benbulben in particular) need to have public access. The land owners need to be negotiated with, a proper path created, marked and marketed.

I've always been happy to park and walk around Sligo. Tourists are the same. They don't have the "must park at the door" obsession that locals have.

What's going on with the mountains? Is there an issue with access to the peaks?

red sean

On the south facing side of the mountain, access has been closed by two farmers whose land adjoins the access point known locally as the 'green road'.
As a result, Sligo CoCo asked for submissions from locals on the matter.
I spoke to one of the men involved and their fear is accident/insurance related as this 'road' is on their title deeds as a 'right of way' for them only.
CoCO responded some weeks later to say, in a nutshell', that as a result of the Lissadell ruling they were not getting involved, and that there is still access to the mountain via 'Lukes bridge' on the west facing side.

John_Rambo

Right, thanks Sean.

red sean wrote: »

CoCO responded some weeks later to say, in a nutshell', that as a result of the Lissadell ruling they were not getting involved

Bloody hell, "We did the wrong thing last time, made a balls of it so we're not going to do our job anymore". Well done Sligo CoCo.