Re: Re: Dundalk
There was something brutish about the original Dundalk S.C. – and when Long Walk opened, that was a family day out!!!
For any redevelopment opportunity, it’s location affords it astonishing potential – but will it be used to effect? The spate of recent retail development in this region as a whole – by extension, including Drogheda (i.e. Scotch Hall) – seems to be a little overwhelming. Now I understand the issues of Dublin’s catchment proximity and commuter values – but is it sustainable? I can’t remember the name of the new planned S.C. for Dundalk, but it seems pretty extensive. Is viability a truth when other S.C.’s in the town end up closing in part response? Sure timelines dictate the alternating pattern of S.C. sustainaibility – but was Dundalk S.C. and LongWalk’s time nigh or simply speed up by these impending developments?
S.C. in any community provide interesting socio-economic instruments and their development is usually a reflection of a society/community’s development (e.g. economic boom in Cork = Mahon Point S.C., Academy Street, Cornmarket Street, Ballincollig S.C. and a number of other big ones under plan) – but with Dundalk it seems the creation of one, at the expense of another???
What are planners actually thinking?
That’s actually interesting Paul, it would seem the old way of Irish planning/thinking was to rip up the rail-line and put down a road – in retrospect, the rail-line could provide a valuable asset (plus some adjustments) to the S.C. as a development site given the disaster that is Irish traffic. As a site, the railway line could play an important turnaround for the area and utilise Dundalk’s history and existing railway infastructure to breathe new life into the old system and town. Does anyone have the foresight? Either way, I’ll always remember that line as the one that brought those poor pigs to their finally squealing place (by the way, is that still there???) 😉
