Retail CentresConstruction has just started on a mixed development that will change the face of Drogheda. Jack Fagan, Property Editor, reports
Development work has finally got underway on a new 69,677 sq m (750,000 sq ft) shopping centre which will form the centrepiece of a €120 million rejuvenation programme in the Drogheda docklands.
The eight-acre site will incorporate civic facilities as well as a four-star hotel, multiplex cinema, 700 car-parking spaces, 140 apartments and riverside bars and restaurants. It is the largest mixed development of its kind currently underway outside the Dundrum Town Centre, now being built in south Dublin, and is expected to switch the focus of the town to the waterfront site where there will be a range of attractions.
These will include pedestrian boardwalks along the river Boyne, a floating pontoon for yachts and a new pedestrian bridge over the river from Graves Lane on the south bank to Mayoralty Street on the northside.
Although Gerry Barrett of Edward Holdings first lodged two planning applications for the Scotch Hall scheme more than 18 months ago, the project had been held up since the beginning of the year by a court action instituted by a company developing a rival shopping centre in the town. The High Court eventually dismissed the action on the second day of the hearing that sought a judicial review of the planners' decision to grant permission for the docklands scheme.
There is broad support among the business community for the new centre - not only because of its bold architectural statement - but also because of the expectation that it will kick-start the redevelopment of the docklands area between the Dublin Road and the Boyne on the southern side of the river.
Drogheda has lost out in recent years to towns like Dundalk and Navan which have infinitely better shopping facilities. Shopping in Drogheda has been largely confined to the principal street, West Street, where there are limited car-parking opportunities. Gerry Barrett of Edward Holdings describes what he is trying to do as a "genuinely vibrant scheme that will revitalise the town centre".
The decision by Dunnes Stores to switch its main operation from West Street to the docklands is a strong endorsement for Scotch Hall. Dunnes will operate a supermarket and department store out of 743 sq m (80,000 sq ft) of retail space, almost one-third of the entire trading area being built.
However, there will be up to 52 other shops including two other anchor tenants with 1,858 sq m (20,000 sq ft) and 1,114 sq m (12,000 sq ft). There will also be a glazed street to integrate the old and new buildings.
Retail specialist Edward Douglas of Douglas Newman Good said there was exceptionally strong interest in the centre both from UK and Irish multiples. He believed the line up would include many household names such as Boots, Next, Argos, the Arcadia Group and A-Wear. The developers are also anxious to have a good mix of local traders.
The strong architectural style of the development by architects Douglas Wallace brought early endorsement from the town planners. Gerry Hand of Douglas Wallace describes the end product as "bold and unashamedly modern".
The architects were particularly adept in dealing with the main access, opting for a signal-controlled junction on the Dublin Road and by a bridge/ramp over the lower Marsh Road on to the second of two floors of the shopping centre. Car-parking will be located on the third and fourth floors directly over the two floors of shopping.
The introduction of a suspended pedestrian bridge over the river is expected to encourage pedestrian flow from the busy West Street/Lawrence's Gate area to the shopping and leisure facilities planned for the site. Edward Holding has made a commitment to deliver on its promise to incorporate the range of listed 19th century warehouse buildings into the overall scheme. All of them will be restored and used for a mixture of restaurants, bars, night clubs and shopping facilities. Plans also include the building of a new street from Marsh Road to the quays.
The second phase of the development will include a substantial four-star hotel which is badly needed in the fast-expanding town. The hotel is not due to open until the end of 2004.
Thousands of couples have bought homes in Drogheda in recent years largely because of the lower prices available and the proximity to the railway line. There are plans to upgrade the Drogheda-Dublin service, currently suffering from overcrowding during peak hours.
The second shopping centre under construction in Drogheda, St Laurence Town Centre, has apparently not yet attracted an anchor tenant. The centre is to be built on a four-acre site and will front on to St Laurence Street, Peter's Street, William Street and Palace Street. It will also have a mix of apartments, office units and 500 car-parking spaces.
