The Irish Times 16th November 2005
Centre sparks Drogheda's renewal
Urban Renewal: Drogheda became one of the last big towns in Ireland to move into the modern shopping era last Thursday when the stunning new Scotch Hall shopping centre opened, marking the first phase of the rejuvenation of the rundown docklands area. The €200 million complex is one of the finest on the east coast.
Drogheda's refusal over the years to allow a modern new shopping centre to be built in the town was not unconnected with the long established success of stores along West Street, the town's principal shopping street, frequently described in the local newspaper as "the golden mile".
With a bulging population of over 30,000 in the ancient borough, traders lucky enough to have a pitch on West Street seldom failed. They had captive, working class customers with little opportunity to shop elsewhere. The biggest changes along this dominant street over the years saw Dunnes Stores and Quinnsworth (later to be taken over by Tesco) muscle into two of the biggest retail buildings on the street. Otherwise, the tenant mix seldom changed.
Drogheda's appeal to shoppers has been in steady decline in recent years as the ever increasing number of families with cars travelled to Swords, Blanchardstown, Dundalk and Newry to avail of the greater choices of shops and merchandise. Drogheda's chronic traffic problems and the constant difficulty of finding a car-parking space near the supermarkets drove business elsewhere. The small shopping centre on West Street continued to trade successfully but could not cater for a growing population.
Dublin's success with dockland regeneration schemes over the past two decades was slow to have an impact on Drogheda. But as one cut-stone building after another closed in the docks and jobs were lost, Drogheda's once great reputation for heavy and light industry began to take a hammering.
The Government's response was to encourage Coca Cola and a few other multinationals to set up plants on new industrial estates on the outskirts of the town. However, the decline of the dockland continued unabated. Even the Drogheda Harbour Board announced that it was vacating its long standing harbour facilities for a new port to be built a few miles away.
Enter Gerry Barrett, the former Galway secondary teacher, who had established an immediate reputation for himself in the property industry by pulling off a deal more experience players had not envisaged - he assembled a site for the highly successful Edward Square retail complex in the centre of Galway that was to breathe new life into the lack lustre Eyre Square shopping centre.
In Drogheda, Barrett was quick to recognise the potential in the docklands. He bought a key site along the south docks and when he made a commitment to link in a huge mixed-use scheme with the existing town centre, the planners bought the idea. The fact that planning permission had already been granted for a new shopping facility on the site of the old Grammar School was irrelevant in a town catering for an ever increasing number of Dublin commuters.
The hugely impressive Scotch Hall development unveiled last week is set to kick-start the rejuvenation of the vast docklands area. The new pedestrian bridge over the Boyne linking the old shopping district with the new has been heavily used since the shopping centre opened.
The €200 million first phase of Scotch Hall includes 18,000sq m (193,750sq ft) of retail space, 3,000sq m (32,292sq ft) of offices, a 108-bedroom four-star hotel and 80 apartments. And it won't stop there.
Barrett has plans to spend another €200 million on a second phase which will include further shopping facilities, a cinema complex, offices, an extension to the hotel, conference facilities, apartments and a leisure centre. Drogheda is finally back on the map.
By Jack Fagan
Press Releases Archive
24th November 2005
The interior of the new G hotel in Galway - designed by Philip Treacy - is extraordinarily glamourous.
Centre sparks Drogheda's renewal
The Irish Times 16th November 2005
Drogheda became one of the last big towns in Ireland to move into the modern shopping era last Thursday when the stunning new Scotch Hall shopping centre opened, marking the first phase of the rejuvenation of the rundown docklands area. The €200 million complex is one of the finest on the east coast.
Sunday Times Style Magazine 13th November 2005
Someone’s let Philip Treacy loose on a hotel in Ireland. Dominic Bradbury surveys the results.
Sunday Business Post 28th September 2005
The finishing touches are being put to Scotch Hall, Galway developer Gerry Barrett's €150 million retail and leisure development on the south bank of the river Boyne in Drogheda, Co Louth. The scheme, which is expected to draw customers from as far afield as Navan, Newry, Dundalk and Dublin, has been six years in the pipeline and has been under construction for just over two years.
Sunday Tribune 23rd January 2005
A 27-STOREY residential tower, part of a plan to further develop the river side area of Drogheda, could have the similar effect on the town that the Guggenheim museum had on Bilbao, according to architect Gerry Hand of Douglas Wallace.
The Irish Times 10th November 2004
The Galway property developer Gerry Barrett has bought the distinctive Victorian University Hall in Hatch Street, Dublin 2, for over €16 million.
3rd September 2004
Irish-based property company Edward Holdings has launched a new subsidiary hotel brand, Monogram Hotels.
The Sunday Tribune: 14th November 2004
It’s a €100m near sellout as the country’s wealthiest buyers splash out on Gerry Barrett’s D4 development.
The Irish Times: 1st July 2004
The final 17 apartments and coach-houses in what is the most exclusive and expensive scheme in Galway go on the market today.
The Connacht Tribune: 31st January 2003
Two international hotel chains have expressed interest in operating a 129-bedroom hotel in Wellpark which has been given planning approval by city planners.
The Connacht Tribune: 4th October 2002
Plans for a 129-bedroom hotel at Moneenageisha Cross, to replace part of an already approved office development, have been submitted to the City Council.
Drogheda Independent: 19th June 2002
Drogheda Borough Councillors have given the green light to the ambitious Scotch Hall development on the South Quay - despite an objection from Parolen Limited the developers of the Laurence Street shopping development.
Drogheda Independent: 29th March 2002
The proposed Scotch Hall development planned for Drogheda's south quay will lead to 550 jobs according to the developers.
Irish Times: 27th March 2002
The 200-year-old Bloomfield Hospital and grounds off Morehampton Road in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, is to be redeveloped as one of the city's most exclusive residential enclaves with houses costing up to £2.5 million (€4m) each.
Irish Times: 5th September 2001
Atlantic Homecare is to anchor a new retail park at one of the principal gateways to Galway city.
Drogheda Independent: 30th March 2001
Drogheda's Docklands are to be transformed by an ambitious £50 million redevelopment on the site of the Lakelands grain store.
Galway City Tribune: 12th January 2001
A multi-million pound development which will provide a specialist shopping centre and offices for high-tech companies is being planned for the Wellpark area.
Drogheda Independent: 30th June 2000
The Skyline of Drogheda may be about to change with the possible demolition and removal of the large grey metal silos in the Lakeland Dairies premises on the Marsh Road now that the company is apparently considering relocating to a more rural location.
Galway City Tribune: 14th April 2000
The new £40 million shopping complex, Edward Square, opened its doors on Wednesday morning and enjoyed brisk business all day as thousands thronged the new centre.
Galway City Tribune: 10th September 1999
Top UK retailer 'Next' have been confirmed as tenants of the £26 million Edward Square shopping complex which is hoped to open on schedule at the end of November just in time for the hectic Christmas shopping period.
Galway City Tribune: 26th September 1997
Developers should liase more with residents before lodging their planning applications with the planning authority to avoid delays, it was claimed this week.
Irish Independent: 23rd July 1997
A major new shopping scheme is on the cards for Barrack Lane in Galway City which will see a new department store, ten shops and up to 50 new homes put in place costing £22m.
