Councillor Pio Smith has come up with a plan that he thinks will rid Drogheda of one its worst eyesores and at the same time provide its citizens and visitors with open spaces where they can relax free from the intrusion of cars and other traffic.
He wants Louth County Council to purchase the Abbey Centre building, demolish it and replace it with a town centre park.
Councillor Smith says attracting people into Drogheda town centre for both shopping and leisure is a major challenge for both the Local Authority and businesses.
“Let’s face it,” he told Drogheda Life, “out of town shopping centres are here to stay therefore we need to reimagine what to do with town centre space.”
He believes that the Local Authority should compulsorily purchase the Abbey Shopping Centre and create a town centre park stretching down to the river.
“This would link in perfectly with the West Gate Vision and would make the west end of town almost unrecognisable from what it is today” he said.
“The Abbey Shopping Centre dominates the space between Dominick’s Street and the Bridge of Peace and it should be bulldozed out of existence” he added.
He envisages a large urban space with grassed lawns, wild habitats, play areas and picnic spots being created in its place.
“This project if it ever got off the ground would in itself be a perfect route to sustainable civic regeneration of Drogheda” he said.
“No doubt the project has hurdles to cross. Nothing to my knowledge has been done like this in Ireland. Money would have to be made available particularly from central government.
“But if we don’t do something like this then we are in effect managing the decline of Drogheda Town Centre” he warned.
“We are losing significant amounts of urban green land over the years and the value of these spaces can never be reclaimed completely.
“If we had a green space where the Abbey shopping centre is now it would help with the mental and physical well-being of the people of the town, help address climate change and protect the environment for future generations.”
“Significantly it would be a positive economic driver of change for businesses in Drogheda, footfall would increase, property prices would receive a boost, jobs would be created and less people might be leaving the town to work elsewhere.
“As things stand the Abbey Shopping Centre is unused and is widely disliked by many people in Drogheda. Leaving it as it currently stands for another decade should not be an option.
“Money spent on the creation of a town centre park now is money saved on mental, physical health and the environment in the future.”
