The former Dunnes Stores site on Park Street Dundalk, which has been lying vacant since it closure in 2009, is getting a much needed facelift as part of this year’s Façade project which is being run by the Dundalk BIDS office.
The Facades project has been responsible for the huge improvement in the appearance of buildings all over town with Clanbrassil Street and Church St. the main focus of attention over the last couple of years.
A splash of paint and some well thought out colour schemes have brought a vibrancy back to old buildings in town and now Park St. is set to benefit from the innovative project which kicked off this week according to Town Centre Commercial manager, Martin McElligot.
“We have kicked off the 2024 Facades project with the beginnings of our transformation and a long term vision for Park Street,” explained Martin.
“The Dunnes stores building has became a huge reminder of how things can stagnate quickly for an area, but we are actively working with Louth County Council, letting agents and landlords across our district to help break this cycle.”
Big thanks to the incredible efforts of Damien McGeeney and his team for working through the wee hours to ensure maximum cleanliness and minimal disruption to the business community and the public.
Stage one complete now it’s over to stage 2 with our colour specialist Alison Duffy in Colourtrend Paints
Dundalk colour specialist Alison Duffy has said there will be “no spoilers” about the plans to improve the façade of the old Dunnes Stores building on Park Street this year.
Alison has been working with Martin McElligott is the Town Centre Commercial Manager with BIDS (Business Incentive District Scheme) on the Facades Project for over two years.
“We have been having a lot of fun with it. It’s very satisfying to improve the appearance of derelict, used or empty buildings,” said she said.
Alison, who is from Oaklawns, is a colour specialist with the company, Colourtrend. She studied Fine Art and specialised in colour theory.
She lived and worked in England for 12 years before returning to live in Dundalk over five years ago.
“The Facades Project is fantastic. Buildings in town look and feel better after the work has been completed,” said Alison.
“Park Street is getting a much-needed facelift and work has started on the old Dunnes Stores building.
“I’m not saying what the colour will be. We don’t know when that phase of the project will be completed. It’s very weather dependent.”
Alison continued: “It’s the joy of Irish weather. We will be working on Park Street down to Francis Street.
“It helps to brighten the place up and it can enhance beautiful features and architectural features on older buildings.
“I’m from town so it’s an added bonus to be working on this project. When you see the before and after photographs you can really appreciate what a massive difference it makes.”
She concluded: “You can’t put garish colours on old buildings. You have to pick a scheme that will compliment the adjacent buildings.
“For the people working on this project, it’s about longevity. We want to create a look and feel that will stand the test of time.”
