By Dymphna Nugent
An almost 10,000 sqm planned extension to Waterford Retail Park in Butlerstown will be anchored by retail giants, B&Q and Decathlon, if permission is granted.
An application for planning permission submitted by Monaco Properties last month will be decided by January 5.
According to documents published by the Planning Department which accompanied the application, permission to construct an L-Shaped extension has been applied for as part of Phase 2 of Waterford Retail Park at Butlerstown.
If granted, this development would become the largest of its kind in the South East, with B&Q and Decathlon lined up to take two of the planned six new units.
A large garden centre attached to B&Q forms part of the planning application.
History of the site
The site became the subject of a referral to An Bord Pleanala following the arrival of TK Maxx to one of the retail units. While planning had been granted by Waterford Council at the time, an Bord Pleanala found that the development was outside of the scope of the planning permissions granted for a retail warehouse park on the site. A judicial review followed in the High Court where Justice Mac Menamin found that both TK Maxx and two other units were outside the scope of the planning permissions.
In their finding, the appeal refusal said: "The Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities, issued by the Department of Environment, Heritage, and Local Government in January 2005, caution against out-of-town retailing of goods, other than bulky goods, and state that "where the range of goods sold from retail parks extends to the type of non-bulky durables which is retailed from town centres, then there is much more potential for an adverse impact on a nearby town centre."
Proposed plans
B&Q were previously located in the existing Retail Park, in the unit which now houses Homestore+More but closed as part of nationwide closures at the time.
Outlined in the proposed plans is a two-step approach to the extension, with retail units being built first, and a 3-storey standalone office and medical building planned thereafter.
The main access to the proposed Retail Park will be via the existing extrance on the Outer Ring Ring, however it is understood that permission will be applied for the entrance on the Cork Road to be upgraded from a service entrance.
An objection on behalf of Merry People Ltd, owners of Lisduggan Shopping Centre was made to the proposed development, raising their concerns that a development such as this would set a precedent for the sale of comparison goods outside the city centre.
A decision is expected on or before January 5.
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