Anton McNulty
The new Lidl supermarket in Westport is due to be opened later this month after it was confirmed the construction has been completed and it was granted a licence to sell alcohol.
The new supermarket which is located at the Demesne, Westport is due to be opened on Thursday, November 24. After months of many delays, the construction of the new supermarket is fully completed and only needs to be fitted before it opens.
At last week’s sitting of Westport District Court, Judge Mary Devins granted an application brought by Ms Constance Cassidy, SC for Lidl for a licence to sell alcohol in the store. Judge Devins had granted a declaratory order on July 7 last and the court heard that since then the building has met all the fire safety and planning requirements needed for a licence.
Mr Frank Kenny, an architect, said he visited the premises before the court and was fully satisfied the building was compliant with all the regulations. He said the building was complete but it needed to be fitted with furniture and the landscaping outside the building needed to be completed.
The supermarket was due to be opened last June but has been dogged by controversy since last February when the construction company, Aidan Elliott Construction Ltd, was involved in a major oil spill on the site.
In August, The Mayo News revealed that the German supermarket chain were forced to appoint a new contractor to complete the construction process after Aidan Elliott Construction Ltd left the job owing thousands of euro to sub-contractors.
No objections were lodged with regards to the licence which was duly granted by Judge Mary Devins.