Green light for second Ballina Lidl

Green light for second Ballina Lidl


Anton McNulty

THE board of An Bord PleanΡla has overturned the recommendations of their own inspector and granted planning permission for a second Lidl store for Ballina. Ballina’s first Lidl opened on Bury Street in 2001.
The German retail giant was granted planning permission for a second store on the site of Tuffy’s Cash and Carry at Bohernasup, Ballina, despite objections from rival Tesco and a Bord PleanΡla report that recommended refusal.
The application was made by Padraic Tuffy Ltd, with the intention that the property it be occupied by Lidl Ireland GmbH.
The applicant stated that it was not Lidl’s intention to replace the existing store but to expand its market share in Ballina and North Mayo.
In her reasons for recommending refusal, An Bord PleanΡla (ABP) inspector Doleres McCaugh stated that the proposed location would ‘detract from the vitality and viability of the town centre’.
The former Cash and Carry site was destroyed by a fire in the spring of 2013, and the application involved the complete demolition of the existing buildings along with the demolition of two existing houses and the construction of a licensed discount foodstore measuring 1,875 square metres.
The decision by Mayo County Council to grant permission in November was appealed to An Bord PleanΡla (ABP) by a number of appellants, including Tesco Ireland, which has plans to demolish its current store in Ballina and develop a €20 million store.
The initial application proposed a floor area of 1,875 square metres. This was increased by 20 percent during the application process, and Tesco raised concerns about this. Tesco stated the scale and range of products that will be available at the proposed increased store size represents a shift away from the traditional ‘discount foodstore’ model.
A second Lidl store in the town, Tesco stated, does not increase consumer choice or offer competition.
Tesco also raised concerns regarding ‘the shortfall in car parking’ which it said could result in overspill parking on adjacent roads and ‘the abuse of the Tesco car park’.
In her report, Ms McCague stated that the proposed development would not help to maintain the centrality of the traditional town centre shopping streets.
Despite these recommendations, the board of ABP granted planning permission, stating that it believed the proposed development would not detract from the retail vitality of the centre of Ballina and would be in accordance with the proper planning and development of the area.