A planning application has been lodged with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council for a major re-development and extension of the Stillorgan Shopping Centre which is likely to cost over £30 million.
The development includes over 200,000 square feet of new retail floor space, over 1,100 new parking spaces, a portion of office space and a library.
The application has been lodged by a company called Myrmidon Limited, which has an address at the same location as Treasury Holdings, the owners of the centre.
Treasury Holdings is controlled by the property developers Mr John Ronan and Mr Richard Barrett.
The previous owners failed to secure planning permission for a multi-storey car park in the service yard at the back of the shopping centre following protests by local residents.
The development aims to have several anchor stores with the most likely being Boots or Marks & Spencers. Marks & Spencer are known to be looking to establish a large store on the south-side of the city.
The application is for a four storey development with parking in a basement, the centre is presently single-storey in most places. The re-development, if it receives planning permission is likely to be an attractive prospect for retailers looking to either expand or gain a foothold on the south-side of the city.
Palmer McCormack will be the letting agents for the project and Frank L Benson and Partners have been involved in preparing the planning application.
The extension will be built on the current car-parking facilities on the Kilmacud side of the shopping centre and a new entrance will be constructed on the Dublin Road, with an entrance for goods vehicles along Lower Kilmacud Road.
Existing retail outlets, malls and ancillary areas are to be re-furbished as part of the application. At present the main anchor stores are Quinnsworth and Dunnes Stores and there is a high concentration of locally-owned Irish retailers in the centre.
The centre at present covers 7.2 acres and is seriously hampered by traffic congestion, particularly at weekends. A source in Dun Laoghaire Co Council said the issue of traffic would be looked at closely before any final planning permission is given.
According to the planning application "the consolidation and organisation of vehicular access and car parking facilities are integral to the proposal and are considered vital to improve the overall appearance of the Stillorgan District area".
Built in 1966 the centre is the oldest shopping centre in the Republic and serves a lucrative catchment area. The centre has retained the same design it had when it was built.
Stillorgan has faced new competition recently with the opening of the Bloomfields shopping centre in nearby Dun Laoghaire, which is home to a number of British owned stores, including Boots and Argos.
A number of sites adjoining the present centre may be affected by the building of the new development, these include the Baumann's yard to the east, No 10 and 11 Beaufield Park and several unnamed commercial properties.
The level of objections likely from local residents is not clear, although it is understood that some consultations between the developers and local people have taken place.
The architects, A&D Wejchert, who were recently asked to redesign the Ilac Centre, will be responsible for the design of the new centre, which will retain its existing name.
The application for the re-development is likely to be heard at a meeting of Dun Laoighaire-Rathdown Co Council in September.
Councillors are entitled to recommend giving planning permission or to call for the development to be refused. However, the final decision rests with the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county manager, Mr Kevin O'Sullivan.
A decision on the application has to be delivered in the next two months. If the county manager decides to grant planning permission, objectors are still entitled to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanala.
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