Green light for €60m Bray shopping centre

Bray Town Council has granted planning permission to Sean Mulryan's Ballymore Properties for the €60 million Florentine Centre in the centre of Bray.

The decision has been welcomed by Bray and District Chamber which has called the centre "critically important" to the rejuvenation of Bray's retail offering and the most "significant step" taken in recent years in the development of the town's retail landscape.

It is hoped the new centre will stem the flow of shoppers to Dundrum Town Centre and other Dublin retail destinations. While Bray has a busy commercial life and is one of the fastest growing towns on the east coast, its retail choice is limited.

The focus for the 9,000sq m (98,875sq ft) shopping centre - bounded by Main Street, Eglinton Road, Florence Road and Quinsborough Road - will be on fashion and lifestyle stores. There is also a residential element of 110 apartments.

Rising to seven storeys, the centre will also have a crèche, community facility and 549 car-parking spaces in a three-level basement. Vehicular access will be off Florence Road with three pedestrian entrances at Main Street, Quinsborough Road and Florence Road.

The retail mix will include an anchor store and two large outlets, as well as smaller shops. Joint agents Dooley Auctioneers and Harrington Bannon have reported a healthy interest from high profile names in the centre, with Marks & Spencer and Dunnes Stores mooted as possible tenants.

More than 20 sites were assembled for the development which is modelled on the Funf Hofe centre in Munich and has an open topped entrance. The centre is also expected to provide much need car-parking in the area.

Bray and District Chamber says it is hopeful that the scheme will not be appealed to An Bord Pleanála and it will be allowed to proceed to the development stage as soon as possible. Jason Cooke, public relations officer of the chamber, says it is "in the interests of the existing retailer base and consumers, as well as the community of Bray, that the Florentine Centre is developed as speedily as possible".

He says that amendments made to the original plan have been accepted by the planning authority, and should satisfy the concerns of any third parties.