Redevelopment: Plans are progressing for a substantial €110 million mixed use development close to the centre of Kilkenny city. Planning is expected to go forward for consideration by September.
The "KMart" development is a joint venture involving Kilkenny Co-Operative Livestock Mart Ltd and Melcorpo Ltd. A mix of retail, commercial, residential, leisure and tourism uses are planned for the 13.5 acre site on the old mart at Barrack Street, said Mr David Lyons, managing director of Melcorpo Ltd.
"It is a very big site. In provincial Ireland it is very difficult to find this sort of site," he said. "Our build costs run to about €110 million."
The two companies will create a new company entity called KMart Properties Ltd once planning is submitted, he said. There is no connection with the US Kmart company and this retail giant will not be part of the development.
"We haven't made a planning application yet. We are about to go for planning maybe in September," he said. "It is very much mixed. There is a balance, it can't be all retail or it won't work."
"The idea behind the development is urban regeneration. It is an expansion of the city. This is enhancing Kilkenny, not trying to compete with the existing core."
The overall plan is not for a shopping centre type development but the creation of a streetscape in keeping with Kilkenny's existing centre, Mr Lyons said. "It will be a mix of retail, commercial, leisure, accommodation and cinema with parking. There will also be tourism uses."
Features currently on the drawing board include a café plaza boulevard, facilitating a "shop and stroll" setting for the city. There will be a cinema and a 6,503sq m (70,000 sq ft) supermarket. "We are at an advanced stage of negotiations with an anchor tenant for that," Mr Lyons said.
There will be about 80 two and three-bedroom apartments, a hotel complex with between 120 and 150 beds, restaurants and bars. Leisure facilities include a gym, health spa, swimming pool and bowling alley. Cultural facilities include the Kilkenny GAA museum and interactive visitors' centre, an art gallery and gallery bookshop; a medical centre and day care centre are also planned.
Mr Lyons did not believe that the new KMart complex would clash with the planned €100 million shopping centre at Kilkenny railway station promoted by Chesterbridge. This centre on five acres will have 19,000 sq m (204,500 sq ft) of lettable space.
"There will be some climate of competition," Mr Lyons acknowledged but the two centres will both add to the attractions of Kilkenny. "It will fit well. Kilkenny hasn't had any retail development for a number of years."
The Chesterbridge centre will also have a 120-bedroom hotel, an office block of 5,945 sq m (64,000 sq ft) and 131 apartments.
Clearly there will be competition to land anchor tenants. There is already a modern stand-alone Dunnes outlet in the city and Superquinn is the anchor in Market Cross in the town centre shopping centre. Property sources indicate that UK multiples may become important tenants as they seek trading pitches in Kilkenny.
Plans for the KMart site are still fluid, Mr Lyons indicated. "There is a review of the retail strategy at the moment," he said. However, the promoters wanted to create a streetscape for the development. "We want to protect what Kilkenny already has."
No name has yet been decided for the development, but the company plans a public competition to name the new centre later in the year.
Chairman of Kilkenny Co Operative Livestock Mart Ltd, Mr Michael Parsons, was enthusiastic about the plans. "We are delighted with the future plans for our mart site. It is at an ideal location to allow for the integrated expansion of our city and is a tremendous opportunity to ensure a vibrant and healthy future for our city and county," he said.
