Dunnes Stores to anchor Naas centre

RetailMarket:With a big name anchor tenant confirmed, there will be plenty of interest from leading fashion and lifestyle traders in the remaining units at Naas shopping centre, writes Jack Fagan

Dunnes Stores has been selected as the anchor tenant for what will be an exceptionally well located shopping centre under construction off Main Street in Naas, Co Kildare.

The choice of the Irish multiple has generated immediate interest from leading fashion and lifestyle traders in most of the 45 shops which will open alongside Dunnes.

Tesco and Superquinn operate relatively small supermarkets in the town and, though the British trader has plans to povide a full scale store at Monread Road, off the Dublin Road, the issue is with An Bord Pleanála because of local objections.

Another significant site of 5.4 acres with town centre zoning has just come on the market with the pending closure of the local vocational school at Newbridge Road.

Agent Nolan & Brophy is guiding over €25 million for the site which is expected to be used for a retail and residential development.

Naas is one of the fastest growing towns in the State because of its good road network and excellent range of facilities. The population of almost 20,000 is expected to continue growing over the coming years.

Naas shopping centre and an accompanying car-park is expected to provide a major boost for the town centre which has not had a full size supermarket and department store up to now.

Dunnes will operate a full format store of 6,481sq m (70,000sq ft) over two levels with food on the ground floor and fashion and homewares overhead.

The centre will extend to 15,700sq m (170,000sq ft) and is scheduled to open around November 2009, according to joint letting agents Savills HOK and Sherry FitzGerald O'Reilly.

The unit shops will also be distributed over two levels and will range in size from 50sq m (538sq ft) to 500sq m (5,382sq ft). The overall complex will greatly enhance the range of retail and commercial facilities in the town. Architect Donal Walsh of Walsh & Associates plans to create a necklace of interlinked public spaces (both physically and visually) and linking them into the town centre.

The 1.68 hectares being developed by the Marshalsea Property Company, run by Liam O'Farrell and Eoin McDermott, includes Naas Urban Council's car-park at Corbans' Lane and other sites assembled by the promoters.

As part of the development, they have undertaken to create a four-road junction on Main Street by demolishing the Sarah Flood bar and opening a new route on to Corbans' Lane which runs down to Lawlors Hotel.

This will allow motorists to use a basement car-park at the shopping centre and two levels above the retail complex with a total of 744 spaces.

Access to the basement car-park will be via a travelator while the upper levels will be reached by high speed lifts. Customers will be able to avail of free car-parking for the first hour but will have to pay a fee after that.

The main entrance will be off Main Street where the single storey extension to the Bank of Ireland will be demolished with the exception of the listed facade. The bank is to get an additional 1,532sq m (16,000sq ft) at the rear of the main two-storey building. Part of the three-storey rear return of the Forge Inn bar will also be incorporated into a new entrance plaza which will act as a transition space between Main Street and the entrance to the shopping centre.

There will be a separate entrance to the upper floor off Church Lane where the site level rises quite dramatically.

The scheme will allow for a much needed streetscape along Corbans' Lane. Ground floor arcaded shop fronts will enhance the street by providing light, interest and security.

McDermott & O'Farrell also developed Kildare shopping centre and a smaller shopping facility in Newbridge.

Their company has extensive property interests in Dublin and was heavily involved in schemes carrying tax-breaks over the past 20 years.

Some years ago they bought the 55-acre Unidare plant in Finglas and have since redeveloped the land for commercial buildings.