Dunnes Stores asks appeals board to overturn Monkstown store refusal

Dunnes Stores has made a fresh bid to establish a new suburban outlet at Monkstown in south Dublin.

Dunnes company Better Value Unlimited has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's refusal of planning permission for the outlet.

The grocer is looking to redevelop The Outer Spaces , a Diarmuid Gavin-led gardening shop and cafe it opened last year in the south Dublin suburb.

The Monkstown proposal – which includes an off-licence and cafe along with a convenience store – is part of a drive by Dunnes Stores to roll out smaller suburban shops in the Dublin area.

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The council refused planning permission for the extension and refurbishment of 14/15 Monkstown Crescent after 20 third-party objections were lodged against the scheme by local residents.

The 109-strong member Longford Terrace Residents Association argued that with other Dunnes Stores outlets “surrounding” Monkstown village, “there is no possible planning justification to now permit Dunnes Stores to open in a small historic village setting”.

The council refused planning permission after finding that the scheme would constitute overdevelopment and would be visually overbearing.

The local authority also ruled that the scheme would not present a balanced approach to development at the neighbourhood centre.

Avoca’s Monkstown outlet is located close to the Dunnes Stores planned store. In its appeal Dunnes said it is seeking planning for a neighbourhood convenience store of 400sq m.

On behalf of Dunnes Stores, Patrick O’Neill argued that the outlet will not have an adverse impact on existing properties or depreciate the value of any property in the local area.

A decision is due on the appeal in May.