An Bord Pleanala is due to decide by March 20th whether to allow the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, at Quarryvale in west Dublin, to be doubled in size. The main objector, RGDATA, claims that if the extension goes ahead, it will convert it from a district to a regional shopping centre.
Last July, South Dublin County Council granted permission for the enlargement of the out-of-town shopping centre, the first in the country without a conventional supermarket. That will change if the planning appeals board endorses an earlier decision to allow Tesco to build a free-standing supermarket with a gross area of 57,619 sq ft, of which 32,000 sq ft will be designated as selling space.
The proposed extension to the shopping centre will provide an additional 254,372 sq ft to accommodate 35 retail outlets, including a 107,000 sq ft department store. Surface car-parking will be extended to provide another 2,467 spaces.
This would bring the lettable floor space of the Liffey Valley centre to 494,000 sq ft. This compares with 616,600 sq ft and 520,000 sq ft of the Square, in Tallaght, and Blanchardstown Shopping Centre respectively. In a separate development, the Irish Hardware Association has sought a judicial review of a decision to grant permission for a giant retailing warehouse complex in the second phase of the retail park. British DIY chain B & Q is understood to be interested in renting the unit. The Liffey Valley site has been developed jointly by O'Callaghan Properties and Grosvenor Estates, a company owned by the Duke of Westminster.
RGDATA, which represents the independent grocery sector, said in its most recent submission to the appeals board that the proposed town centre site at nearby Neilstown/Balgaddy is a more appropriate centre for development than Liffey Valley because of its proximity to public transport links.
It also argued that the suggestion by the developers that Quarryvale can act as a retail focus for Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Maynooth, Naas, Newbridge and Kildare clearly indicates the intention for it to function as regional rather than a district centre.
RGDATA is concerned about the impact such a large development might have on small independent retailers in the area. The developers plan to counter this argument with a retail survey from Hamilton Osborne King, which argues that there is no evidence to suggest Liffey Valley will have a negative effect on nearby towns, and that with the rapid growth in population in the surrounding area, there is enough business available for all parties to flourish.
The Dublin Transport Office also criticised the proposed expansion. It pointed out that the South County Dublin Development plan acknowledged that it is the council's policy to support the DTO's transportation initiative. Yet the site is not easily accessible by foot or public transport from Lucan and Clondalkin, the intended catchment areas according to the environmental impact assessment, thus reinforcing the car reliance of the proposed development.
Should An Bord Pleanala grant planning permission, the DTO recommended that conditions, including reducing the scale of the development, cutting the number of car-parking spaces and charging for parking, should be imposed.
Further objections have been lodged by the Irish Hardware Association. It fears a large DIY store will open in the proposed 107,000 sq ft anchor unit, which would have a negative impact on other traders in the area. In previous submissions, the developers argued that there was no provision for retail warehousing as part of the new development.
