Clare council receives application for €30m retail park in Shannon

Plans have been lodged with Clare County Council for a €30 million retail park in Shannon.

Plans have been lodged with Clare County Council for a €30 million retail park in Shannon.

Greenbrand Investments and Sean Halpin are proposing to develop a mixed-use retail park consisting of a DIY anchor store, garden centre, three retail warehouses, 10 retail units, eight office units and a department store.

The proposed development is located at Smithstown with 15,777 sq m in floor retail space and 1,336 sq m in office space.

The proposal comes 18 months after the opening of the first phase of the Skycourt development, the single largest investment in Shannon in 30 years.

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The developers say the new proposal "will promote growth in a sustainable manner by concentrating development in an area adjacent to the town core which will maximise use of the existing infrastructure".

A submission says: "Given its location, the proposed store would integrate well with the town centre such that there would be commercial synergy.

"The proposed development is in an optimum location from a retailing perspective and in terms of retail planning policy. From a planning perspective, impact on the town centre would be positive.

"The proposal will provide a state-of-the-art, modern mixed-use development which will enhance the sustainability of the town in general.

"This will be to the benefit of the local community, visitors and workers in the town, and will accord with the objectives of the retail planning guidelines and the south Clare economic corridor local area plan.

"The proposed development would represent a modern addition to comparison retailing in Shannon, providing a contemporary purpose-built retail park of a scale or quality not currently present in the town or county, which would be capable of providing a high-quality, additional shopping destination for the town and its catchment area."

A decision is expected on the application this year.

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times