Work on an €80 million revamp of a shopping centre at Douglas in Cork is set to get under way this week, with an estimated completion date of mid-2009.
Bowen Construction has been engaged by Shipton Group for the redevelopment of the Douglas Village shopping centre in the city suburbs. Tesco will be the anchor unit. The development also includes a three-storey office block and car park, all to be integrated into the existing building while keeping it open for business throughout construction.
The Shipton Group, owned by the Love family, is behind a number of high-profile commercial developments in Cork city.
They control the two Douglas shopping centres, initially developed the Wilton shopping centre and developed the hugely successful Blackpool Retail Park shopping centre.
Work on the first phase of construction, which will result in an additional 16,000sq m (172,223sq ft) of space added to the centre, will get under way this week.
An expanded car park will accommodate 102 extra vehicles on top of the 930-plus provided by the new three-storey car park.
Courtesy staff have been laid on to help assist shoppers over the next few months.
The southern suburbs of Cork have experienced rapid expansion in recent years. In the southeast suburbs there has been very significant population expansion in Douglas, Maryborough and Rochestown.
Meanwhile, Cork Business Association has insisted the retail sector in Cork city centre is going from strength to strength.
It says the refurbishment of shopping areas such as Patrick Street and Oliver Plunkett Street has encouraged people to come back in to the city centre and that the development of the Academy Street and Cornmarket Street areas will bring an added boost in the years to come.
Business association chairman Donal Healy says the future of the retail sector is positive. "There is going to be 15,000 to 20,000 coming to live in the docklands area, so all in all, the future for Cork is going to be very bright."