Green light for development at former Tesco site

CLARE County Council has granted planning permission for a development at the site of the former Tesco store in Shannon Town Centre.
The local authority granted planning to Shannon Town Centre Development Ltd, for alterations to the existing retail unit.
These will include replacement of the existing door with a new pedestrian sliding door, the erection of new signs and an extension of the existing north east public surface car park.
In the planner’s report, it was stated that having the unit in use again is desirable. “The unit previously occupied by Tesco is vacant. Having regard to the objective to maintain and improve the vitality and viability of the overall town centre, it would be preferable that this unit be occupied,” the report stated.
It wasn’t felt that the addition of more parking would be excessive. “There are approx 450 car-parking spaces in the multi-storey, approx 45 surface spaces at the north-east section (adjacent to proposed development), approximately 220 surface spaces at the north-west section of the site near Lidl and Shannon Knights and approximately 120 near Shannon Development offices.
“From a quantitative point of view, it would appear that there is ample parking overall. However, the applicant is proposing 25 more surface spaces near the entrance to proposed retail use on the basis that the distance is too far between the other parking areas and the proposed retail space.”
Permission was granted subject to 13 conditions. This included one that the aisles of the parking area be 6m in width, all parking bays be at least 2.4m wide by 4.8m in length. Otherwise, the parking is to be laid out in line with previously submitted site layout plans.
There is also a requirement for agreement on what is to go into the unit.
“Full details of each future occupier of the shop unit shall be submitted to and agreed in writing with the planning authority prior to them occupying the unit. No change of use shall take place other than with the consent of the planning authority whether or not such change of use would but for the terms of this condition constitute exempted development.”
The grant of planning would apparently open the door to the addition of a new retail outlet at the town centre, although management have remained tight-lipped about anything that may be in the pipeline.
Tesco closed at Shannon Town Centre in February of 2008 and at the time, the town centre management said they were “very conscious of the need to have a replacement store once Tesco has vacated and every effort is being made to progress these plans as quickly as possible”.
However, the economy was about to go into a tailspin and a replacement hasn’t come to pass to date.