Aldi gets build approval despite farmers protest

Aldi has received the green light to extend its retail operations in Ireland, despite opposition from a group of north Clare farmers.

This follows Clare County Council giving the German retail giant the go-ahead for an outlet in the north Clare market and heritage town of Ennistymon. The farmers had been frustrating Aldi’s efforts, arising from their anger that Clare Marts Ltd has sold the old Ennistymon mart site to Aldi. The Save Ennistymon Mart Committee (SEMC) lodged a strident objection against the plan with the Council.

Last year, Clare Marts sold the mart site in the town to Aldi for a price believed to be in the region of €1.5m. The sale was opposed by farmers who, at one stage, held a silent protest outside a Clare Marts board meeting.

The latest supermarket data from Kantar Worldpanel for Ireland gives Aldi 8.5% market share. Aldi has 100 stores in Ireland, with a number of others either under construction or at the planning stage.

The retailer currently has two other stores in Clare, at Ennis and Kilrush. The retail impact assessment lodged with the proposal estimated that the annual turnover of the new store would be €9m, stating that there is currently more than a €21.7m surplus of convenience expenditure annually.

Aldi said the development will not have an adverse impact on the existing retail provision in the catchment area. In greenlighting the plan, the council stated the proposal would not seriously injure amenities or property in the vicinity and was in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

An objection by consultant Brendan McGrath on behalf of SEMC said the demand for additional convenience retailing space in the catchment is exaggerated.

Mr McGrath said SEMC is a group of locals, mostly farmers, who strongly oppose the proposal.

“Formerly part of the Fairgreen and then the venue for the mart for more than 50 years, the site has been an important part of the town over a long period,” said Mr McGrath.

He said the site is not large enough to satisfactorily accommodate the scale of development and would see the end of an Ennistymon tradition on the site “and see its replacement by a use that may not be in the long-term interests of the town”.