Lidl gets green light despite concerns
The motion was passed despite the concerns of the council’s senior planner who said it would go against Government guidelines and the council’s own strategy on retailing.
Ardee was the latest in a series of contentious planning applications submitted on behalf of the retailing chain, which along with rival Aldi has continued to beef up its presence in Ireland since it set up its first Irish store four years ago. Lidl has 40 stores around the country, more than double the number operated by Aldi. Its expansion plans have faced resistance from planners, local residents and small retailers who complain the group’s strategy of building on the outskirts of towns will be bad for town centres and local infrastructure.
The group has been slow to establish a presence in Dublin and has struggled to get approval for proposed stores in Rathfarnham and Deansgrange. It abandoned plans to build on the former GlaxoSmithKline site in the south of the city after successive applications were turned down. But applications to develop sites in other counties have been given the go-ahead after initial objections.
Councillors who backed the Ardee application said there was demand in the area for competition in the retail sector and the store would create up to 40 jobs. Planners had told councillors they were not opposed in principle to Lidl or any retail store, but raised concerns over the proposed location and the impact it might have on traffic and drainage. They favoured sites closer to existing retail developments.
Independent retailers’ organisation RGDATA said applications that contravened retail planning guidelines should be thrown out. The group said it would not stand in the way of competition but was concerned town centre retailers would disappear if large out-of-town retail developments were encouraged.
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