Waterford and Kilkenny councils set to resume Dunnes Stores dispute in High Court

Lawler Consulting, a Kilkenny firm that helped to produce the design of Ferrybank shopping centre, claims it is one of the biggest shopping centres in Ireland with 30,000sq metres of retail floor space.

A High Court case involving plans for a flagship Dunnes Stores outlet and two warring local authorities is set to resume on Monday.

The case brought forward by Waterford City and County Council challenges a decision by Kilkenny County Council to grant planning permission for a Dunnes Stores outlet to be developed in the long-idle Ferrybank Shopping Centre.

The Waterford council’s case centred on the fact that the Kilkenny council approved Dunnes’ planning application without a corresponding retail impact assessment, and that the shop could have a devastating impact on retail in Waterford city centre.

The shopping centre, perched on the Kilkenny-Waterford border, was constructed in 2009. However, it lies almost entirely vacant, barring the presence of a small community library.

Civic amenities

Lawler Consulting, a Kilkenny firm that helped to produce the design of Ferrybank shopping centre, claims it is one of the biggest shopping centres in Ireland with 30,000sq metres of retail floor space.

The centre was originally constructed by property developer Dermot Mc Philips in 2003, but has been under the remit of Dunnes Stores, trading as Better Value Unlimited Company, since 2022, according to land registry documents.

The shopping centre was originally intended to be made up of a retail warehouse, 16 smaller retail units, health and beauty units, 12 apartments, and various other civic amenities.

The proposed Dunnes outlet is expected to function as the retailer's anchor hub in the South-East, with a combined retail floor space of over 5,000sq metres spanning two floors.

Planning permission for Dunnes Stores to develop the units was granted in September 2025 by Kilkenny County Council.

After a failed attempt to challenge the decision to develop the shopping centre with a late submission, Waterford City and County Council submitted a judicial review of the project that arrived in the High Court.

Proceedings initially began in November 2025.

One Waterford councillor said the decision by Waterford City and County Council to fight the planning decision amounted to a “tragicomedy of errors” that has permanently soured relationships between the two local authorities and could prove highly costly if unsuccessful.

Waterford City and County Council chief executive Sean McKeown declined to comment on the proceedings. 

It’s understood the Waterford council will be issuing a statement following Monday’s court sitting.