Discount retailer Dealz has reportedly been ordered to close down one of its South Dublin stores due to breach of planning, according to Fora.ie.
The retailer, owned by the UK's Poundland, was refused permission to retain a unit in Fonthill Retail Park by South Dublin County Council last year.
The store was already in operation when it sought planning approval, with over 30 employees in a unit that was designated for the sale of bulky goods, as opposed to a discount shop like Dealz.
The council objected to the store because using the unit as a shop would be a breach of planning policy that aims to keep retail parks selling bulk goods, it said.
Dealz appealed to An Bord Pleanála to overturn the local authority’s ruling, but the planning board upheld the decision, according to a newly-published ruling.
The retailer pointed out that it had gathered more than 8,000 signatures from locals that wanted the store to remain.
'Vitality And Viability'
The planning board said that these regulations aim to safeguard the “vitality and viability of existing designated town centres and major retail in the vicinity”.
The owner of the retail park, Integrated Development Services Ltd, also appealed to An Bord Pleanála, saying that the decision didn’t give enough consideration to the 38 jobs at stake.
The appeal continued by saying that if the planning laws were “strictly” applied to Fonthill Retail Park, the majority of stores there would have to close.
“It is worth noting that there is no town centre (Liffey Valley is not a town centre) in the vicinity of this retail park and therefore this park has no impact on any town centres,” the landlord of the retail park said.
© 2018 - Checkout Magazine by Kevin Duggan
