Second Lidl store proposal on hold after planning appeals

Westmeath County Council's decision to grant planning permission for a second Lidl store in Athlone has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala.

PHOTO: O’Meara’s Garage (pictured) forms part of the site of the proposed Lidl development.

Three appeals have been lodged against appoval for Lidl's plans for the development at O'Meara's Garage, Galway Road, Baylough/Bogganfin, Athlone.

An Bord Pleanala has confirmed that appeals have been received from Tesco Ireland Limited, Donal Kenny and Akil Hotl and Adonis Morina and others.

The council granted approval on July 2, subject to 16 conditions, for a single-storey discount food store with an off-licence, a restaurant/coffee shop and surface car parking spaces at the site of the current O'Meara's Garage in Baylough.

The plans also involve the demolition of the existing garage and three adjacent homes and a new vehicle entrance off the Galway Road.

The Lidl store itself will span some 2091 square metres with a total net sales space of circa 1,450 square metres comprising food of 1,160 square metres, and ancillary non food of 290 square metres

Details with the planning application state that the development will be accessed by way of what's described as a “vehicular priority junction” off the R446 Galway Road with an additional pedestrian access from the eastern boundary onto the R914 Roscommon Road stretch, along with 108 car parking spaces

Lidl estimated turnover at the Baylough outlet would be between €9.8m and €11.3m per year.

In a planning assessment prepared for the council, consultants for Lidl said: “This development will create 35-40 new jobs in an area of high and sustained levels of unemployment.

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