Chadwicks plans to reopen in Athlone

Chadwicks, the Irish builders' merchanting company, has lodged a planning application with Westmeath County Council seeking approval for the development of its former base at Athlone Business Park.

The proposed development, on a site of 1.26 hectares, was submitted to the local authority on November 6, almost 13 years to date that the company ceased its original operations at the same location, on November 30 2012.

The existing warehouse was purpose-built to function as a Chadwicks builders’ provider, serving Athlone and its surrounding catchment area.

The property successfully traded as a Chadwicks facility until the economic downturn, when the national property crash severely affected trading conditions. Consequently, operations at the premises ceased. Notwithstanding this, Topez Limited (a subsidiary company of Grafton Group Plc of which Chadwicks Group Limited is also a subsidiary) retained ownership of the building, which the planning application said reflected its continued intention to resume use of the property when market conditions allowed.

Following the closure of the original business, the premises was used as a distribution hub.

The planning application said that it had always been Chadwicks’ intention to recommence trading at the property, the extended period of use as a distribution hub required the applicant to seek formal permission to reinstate the building's original use, allowing the company’s return to this site.

The application therefore seeks permission to reinstate and modernise the site’s permitted builders’ provider use. In its planning permission application, the company said the proposed development would "principally consist of the reversion of the 2,116 sq m premises from its current use as a distribution hub to the previously permitted use as a builders’ merchants".

The submission also details the removal of an existing mezzanine, 182 sq m in size and the provision of two new mezzanine areas, 670 sq m and 133 sq m in size respectively, designed to create extra internal space within the proposed development.

The planning application proposes the extension in size of the gross floor area of the building from 2,116 sq m to 2,737 sq m, while the maximum building height of 10.265 m will remain unchanged.

Additional planning application proposals include the provision of new signage, a new security hut, HGV loading bays, the removal of one car parking space to allow for cycle parking and the minor repositioning of car parking spaces.

No date as of yet has been confirmed by Westmeath County Council for a decision on the planning permission application.

Chadwicks Group operates over 50 stores across all of its brands with over 1,400 staff.