Mr Price's Athlone warehouse set for expansion as council grants planning approval

Planning permission has been granted for a significant extension to warehouse facilities at the national distribution centre in Athlone for the Mr Price retail chain.

Westmeath County Council gave the go-ahead for works at the company's distribution base in Cornamaddy which are due to be carried out in three phases and include new loading areas for goods coming in and out of the facility, along with an increased height of the warehouse building.

The plans were lodged last October and the council's decision to give the project the green light this month came with 13 conditions attached.

These included a stipulation that Mr Price must pay the council both a development contribution of €193,875, and an additional 'special development contribution' of €30,500, with the latter due to be used to provide pedestrian infrastructure in the vicinity of the Cornamaddy site.

According to the planning application, which was submitted on behalf of Corajio ULC, trading as Mr Price, the warehouse facility currently serves as the distribution hub for 70 stores, and the expansion works would increase that to 100 stores.

"The proposed operations will support 100 stores and will operate at a much higher efficiency than at present," stated a report which formed part of the planning bid.

It was added that the local facility employed an average of 38 staff members, most of whom were full-time, with this increasing to 45 during peak periods.

"The proposed development involves an expansion of storage and warehouse facilities at the site and for improvements to the goods in and dispatch areas at the facility," said the company.

"The proposed development will not intensify the use at the site, instead it will facilitate greater efficiency, a safer workplace, and will facilitate consolidation of (Mr Price's) Ballina warehouse operation."

In previous years the site accommodated an Irish Cable & Wire factory, and was subsequently home to the Nexans Ireland factory, which closed in 2008 with the loss of just under 100 jobs.

The site remained vacant and unused until its purchase by Corajio ULC in 2018.

In a request for further information on the project last December, the council said the previous planning history of the site related to a "manufacturing / industrial use" and expressed the view that subsequent permissions had not "altered the nature" of this authorised factory use.

However, in response, the company submitted an opinion document from barrister Mary Moran-Long who rejected the council's contention that there was "no record of any planning permission" for a warehouse use at the site.

In submitting her opinion, Ms Moran-Long referred to a 2023 decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant retention permission for the Mr Price shop at the site.

"The Board considered the original 1971 planning permission had not been altered by later permissions and the current use as a national distribution centre for warehouse and distribution of goods is a continuation of permitted uses which included warehouse and distribution at the site," she wrote.

"In light of the foregoing, the existing warehouse and distribution use at the site is lawful having regard to planning history of the site and the parent permission."

Conditions attached as part of the granting of planning approval for the project included that the developer must submit detailed designs to the council of the proposed entrance and exit arrangements.

The local authority said these should take into account its "design proposals for the provision of active travel infrastructure on the R916," the road outside the premises in Cornamaddy.