Fresh planning bid for Monksland Lidl store

A fresh planning bid is being launched for a Lidl supermarket in Monksland, Athlone.

A planning notice was erected on behalf of Lidl Ireland on Friday last (May 22) at the proposed site for the development which is immediately to the south of the Joe Duffy Volvo showroom and across the road from the Athlone Springs Hotel.

The new plans have emerged two and a half years after a company called MCS River Village Limited had a planning application for a supermarket in the same general location turned down by Roscommon County Council.

That planning application, which included engineering drawings labelled "Lidl Store Athlone, Roscommon", was refused permission in late 2023 on the basis that it could create a "car dependent" single retail operator that would not align with the council's Smarter Travel initiative and the Athlone Joint Retail Strategy.

The decision was appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála which upheld the council's refusal in July 2024.

However, Lidl Ireland has now signalled that it will be submitting its own application for what would be the second supermarket in Monksland, in addition to the nearby Smith's SuperValu.

According to the planning notice, the development would be situated on a 1.2 hectare site "on lands to the south of T junction on the R362 and immediately south of the Joe Duffy car showroom" in Monksland.

The proposed supermarket would be single-storey, with an ancillary off-licence sales area, and would have a floor area of 2,358 square metres.

The development would also incorporate a café/restaurant unit of 145 square metres, with a sheltered outdoor seating area, and another retail unit of 145 square metres.

Lidl added that the plans include "plaza areas between the discount foodstore and café/restaurant unit and fronting onto the road," and it's proposing to add "a new vehicle access towards the south of the site; with land set aside to access lands to the east of the site".

The planning bid will also include car parking, including electric vehicle charging spaces, a setdown area for taxis, cycle stands, an ESB substation building, roof mounted photo voltaic (solar) panels, and advertising signage.

"The development also includes the provision of a footpath and cycle path along the west boundary of the site," the Lidl planning notice added.

At the time of writing, on Monday, the planning application was not yet available for viewing on Roscommon County Council's planning website.