Dublin City Council has given the green light to Dunnes Stores for a “landmark” shopping centre in Crumlin. It will potentially provide up to 450 jobs when operational.
The council has given the project the go-ahead after Dunnes subsidiary, Better Value UC, lodged revised plans earlier this year.
A planning report drawn up by KPMG Future Analytics for Dunnes Stores said the scheme would create 150-200 jobs during the construction phase. The project will include a new anchor unit for Dunnes Stores, a food market, cafe and medical centre.
The construction phase, which will involve the demolition of the existing dilapidated shopping centre, is due to last 18-24 months.
KPMG Future Analytics said the revised scheme would “regenerate the area” that would become “the focal point of the community and act as a catalyst for further redevelopment of the area”.
The consultants said the project would deliver “a multimillion euro investment in the area”.
As part of its application, Dunnes Stores proposed the retention of 400 car parking spaces, down from the existing 500 spaces, and also included the provision of 80 electric vehicle charging bays.
In response, the National Transport Authority (NTA) told the council that the proposal for an extensive surface car park providing 286 more spaces than permissible “may not be the most efficient use of land in this highly accessible, inner suburban location and may encourage use of the private car for trips to the proposed development that could be undertaken using other modes”.
In its report accompanying the revised plans, KPMG Future Analytics said the retention and reconfiguration of 400 spaces “was required to support the commercial viability of the scheme”.
The council’s planner’s report stated that while the quantum of existing car parking was typical of destination shopping centres of the 1970s, the proposals “to reduce the quantum of existing car parking spaces and provide a range of increased sustainable transport modes such as cycle parking and mobility spaces is welcomed”.
The council had raised concerns over the planned roof wave design but stated that it had received assurances from the applicants that the proposal would “create an active and distinctive frontage to the centre and will provide for a vibrant edge to the Crumlin Road”.
The shopping centre first opened in 1974 and comprised 39 individual retail units and two larger units. Today, the centre is largely vacant with the exception of the main Dunnes Stores anchor store.
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