ShoppingCentres: Plans for the extension and redevelopment of The Square, Tallaght have been revealed by the developers this week. Penneys will become the anchor tenant of the extension, with the €300 million phase one of the project set for completion by 2008.
The project was announced last Monday by Alburn, one of Ireland and the UK's biggest property development companies. Work on the 4.57-hectare site will begin shortly, according to the company. The new Penneys store will occupy 9,000sq m (96,875sq ft) over three levels.
Plans for The Square feature a mixed-use development, including shopping, leisure, civic amenities, hotel, office and residential accommodation.
There is also a commitment for a central plaza/piazza for civic use, which will be handed over to South Dublin County Council on completion.
This landscaped and paved civic area will link to County Hall, Civic Theatre and Library. The developers will look for a central design or feature to be located as a centrepiece for this landmark development.
"The central design objectives behind the new Civic Plaza are to create a significant public space that responds to the needs of the area and its people and to provide a backdrop for cultural and artistic endeavours in the area," according to the company.
The 14,144sq m (152,245sq ft) extension will be built onto the existing shopping centre. It will provide shoppers with 2,387sq m (25,693sq ft) of restaurants, cafés and bars.
There will be 6,171sq m (66,424sq ft) of office suites available on the upper levels and the plan includes a 43-bedroom hotel with bar and leisure facilities along with a nightclub located on ground level. An additional 47-unit apart-hotel is also planned.
The restaurant, bars and hotel will be located around the edge of the new Civic Plaza to encourage a "lively mix of night-time uses", the company says.
The mix includes 386 residential units on a variety of levels, offering one, two and three-bedroom units. There is also provision for a multi-storey car-park offering 1,529 spaces.
"This major extension and redevelopment secures the future of The Square as one of Ireland's premier retail locations," said deputy managing director of Penneys Stores, Seamus Halford. The development will provide the company with one of its largest stores, he added.
The announcement this week follows Alburn's unveiling of its plans for The Square which took place at the Council of British Shopping Centres conference in Belfast recently.
Alburn was established in 1997 as a vehicle for UK property development and investment.
