A planning application for a €125 million shopping and residential development for Kells has been lodged with Meath County Council. It has been lodged by a development company comprising three players, including Lagan Developments and Cusack Homes.
If approved, the plan for the 18-acre site, known as the Backlands, would create a new town centre and provide a mix of residential and commercial developments. Dunnes Stores has been confirmed as the anchor tenant and discussions on a second anchor store are said to be advanced.
Kells is a heritage town which is part of Dublin's commuter belt. However, it will be bypassed by the M3 motorway in two years' time.
The president of Kells Chamber of Commerce, Tom O'Doherty, welcomed the plan, saying that it would "create local employment for the town's rapidly-increasing population".
He said that the investment would play a key role in revitalising the entire town, adding: "I especially welcome the emphasis on building a series of pedestrian walks linking the new section with the town's existing streets."
The application is lodged in the name of Kells Development Company Ltd, which is made up of Lagan Developments, Cusack Homes and Finbar McLoughlin.
Lagan Developments is part of the Lagan group of companies, which is involved in construction and quarrying and is involved also in the soon-to-be-built Navan Retail Park.
The property portfolio of Cusack Homes includes four hotels in the county and housing developments.
Finbar McLoughlin, of MCL Properties, lives in Kells and has been involved in residential, leisure and commercial projects in Ireland and abroad.
The 200 residential units proposed in the scheme provide a mix of townhouses, duplexes and apartments. A library, cafés, restaurants and a creche are also planned.
A spokesperson for Kells Development Company said that it would also provide social amenities: "Over half an acre is earmarked for a new town square and a number of other smaller civic spaces are provided throughout the development."