A shopping centre larger than the combined size of those in St Stephen's Green in Dublin and in Eyre Square in Galway is planned for the centre of Sligo town. Sligo Corporation has announced plans for an eight-acre site adjoining the town's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, and the nomination of Treasury Holdings as the preferred developer.
According to town clerk Mr John McNabola, the corporation was determined to secure a "shopping experience" in the town centre. The corporation and Sligo County Council were opposed to out-of-town shopping centres, and had a policy of not granting planning permission for their development. They were aware of studies in Britain that showed the disastrous impact of such outlets on the centres of cities and towns, and were determined Sligo would not face a similar threat.
The two local authorities took a pro-active attitude to the development of retailing in the town, and decided to focus on its centre, in the context of changing shopping habits and the growth of a more discerning public; this would require variety and a pleasant and stimulating environment, as well as the provision of basic goods.
As part of its urban renewal plan, the corporation commissioned a retail study of the town two years ago. This found an under-supply of retailing in Sligo, which has a population of 60,000 within a half-hour's drive. Shops were also restricted by inadequate car-parking facilities.
A large site in the town centre was considered prime for development. It runs from O'Connell Street in the middle of the town to Adelaide Street to the west, and is bounded by John Street to the south and Wine Street to the north. John Street is an attractive, mainly residential, 19th century street and Wine Street has mostly small shops, many of them there for decades. Adelaide Street takes traffic around the town across the "new" bridge to north Sligo, Donegal and Enniskillen.
In the middle lies a network of car-parks. Dunnes has one, and beside it there is a large car-park serving Tesco and Penneys, both accessed from O'Connell Street.
Sligo Corporation owns the biggest of the car-parks, so it is a major property owner on the site. In recent years a number of small shops, mostly selling food, have opened facing on to the car-park.
This was the site identified by the National Building Agency (NBA), which had been asked by the corporation to look at the town in the context of its retail needs. This is not the first time the NBA has helped Sligo with its urban renewal programme. It drew up the master plan for the riverside area, which has transformed the town with its range of walkways, restaurants, apartments and shops along the river, replacing two banks of derelict warehouses. After identifying the site, there was a public consultation process, and the plan was submitted to Government. The Department of the Environment and Local Government approved it for tax incentive purposes, and the corporation asked the NBA to prepare a master plan for the site. This consists of a variety of shops, including those already there, along with office and residential accommodation and a multi-storey car-park.
The NBA talked to all the land-owners on the site and got their agreement in principle to the plan. An advisory panel was formed to interview potential developers, and Treasury Holdings was selected as the "preferred developer" on the basis of its experience, financial ability and commitment to the plan.
The selection of Treasury Holdings has no binding legal status, but does give the company a head start on potential competitors. The next step is for it to negotiate with the landowners on the site and then apply for planning permission, expected by the autumn.
"It's really the way planning should be done," said Mr Matt O'Connor, managing director of the NBA. "It began with consultation, a plan was drawn up which had general agreement, and then a developer was found. If you start with individual landowners, you have to compromise all the time."