Planning chiefs have been urged to conduct a “full and robust” retail impact assessment amid efforts by Lidl to open a new supermarket in Coalisland.
Armagh I exclusively revealed that an application was expected by the discount retailer for an expansive site on the Washingbay Road.
The new outlet would boast floorspace of close to 25,000 sq ft and, such is the scale of the proposed development that a pre-application notice has been lodged with Mid-Ulster District Council, given that it is deemed to fall into the ‘major’ category.
Residents living close to the application site – as well as local councillors – were to be notified around the middle of June.
When this publication broke the news towards the end of May, there was a mixed reaction.
And now one local councillor has confirmed that he has written to the head of planning calling for a retail impact assessment and the potential impact on other traders in the area.
SDLP Councillor Malachy Quinn said: “I know there will be mixed views locally about the possibility of Lidl coming to Coalisland.
“For many families, more choice and potentially lower prices will be welcomed — especially with the cost of living still putting pressure on households.
“But we also have to make sure that local businesses already serving our town are properly considered. Shops like Springisland, Newell Stores and others have been part of Coalisland for years. They employ local people, support the community and help keep our town centre alive.
“That is why I have written to the Head of Planning to ask for a full and robust retail impact assessment as part of this process.”
Such an exercise, Councillor Quinn said, must consider the impact on existing local businesses, footfall and linked trips in the town centre, traffic, parking and pedestrian safety, whether this is the “right location” and “the wider impact on Coalisland as a whole”.
“I am not against investment. Far from it,” added the Torrent councillor. “Coalisland needs investment, jobs and opportunities.
“But any investment has to be the right investment, in the right place, with proper consideration for the businesses, workers and families already rooted here.
“This is not about being for or against one shop — it is about making sure Coalisland as a whole benefits.”
If approved, it is expected the new Lidl outlet would create scores of new jobs, both during construction and when up and running.
The pre-application notice will allow for public feedback which, when received, would allow for responses to be considered ahead of the submission of an application seeking full approval to proceed.
Full plans are to be made available via a dedicated website, due to be launched around the middle of the month and to remain online until late July.
And a public drop-in event is being scheduled at the office of Coalisland-based Clarman Architects at the end of June.
For now, the plan put forward involves the demolition of existing buildings at the site at 4 Washingbay Road.
This would make way for the construction of a “discount foodstore”, with Lidl to be the future tenant.
The plans also include access, parking, landscaping and associated siteworks.
