Councillors have refused plans to breath life into a moth balled shopping complex claiming its revival would damage city centre and neighbouring retailers just getting back on their feet after the recession.
The site, on the Dublin Road just outside Limerick, was partially developed as Parkway Shopping Centre but abandoned when Liam Carroll’s Zoe Developments collapsed in 2008. The following year the group, which became known as the Celtic Tiger because of its avaricious acquisitions policy, requested examinership protection from its creditors owing €1.3bn (£1bn).
Since then Belfast-based developer, Suneil Sharma, has bought the land and inherited the empty development for which the current planning permission expires in 2016. Downsizing the original 787,290,000sq ft scheme to 685,790,000 he had hoped to persuade Limerick City and County Council to approve the £80m project with the promise of up 2,000 new jobs.
Objections to the plan – which would have included a 100,000sq ft Marks & Spencer store claimed to be the biggest outside Dublin – were filed by Limerick Chamber of Commerce and Limerick City Business Association. More than 60 other businesses in the city and surrounding area, ranging from pubs, hotels, other shopping centres, a museum and even a hospital, also lodged objections against the plans.
A statement on the local authority’s website said: “It is considered that the proposed stand-alone retail development would seriously injure the vitality and viability of Limerick city centre and the existing district centres and would seriously impact on the shopping role of these centres.”
Even Limerick’s mayor, Michael Sheahan, who met the developer recently to discuss the impact of the retail park, said it was “a relief that this retail scheme has been rejected”.
The councillor also hinted there was an element of “commercial blackmail” in Marks and Spencer’s involvement in the out-of-town complex. “Mr Sharma claims that M&S won’t come to Limerick because he is able to give them a deal on commercial rates, in effect he can carry them for three or four years,” explained Sheahan.
“The bottom line is that they are holding us to ransom — they want the same rates package to come to the city centre,” he added. “But to do that, how can you have other businesses paying commercial rates and M&S not paying any rates? They will come in, but they will only come to Limerick at a price.”
Technically, Sharma and his business partner Sam Morrison, could press ahead with construction of the renamed Horizon Mall under the original planning consent. Sharma admitted, however, that the downsized scheme was far more attractive.
“We’ve been refused our amendment, but we really don’t know what they could have objected to,” he said. “We are getting the paperwork and will go through it to find out exactly what the issue is.”
On the question of an appeal, Sharma would only say: “We’re dealing with all the vagaries of a planning system that is shrouded in mystery. We’ll just have to make a judgment.”
Other local politicians are also confused by the council’s stance. Kevin Sheahan is first citizen of Limerick City and County and admitted “there are people who would make Mr Sharma and his development feel very welcome … Blocking this scheme is a nonsense”.
Previous Post
LaSalle wins £750m Manchester Pension Fund Mandate
