ALDI Ireland has described An Bord Pleanála’s decision to refuse planning permission for a store in Ballybrit as “extremely disappointing”.
The two-storey supermarket on Monivea Road would have 1,254m² of retail space, supporting 30 permanent jobs when opened.
In a statement, the regional managing director of ALDI Ireland, Colin Breslin, said that this “regrettable decision” means that the people of Galway will continue to pay more for their weekly shopping.
He said that they will also miss out on the jobs this project would have created – both in the construction phase and permanent in-store roles.
“The decision of An Bord Pleanála, which followed an appeal by Tesco and RGDATA (The Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association), is particularly disappointing given the project was supported by local authority councillors who recognised the value that a new ALDI store could bring to their community,” said Mr Breslin.
“Regrettably, we have already been experiencing long delays in An Bord Pleanála’s approvals process, with a decision on this application originally due 37 weeks ago.
“These delays mean more communities are losing out on the benefits that ALDI brings to local economies when they are needed more than ever.”
Breslin said that the cost-of-living crisis is impacting every household and they are very aware what it means for their customers.
“While we remain committed in full to these expansion plans, we will have to review the implications of today’s decision in terms of what it means for Monivea Road.”
