Aldi have been given the go ahead for a new store in Tuam after carrying out a substantial redesign at the request of the county council.
Aldi received planning permission for a discount foodstore with a total retail space of 1,325m² on the Ballygaddy road at Townparks, Tuam.
Galway County Council ordered Aldi to redesign the proposed store in February after saying the initial designs were too box like.
The site of the proposed food store is currently a builder’s providers yard. An existing building and other structures on site will have to be demolished before construction can commence.
When complete the discount food store will “act as a driver for economic growth for the town of Tuam and its hinterlands” a cover letter submitted with the application stated.
The store will include 97 parking spaces in a car park to be accessed off the Ballygaddy road.
One objection was received from the Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association which said that having such a large scale development on an “egde of centre” location would negatively impact stores in Tuam.
They said that it “represents a significant threat to the vitality and viability of the town centre and should not be permitted”.
A Road Safety was carried out at the request of the council which made several recommendations concerning vehicular access and pedestrian safety at the site.
A Ecological Impact Assessment and Traffic Impact Assessment were also submitted with this planning application.
Planning permission was granted by Galway County Council with a total of 15 conditions attached.
Before work begins Aldi must submit a design for widening a section of the R332 by the store as proposed in the additional information submitted to the council.
A contribution of €39,044 must also be paid to the county council to cover part of the cost of services provided by the council.
