Planning permission has been granted to convert a vacant city centre store to a new café and coffee shop.
The city council has approved plans by Camiveo Ltd to change the permitted use of No. 6 Edward Square from retail to restaurant.
The store, next to Dunnes Stores and Eyre Square Shopping Centre, was formerly a Miss Selfridge outlet.
It has been vacant since 2019, since Miss Selfridge become one of the first casualties among retail outlets in Ireland when its UK parent company, Arcadia Ltd, ran into financial problems.
A cover letter for this application stated that no food will be prepared on site, and it is envisaged that the business will operate similar to cafés such as Starbucks or Costa.
It will involve both sit-in and takeaway options for coffee, sandwiches, pastries, salads, etc.
A report by the council planning inspector noted that this is one of the smallest units within Edwards Square, and would be suitable for restaurant use, as it may not be large enough for many retail operators.
“It is therefore considered that the use of the unit in question as a restaurant would not compromise the potential for attracting retail operators to Edward Square”.
Planning permission was granted by Galway City Council with nine standard conditions attached.
