Planning permission has been refused by Galway County Council for the construction of a new supermarket in Athenry.
RHOC Athenry sought approval to demolish four buildings at Gorteenacra on the Caherroyn Road, and build a supermarket on the 1.78ha site.
This would have had a floor space of 1,781sqm, with 148 car parking spaces, and also include a landscaped green space where the site is bounded by the Clarinbridge River to the east.
Galway County Council made eight points in refusing the application, stating that information had not been provided to prove the development wouldn’t create a traffic hazard.
The council also said that it was not satisfied that the site wasn’t a flood risk, or that the development wouldn’t affect bats and environmentally protected sites.
In rejecting the plans, the county council also referred to the “high level of retail vacancy” in Athenry town centre, and said that the Retail Impact Assessment submitted with the application did not give enough evidence of assessing possible alternate sites in the town centre.
The planning statement submitted with the application has said that the supermarket would “bring a new and much needed retail offering to Athenry and its surrounding catchment area, which will create direct and indirect employment within the town itself”.
