Environment Minister Alex Attwood announced yesterday his decision to grant planning permission for a £50 million extension to the Ards Shopping Centre in Newtownards.
Pragma has been involved in this proposal for several years and has provided specialist retail planning advice to the owner over that time including gaining planning approval for several Certificates of Lawful Development.
The development will reinvigorate and breathe new life into one of the oldest shopping centres in Northern Ireland providing certainty for its future. Planning Permission for this major retail development should result not only in significant job creation in the town but also provide a much needed boost for the local construction industry.
The planning permission is for a two storey extension providing 22,263 sqm of gross floorspace (11,800sqm net retail floorspace) including the introduction of a new multi-storey car park within the centre. The project will also involve the partial demolition and considerable internal re-configuration of the existing centre.
This is another ‘Article 31’ (major planning application), one in an ongoing series of large planning announcements being made by the Minister.
Alex Attwood said: “This is welcome news for Newtownards. This will be an economic boost for Newtownards, creating many more jobs and many more shoppers to the town as well as providing much needed employment in the construction industry. Planning can be a real stimulus to the economy when proper environmental conditions have been met, a point I made very clearly at the Executive economic summit this morning.
“In taking this decision I am bringing to a conclusion a long and difficult process which has lasted nearly eight years. As with all the major retail applications currently under assessment by my Department, both in Ards and in other areas in the North, I intend to clear the backlog and make decisions swiftly, but only after giving careful consideration to the individual merits of each case.
“I believe that this proposal achieves the right planning balance, and will ultimately serve to strengthen Newtownards. It will create certainty for the centre and its employees, and will result in many new job opportunities for local people.”