Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2005
524 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there are plans to change the retail planning guidelines in respect of food outlets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3533/05]
View answer528 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in relation to his decision to change the retail planning guidelines for superstores here, he has given due consideration to the role in rural parts of all local retail outlets and the purpose they serve in maintaining a healthy local environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3766/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 528 together.
I have no plans to review retail planning guidelines in respect of food stores. I recently announced the decision to amend the retail planning guidelines, with effect from 1 February 2005, to provide that the floor space cap on retail warehouses will no longer apply within the functional areas of the four Dublin local authorities and in the other national spatial strategy gateways. The gateway towns and cities are Athlone-Tullamore-Mullingar, Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick-Shannon, Sligo and Waterford. This modification to the guidelines will only apply in areas subject to integrated area plans, IAPs, under the Urban Renewal Act 1998.
The changes introduced relate solely to retail warehouses which sell bulky durable household goods and do not affect the existing caps on the size of supermarkets/grocery outlets. The existing cap of 3,000 m2 net retail floorspace on large foodstores, except in the greater Dublin area, where the cap is 3,500 m2, continues to apply.
The changes to the guidelines are further limited in that they are confined to integrated area plan areas in the gateways designated by the national spatial strategy. The overall policy objectives of the retail planning guidelines including normal planning requirements, will continue to apply to any proposals for the development of retail warehouses in excess of 6,000 square metres. I do not consider in the circumstances outlined that the changes to the guidelines have any implications for local retail outlets in rural parts of Ireland.
The revised guidelines clearly indicate that any proposal for an individual retail warehouse with a floorspace in excess of 6,000 square metres gross in order to be acceptable from a planning viewpoint would need, inter alia, to be accompanied by a detailed traffic impact assessment and be supported by the necessary infrastructure. It will be a matter for the development management process to apply the relevant criteria to any planning application that may come forward from the private sector.
The amendment to the retail planning guidelines will facilitate wider consumer choice and greater competition. It will also ensure that any such development entering the market does so on a basis which contributes to the economic and social objectives of the Government's urban renewal programme and national spatial strategy.
