Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2005
338 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his proposals to meet the concerns of RGDATA regarding the recent changes he announced to the retail planning guidelines (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2417/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recently announced the decision to amend the retail planning guidelines, with effect from today, to provide that the floorspace 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 amendment to the retail planning guidelines follows a review of the floorspace cap on retail warehouses set in the those guidelines, which came into effect on 1 January 2001. The guidelines prescribe a maximum floor area of 6,000 square metres gross retail floorspace for large-scale single retail warehouse development. This cap has been reviewed, taking account of the need to promote effective competition in this sector of retailing and of ongoing developments in retail formats, while underpinning proper planning and sustainable development. To assist in carrying out the review, interested parties were invited to make submissions to my Department. Some 71 submissions were received and assessed and were fully taken into account in the finalisation of the review.
I am aware of the concerns raised in the correspondence from RGDATA. The changes now introduced relate to retail warehouses which sell bulky durable household goods and do not affect the existing caps on the size of supermarkets-grocery outlets. 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. 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.
