Mixed reaction to Carroll Village decision

December 1996

PLANNING permission for a £25 million development set to transform shopping in Dundalk is refused by An Bord Pleanala.

Dundalk urban council had earlier this year granted permission to Parolen Ltd. for Carroll Designer Village on the old PJ Carroll’s site fronting on to Church Street.

It was geared to attract one million shoppers annually to Dundalk with a mixture of shops selling international brand name goods, a department store and retail units, along with townhouses, a conference centre and a theatre.

Dundalk Traders’ Association successfully appeal the decision.

Essentially, the board refuse permission on the grounds that there are already enough shops in town, traffic congestion and a deficiency of car-parking.

Reaction to An Bord Pleanala decision mixed. is

Traders’ representative, Gerry Grimes says ‘It is good to see our perseverance and belief in our case has won the day.’

He dismisses the contention that the designer village would have attracted shoppers to Dundalk.

‘All it would have done was provide more retail space, and thin out the shopping in Dundalk.’

However, Philip Gunne of PB Gunne Auctioneers, agents for Parolen Ltd, describes the decision as ‘devastating’.

He says they had hoped to attract people to shop here. Now, the reverse will be the case, with big shopping developments happening in Newry, Dublin and Monaghan.

‘It is going to be hard to build confidence in the town.’

County manager John Quinlivan remarks ‘it is terrible for the town’, and finds it hard to understand the decision to refuse the development.

Town clerk, Paddy Tierney is also very disappointed, and is concerned about what is going to happen to the site.