Lidl planning new outlet at the former Blarney Park Hotel site
MEANWHILE, PLAN TO RELOCATE LIDL STORE IN MALLOW PUT ON HOLD
GERMAN discount giant Lidl has unveiled plans to further expand it footprint in Cork following the announcement that it has lodged a planning application for a new store in Blarney village.
The proposed new store will be part of a wider development on site by the village square, part of which was occupied by the former Blarney Park Hotel, which closed its doors for business in 2007.
The company said that if given approval the store, which will create up to 30 new jobs, will bring the total number of its outlets across Cork city and county to 21. The proposed development will also incorporate an on-site café, generating a further 10 jobs.
Cork County Council has previously said that the site occupied a “strategic location on the western edge of Blarney”.
“Its proximity to Blarney Castle makes it a sensitive site, where any future development will need to protect and enhance the existing character and views of the castle,” said the authority.
It said that any development would need to respect the special wooded and river nature of the setting, castle proximity and linkages/access and realignment of the R617.
With this in mind, a spokesperson for Lidl said the company, in conjunction with the landowners was working closely with architects and planners to “create a bespoke design in keeping with the area to ensure that the new development will contribute positively to Blarney.”
The spokesperson said the new store would incorporate a range of “sustainability features” including an ISO 50001 certified Energy Management System, electric vehicle charger spaces and a solar panel system.
The design also incorporates a ‘ green roof ’.
“Partially covered in vegetation, the green roof absorbs rainwater and provides insulation reducing the need for in store drainage systems. Green roofs help to cool urban environments, improve air quality, sequester carbon and increase urban biodiversity by providing habitat for wildlife,” said the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Cork County Council have issued a request for further information in relation to Lidl plan to relocate its Mallow outlet to a new site 650-metres from its existing store on the Park Road.
The new application, lodged with the local authority on May 27, made provision for a new 2,254 sq m gross floor area licensed store on a 1.4 hectare site at West End Road and Park Road.
The application came four years after a proposal by Lidl to build a second store on the Park Road was shot down by County Council planners.
Planners were due to have made their ruling on the application on July 21. However, this has now been put back, with no new date set for a decision.