Government to lift cap on size of superstores

Yoda

From RTÉ News:

The Government has agreed to lift the cap on the size of retail outlets, clearing the way for Swedish furniture store Ikea to come to Ireland.

The new planning rules will only apply to four areas of Dublin, as well as to towns designated as gateway towns under the National Spatial Strategy. It will not apply to food outlets.

The move will allow Ikea to go ahead with its plan to open a store in Ballymun on Dublin's northside, which had been blocked by planning rules that ban shops of more than 6,000 square metres - the average Ikea outlet is over four times that size.

The new rules could also allow other huge retail outlets to open elsewhere.

The Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, held a press conference in Government Buildings this afternoon to announce the changes.

Mr Roche said*the guidelines were preventing the development of certain retail formats in Ireland, and were therefore effectively restricting competition and the potential choice available to Irish consumers.

The move is likely to be criticised by smaller retailers, and by some Opposition parties, who claim it will cause further traffic chaos on the M50, and threaten traditional businesses.

So what are the "gateway towns"?

Zaph0d

Gateway towns are defined in the National Spatial Strategy as: Dublin, Cork, Letterkenny/Derry, Sligo, Dundalk, Mullingar/Athlone/Tullamore, Waterford, Limerick/Shannon, Galway.

Yoda

Good. Far away from me. I'm going to keep getting my furniture from the Pine Shop in Ranelagh.