By Kim O'Leary
Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare South Fiona O’Loughlin has spoken out on the recent decision by An Bord Pleanála granting permission to Dunnes Stores, Newbridge for an extension without mention of the ‘great wall’ that was erected in 2015.
Speaking on this Deputy O’Loughlin said: “The wall was constructed in 2015 just before the opening of SuperValu’s doors in the Newbridge Retail Park. The decision by Dunnes to prevent a flow of traffic and pedestrians I speculate came from concerns that the new store would result in profit losses however, the wall was not welcomed by many businesses and residents of Newbridge.”
She said: “Although Kildare County Council initially felt the wall should be removed, they backtracked and went against this in their final decisions on the basis of land that was not owned by Dunnes. An Bord Pleanála has supported the council’s decision and said that the “proposed new development would be acceptable in terms of pedestrian and traffic safety and would not seriously injure the amenities of the area”.
“I disagree with this statement as there are many businesses such as DID Electrical, Homestore and More and Costa that are all located beside Dunnes and people have to drive out into the heavy flow of traffic just to drive around to have a coffee or shop in another store,” Deputy O’Loughlin concluded.
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