Work on Bray Centre to Begin 'almost immediately'

Wicklow News

News Archives

/ News /

Printable Version

Email this Story

Work on Bray Centre to Begin 'almost immediately'

Monday, April 23 2007

Work is scheduled to begin immediately on a €100m town centre development to provide major new shopping facilities and 84 homes in the heart of Bray.

This week An Bord Pleanala has granted planning permission to Ballymore Properties - headed by developer Sean Mulryan - for its Florentine Centre development.

The thumbs-up from the planning appeals authority for this scheme follows hard on the heels of a decision to overturn planning permission for a €2bn development on Bray Golf Club lands by Pizarro Ltd, a consortium led by rival developer Paddy Kelly.

The latter is now expected to reapply for planning permission for its much larger project.

Construction work on the major new Florentine Centre scheme is expected to last up to 24 months. The centre will deliver 200 jobs during the construction phase and then approximately 400 jobs will be created in Bray when the centre opens.

Responding to the Bord's decision, Hazel Jones, development director of Ballymore (Ireland), said: "We intend to begin work on this development almost immediately. We are very conscious that it has taken a considerable length of time to get the project to this point and we are now going to fast-track every aspect of it.

"Bray is a rapidly growing town with a catchment area of some 80,000 people. Retailing in the town has not kept pace with population growth and we intend that the Florentine Centre will rejuvenate the Main Street and its surroundings and keep local shoppers in the town."

The development will feature a new pedestrian street linking Main Street and the Quinsboro Road and will incorporate a major shopping centre that will be bounded by Main Street, Eglinton Road, Florence Road and Quinsboro Road.

The 2.28 acre site will contain approximately 8,000 sqm of retailing space (two anchors and 20 standard size units, 84 homes, a creche, community facility and 549 badly needed car parking spaces on three levels below ground.

This development was appealed to the Bord in May 2006. The Bord then requested a submission from Ballymore in relation to aspects of the development, which the Bord said needed modification. This information was provided by Ballymore in December 2006 and included reductions in the height and massing of the development, improved open space areas and architectural detailing.

Printable Version

Email this Story