300 new jobs for Ballinasloe

A MASSIVE €60 million retail park is set to get the planning go-ahead this week in Ballinasloe following unanimous approval by Town Councillors last Tuesday of a material contravention of their Town Development Plan which was necessary in order to allow certain aspects of the project to proceed.Local developer Paddy Delaney proposes to build the 22,000 sq. metres development on a 20 acre site in the townland of Dunlo off Harbour Road, 500 metres south of the town centre.The green field site will feature a new 5,500 sq. metre branch of Tesco as anchor tenant, as well as a new branch of discount store Aldi, and will also include a 750 seat five screen cinema, drive through restaurant, and eight other retail units.Trading as Brackernagh Property Development Ltd., Mr. Delaney owns a total of 55 acres of land in the locality. His project will create some 150 jobs during the eighteen months construction period.Planning approval was previously granted for the demolition of two houses and the construction of a new entrance road to the site, including a roundabout, at the junction with the N6 at Harbour Road.About 300 permanent jobs are expected to be created when the development is completed some time towards the end of 2009, and this figure does not include Tesco’s current workforce who will be transferring from their existing store in the old Dubarry shoe factory.Continued on Page 2