Lidl lodges Ballymun plan

PLANNING permission has been officially lodged for the new Ballymun Lidl development that includes over 60 units that can provide beds for more than 360 students.

The development on the site bounded by Balbutcher Lane, Balcurris Road and Ballymun Main Street, will also include a Lidl store, a number of retail/café units and offices in three blocks.

The first block at Balbutcher Lane will be four to six storeys in height and is where the main entrance to the student units will be.

The second block is six storeys high and includes a mix of student accommodation with the retail/cafe units at ground floor located at Ballymun Main Street.

The student accommodation in the first two blocks will include 364 bed spaces within a mix of 59 student houses and two studio apartments.

These will be housed by students only during the academic year and used as tourist or visitor accommodation related to a Higher Education Institute during the holiday period.

The third block is where the 2,587 sq mt Lidl store will be located and while the block only has two floors, it’s equivalent in height to a four storey residential building.

The wider development includes 127 car parking space and around 338 cycle parking spaces. Vehicle access will be from Balcurris Road.

Plans for the development were revelaed to the public at an open day in Ballymun Civic Centre recently.

Lidl say they were well recieved by the local community and Alan Barry, Director of Property at Lidl Ireland, says DCU welcomed the student accommodation aspect of the plans.

“The development comes at a time when there is a significant requirement for student accommodation due to increasing student numbers at DCU and across Dublin,” he said.

“The public meeting was received very positively and a significant number of signatures were collected on the day in support of the Lidl development.

“Local residents are extremely keen to see increased retail competition brought to the area.” 

Ballymun Sinn Féin councillor, Noeleen Reilly, welcomed the planning application but said even more retail facilities are needed in the area.

“I am delighted to see that Lidl have lodged their planning application,” she said.

“It has taken us three attempts to get this land at Balcurris Developed.

“It has certainly been challenging at times and has left the community very frustrated and  very disappointed. We are still not there yet but we are certainly further on than we have ever been.

“For many families the lack of retail has left them feeling very isolated as there is no direct bus links to the neighbouring shopping centres in Santry and Charlestown, so if you don’t drive you have really been let down by the regeneration.

“The Lidl development must be a start to bringing additional facilities into the area to cater for the 17,000 residents who live here, to support existing businesses, generate accommodation and to also recreate employment.”

“I believe this new facility will encourage further investing into Ballymun and showcase the area off as a viable place to do business and to live.

Lidl currently operates over 150 stores across Ireland, employing nearly 5,000 people.