John Lewis ruling ‘will add to city centre dereliction’
A group representing local independent store owners believes a court ruling, that may finally see a John Lewis store at Sprucefield, will add to retail dereliction in Belfast.
Belfast’s High Court on Friday removed a clause restricting expansion of the Sprucefield shopping centre in Co Down to bulky goods, a stipulation enforced by a planning framework called the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP).
A separate court case in March found BMAP, which was controversially progressed by then Environment Minister Mark H Durkan in 2014, had been adopted unlawfully.
Lagan Valley MP, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has campaigned for John Lewis to open a store at Sprucefield since it first applied for planning permission in 2005.
Welcoming the ruling, Sir Jeffery said renewed attempts will now be made to attract the British retail giant to the outer Lisburn retail park.
However, Northern Ireland’s Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) has slammed the decision, saying it will draw trade out of the city centre.
Its chief executive Glyn Roberts said: “Out-of-town retail development has been a key contributing factor in the decline of our town centres, drawing away trade, resulting in thousands of independent retailers closing and a significant loss of net employment.”
“Northern Ireland has the highest level of town centre dereliction and shop vacancies in the UK, which is largely a result of almost unrestricted out-of-town retail development over the past decade.
“If our town and city centres are to have any chance of recovery, the very last thing they need is any more out-of-town retail applications being granted which draw away footfall and trade.”
Mr Roberts added that the new Strategic Planning Policy Statement, issue by Department of the Environment last year, has “very clear guidelines” on a ‘town centre first’ location for large retail stores.
“It is on that basis any new application at Sprucefield should be assessed,” he said.
“It would be a major mistake for the Executive to put aside its policy of town centre first for large retail stores.”
