This submission has been prepared by Avison Young on behalf of Tesco Ireland Limited, Gresham House, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin in response to the publication of the Draft Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021-2027 (“Development Plan”). Tesco Ireland, being one of the primary convenience retailers in Ireland, welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the preparation of the Development Plan.
The retail sector makes a major contribution to Kilkenny County by increasing the vitality and viability of towns and villages and acting as an economic anchor, creating significant employment and indirect economic and social activity. In this regard, we welcome this engagement by Kilkenny County Council. We would encourage the Local Authority to continue to engage with stakeholders in the retail sector to ensure that there are appropriate polices in the Development Plan to attract new investment to the county and support the viability and vitality of retail premises within towns and villages.
We would like to take this opportunity to identify the importance of convenience retail facilities in Kilkenny County and highlight the difficulties that can be faced in operating and locating such stores. On this basis we would, therefore, request that, following this submission, Kilkenny County Council provide policies that would promote the development of retail stores of an appropriate scale, at suitable locations across the county.
Please refer to the attached report for the full observation.