1. Status of the Guidelines

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government issued these guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. Planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála are required to have regard to the guidelines in the performance of their functions under the Planning Acts.

2. Aim of the Guidelines

The purpose of the guidelines is to provide an updated and comprehensive retail planning and development framework to guide:

  • regional authorities in preparing retail policy objectives in regional planning guidelines;
  • planning authorities in preparing and implementing development plans;
  • planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála in assessing planning applications or planning appeals; and
  • retailers and developers in formulating development proposals.

The guidelines have five key policy objectives as follows:

  1. Ensuring that retail development is plan-led;
  2. Promoting city/town centre vitality through a sequential approach to development;
  3. Securing competitiveness in the retail sector by actively enabling good quality development proposals to come forward in suitable locations;
  4. Facilitating a shift towards increased access to retailing by public transport, cycling and walking through careful location and design in terms of catchment area; and
  5. Delivering quality urban design outcomes.

3. Floorspace Caps

3.1 Convenience retail floorspace caps

  • 4,000 M2 in the four Dublin local authority areas (i.e. Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councils);
  • 3,500 M2 in the four other main cities of Cork, Limerick/Shannon, Galway and Waterford; and
  • 3,000 M2 in the remainder of the State (i.e. those areas outside of the four Dublin local authority areas, and the cities of Cork, Limerick/Shannon, Galway and Waterford).

These floorspace caps refer to net retail floorspace as defined in the guidelines.

3.2 Retail warehouse floorspace cap

  • 6,000 M2 gross and with specific criteria to allow for an exemption from this floorspace cap in city and town centre areas in the five Gateway cities of Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick/Shannon and Galway.

For the foreseeable future, therefore, the cap on large-scale single retail warehouse units in excess of 6,000 M2 gross (including any ancillary garden centre) will remain, due to their potential effect on the surrounding road network and their potential for creating local monopolies which would inhibit competition within local catchment areas.

Proposed exceptions to the 6,000 M2 retail warehouse cap may be considered on the merits of individual development applications in the five Gateway cities of Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick/Shannon and Galway.

In order to be acceptable from a planning perspective, any proposal for an individual large scale retail warehouse with a floorspace in excess of 6,000 M2 gross in the Gateway Cities must demonstrate that the proposal:

  1. will accommodate predominantly bulky goods under one roof, together with a. range of customer facilities (e.g. restaurant, crèche), on a scale which requires a regional, if not a national, population catchment;
  2. is in accordance with the Planning Guidelines on Spatial Planning and National Roads in that the proposal can demonstrate that the development will not adversely affect the efficiency of the national road network and key junctions and interchanges and that it can be demonstrated that traffic volumes can be accommodated within the design assumptions for such roads, taking account of the opportunities for encouraging a modal shift towards more sustainable travel modes;
  3. will be served by existing or planned public transport services;
  4. will make adequate provision for those opting for home delivery of goods other than by private car;
  5. will be accompanied by a traffic impact assessment, demonstrating compliance with the above criteria; and
  6. will take account of the vitality/viability criteria in respect of city/town centres. set out in these guidelines and avoid the incorporation of uses and activities, as part of the development, which are more appropriate to city and town centre locations.

3.3 Petrol filling station shops floorspace cap

  • 100 M2 net irrespective of location.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.