Fashion giant to provide boost for ailing retail sector

Date Published: {J}

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

The city’s ailing retail trade is set for a major boost, after plans to completely redevelop an entrance to the Eyre Square Shopping Centre – to make way for a 20,000 square foot store likely to be occupied by fashion giant H&M – were given the green light.

 Prolific local developer Gerry Barrett had warned that unless the new store was approved, Galway would continue to lose shoppers to other cities.

 And it also plays an important role in his plans for the redevelopment of Ceannt Station – it will offer easy access to a new roadway alongside his Meyrick Hotel which will be one of the entrances to the €800 million ‘New Galway’, which will create around 3,000 new jobs.

 The approved plans involve the demolition of the ‘ramped’ entrance hallway to the centre from the Eyre Square entrance side, and create a glass ‘cube’ looking onto Kennedy Park.

 It is known that the Swedish fashion retail giant H&M had previously been in talks with Mr Barrett about the development, which will create 20,000sqft of retail space.

 The grant of permission came despite a series of objections.

 For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.