Lidl sent back to the drawing board on Knocknacarra plans

An extensive redesign to plans for the proposed Lidl supermarket off the Western Distributor Road in Knocknacarra has yet again failed to satisfy planners at Galway City Council.

Last September, Lidl submitted a planning application for the 1.5-acre site at Bóthar Stiofáin – adjacent to rivals Aldi – to build a one and two-storey building with a total floor area of almost 2,700 square metres.

The plans include a 2,150 square metre supermarket and off licence; a café/restaurant; a barber shop; nail bar and physiotherapy clinic. There is also an outdoor terrace on the first floor.

The local authority said that revisions needed to be made to the façade and to the make changes to the carpark proposals.

The Council said that a small standalone café building – which formed part of a previous application at the site – should be reintroduced to the current application and should aim to establish a frontage onto both Bóthar Stiofáin and the unnamed link road within the District Centre.

The supermarket company responded to City Hall with plans they describe as being “revised considerably” at first floor level “to provide an enhanced relationship with the Western Distributor Road”.

Lidl said the standalone café was no longer viable, and Costa Coffee had expressed interest in operating the coffee shop on the first floor.

The Council has now written back to Lidl saying it is still not satisfied with the design, and wants further changes made.

“The planning authority remains unsatisfied with the lack of interaction of the building with the public realm and roadway, and continues to have reservations with regards to the length and extent of the building.

“You are invited to submit a revised proposal, which may include the repositioning of the building further away from the site boundary,” Chief Executive Brendan McGrath wrote.