A DECISION to grant Marks and Spencer planning permission for a new food store in Coleraine has been delayed after an intervention by Retail NI.
M&S currently operates a food hall in Coleraine’s town centre. But it has launched a bid to amalgamate units at the Riverside Retail Park on the outskirts of the town, into a new 17,000 sq ft food store.
A recommendation to approve the application was put before Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.
But the councillors opted to defer any decision following the late intervention on behalf of Retail NI.
In an email, sent in the early hours of Wednesday, Andy Stephens of Matrix Planning called for a “period of deferral” to enable the committee “to reflect very seriously in relation to the gravity of the decision they are about to take”.
Mr Stephens cited the ‘town centre first’ policy and highlighted prominent sites in Coleraine and Ballymoney which are vacant.
“Coleraine is on its knees with a vacancy rate of more than 20 per cent,” he wrote.
He said the recommendation effectively facilitates an existing town centre retailer moving to an out of town location, adding: “If such a decision were to occur, it will accelerate Coleraine town centre’s dereliction and this will result in significant public funds being required to address this issue, which is not in the public interest.”
Mr Stephens also referenced the successful legal challenge by Jim Allister in 2019 over planning approval for a £20 million hotel resort.
Reacting to the deferral, M&S described it as “extremely disappointing”.
"The application will support up to 70 retail jobs and represents a significant investment in Coleraine by M&S."
