Home Bargains applies to have planning condition relaxed

IN THE latest installment of the planning saga that is the Lakelands Retail Park, Council officials have backed an application to relax the strict delivery conditions for one of the site’s big name brands.
Home Bargains is one of several major retailers due to take up residence at the new development at the site of the old Unipork factory, at the junction of the Irvinestown and Cornagrade roads, in the county town.
When planning permission was initially granted – amid a hail of controversy and even a legal challenge – for the mixed-use development in April 2022, the approval of the plans were subject to a number of strict conditions.
This included a limit on the hours when the stores could have their deliveries made, in order to reduce the noise disruption to nearby residents in the area.
The granting of the application included the condition that “servicing of and deliveries to the premises must be carried out between 08.00 and 18.00, Monday to Saturday only, with no servicing or deliveries permitted on Sundays.”
The reason for this was given as “to protect the residential amenity.”
Home Bargains has now applied to have these hours increased to from 7am-9pm, Monday to Saturday, and also to include Sundays from 1pm-6pm.
In a report due to be delivered to the Council’s planning committee this evening (Wednesday), planning officials have recommended approving the application to extend the hours. They outlined how noise levels have been considered, and it was decided the impact on those living beside the development would be acceptable.
“The application is accompanied by a supporting statement and noise impact assessment, which has been reviewed by Environmental Health Service (EHS) who have provided expert advice,” they wrote.
“The information and comments from EHS demonstrates that the amended hours for deliveries will not have an unacceptable affect upon the amenity of nearby residential receptors.”
Other retailers due to open at the Lakelands Retail Park include The Range, Harry Corry, and EZ Living Interiors.
More recently, Lidl has applied to open a second Enniskillen store at the site, which has prompted a number of objections, including from Retail NI and Erneside Shopping Centre.
The plans for the retail park had been controversial from the outset, with some local businesses submitting strong objections, however the local community had generally been widely in favour of the development, particularly its planned leisure facilities, which now
appear to have been abandoned.