Kilkenny mart's relocation plans disrupted

By Eric Donald

Kilkenny mart has suffered a major setback to its plans to move from its present location in the city to a new agri-retail park off the Carlow road. The co-op had been granted planning permission to build a new mart at Leggetsrath, but an objection has just been lodged in the last few days by a Dublin-based development company, Chesterbridge.

During the planning process this company had registered an observation and had a period of time to decide if they would object or not. In the last few days they have lodged an objection. So it's now likely it will have to be decided by An Bord Pleanala. Chesterbridge are actively developing a site of their own near the railway in Kilkenny, on the approach to the city from the Dublin side.

The mart had intended on moving its existing tenants to the new location outside the city to facilitate the €80 million redevelopment of Barrack Street.

But in a separate development, it has emerged that a planning application to relocate one of the mart's key tenants, the NCT centre, to the new site was turned down. The county council said the development would contravene a development objective of the city's development plan. This is somewhat surprising as NCT centres operate side by side with many marts around the country.

The new site is zoned for ‘agri trade' and the mart understood that this covered all its existing activities and those of its tenants. But the planners are of the view that the activities of the NCT does not constitute agri trade.

A crunch meeting between the two sides on this issue is expected to take place in mid-April when the co-op mart will outline a complete blueprint of how they intend to develop the new site. A solution might be to have the entire site rezoned for industrial and general business use which would allow the NCT centre to move.

Whatever the outcome, these two developments are likely to delay the mart's relocation.