The people who stopped john lewis at sprucefield, LISBURN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ?? HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME, BET YOU WISH YOU HAD THAT FOOTFALL THIS XMAS Second phase[edit] In June 2004 the developers announced plans for a 220,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) John Lewis department store and 29 additional units on the site. Despite objections from Lisburn retailers and the Belfast Chamber of Commerce the development was given approval in June 2005 by then Northern Ireland Environment Minister Jeff Rooker.[9] However in October 2005 six parties opposed to the development won the right to seek a judicial review of the planning permission. These parties were Belfast City Council, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Lisburn Chamber of Commerce, the owners of Lisburns Bow Street Mall, Central Craigavon Limited and AM Developments Limited (AM Developments is building the Victoria Square centre in Belfast city centre). On 10 May 2006 the appeal was upheld, effectively removing planning permission. However the judge, Mr Justice Girvan, said he was not ruling on the merits of the store itself, rather on the way the decision to grant permission was taken. This allowed a new planning application to be submitted.[10] Westfield and Snoddens reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing planning permission in November 2006 after a new legal challenge by Central Craigavon Ltd., owners of the Rushmere Shopping Centre.[11] Westfield detailed its new planning application on 28 August 2008. The number of additional retail units planned was reduced from 29 to 19, however the developers conceded that the proposal is ostensibly the same at a total floor space of approximately 50,000 square metres (540,000 sq ft).[12] In March 2014 Westfield agreed to sell Sprucefield Park to Intu Properties plc for £70 million.[13]
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 08:52:17 +0000