THE Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) has given its reaction to DOE Minister Attwood’s decisions to refuse an out of town ASDA store in Newtownards and grant permission for an out of town Sainsbury store in Dundonald.
NIIRTA Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:xa0“Minister Attwood has made the right call in refusing ASDA’s out of town superstore in Newtownards, but has made the wrong decision in granting permission for a similar out of town Sainsbury Superstore in Dundonald. In our view both applications pose a major threat to local town centres and existing retail jobs and should have been rejected”
“In fact the lack of continuity in these type of planning decisions highlights the need for a new and comprehensive planning policy which supports town centres and sets out very clear rules for developers”
“We are very clear that we want to see these type of stores located in our town centres where they will contribute to regeneration, retail choice and increased footfall”
