A planning application for a £30 million retail and apartment development at The Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght is to be lodged with South Dublin County Council early next year.
If the extension goes ahead, it will provide up to 100,000 sq ft of extra shopping space, bringing the overall shopping area up to 700,000 sq ft. The new retail space will be at level two, with more than 100 apartments on four upper floors. The facilities will be linked into a new multi-storey car-park, which is likely to cater for between 700 and 900 cars.
About a dozen major investors who control The Square will have the option of funding the extension. These include AIB Investment Managers, Bank of Ireland Pension Fund, Bank of Ireland Asset Managers, Canada Life, Irish Life, Dunloe Ewart, GRE Properties, Salix Trust and businessman Ken Rohan. The recent opening of Liffey Valley Shopping Centre has had no effect on trading at The Square, according to property manager Phil Reilly. He says the number of visitors to the centre increased by 12 per cent to 16 million last year. The centre had also received a major boost with the opening of Tallaght hospital, which has a staff of 2,000.
