THE Irish Nationwide Building Society has secured planning permission for a major urban renewal project in the centre of Dungarvan, Co Waterford. The two and three-storey project will comprise a 17,000-square-foot supermarket, 17 individual shop units and 23 apartments over the shops, all served by a new pedestrian street linking the main shopping street, Parnell Street, with the principal car-park.

The site is located in a tax designated area and the owners and tenants will be able to avail of tax breaks. The design, by architects Muiris O Criostoir in association with Edmund Fitzgerald Selby, is based on the distinctive 18th and 19th century buildings in Dungarvan. Dungarvan Urban Council has welcomed Irish Nationwide's decision to embark on the scheme, which is expected to revitalise the town centre.