Dublin City Council officials are to hold detailed meetings with staff from Ikea in the hope of finalising a deal for the Swedish company to open its first furniture superstore in Ireland at Ballymun.
Following the relaxation of the retail planning guidelines to allow for superstores selling non-food items in development areas in Dublin and gateway towns around the country, it is believed that a number of approaches will be made to Ikea about potential sites in the greater Dublin area.
However yesterday, Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL), the Dublin City Council company behind the redevelopment of the north Dublin suburb, said it had already been in contact with Ikea in recent days about a site close to the M50.
Mr Ciarán Murray, chief executive of BRL and a senior council official, said meetings were planned with Ikea in the coming weeks and he hoped to finalise a deal with the company about a 25-acre site.
The deal will have to include various commitments from the company, including the employment of local people, under various requirements stipulated in BRL's regeneration objectives, Mr Murray said. "I'd be very confident at this stage that we can reach an agreement," he added.
Mr Murray said BRL hoped the development would move ahead very quickly, and that BRL and the company would be in a position to put in a planning application by the end of June to Fingal County Council.
The board of BRL is due to meet in the next month to discuss the Ikea proposal for the site, which is 85 acres in total. It is expected the board will also decide on a plan for the remaining 60 acres, part of which is likely to be developed as a science park.
The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Dempsey, has given his support to the relaxation of the retail size limits.
Mr Dempsey, who drew up the cap preventing superstores in late 1999, was previously reported to have had serious concerns about the relaxation. Yesterday he welcomed the change. "It's a very focused change to the retail planning guidelines," he added.