Decisions to be made in the coming weeks will shape the look of Dungarvan, Co Waterford, for future generations. Not since the Duke of Devonshire laid out much of its streetscape in the early 19th century has the town been on the brink of such radical development.
A planning application before Dungarvan Urban District Council proposes to extend the town centre by developing a broad strip of disused land formerly owned by Glanbia.
Clancy Construction's application is the most exciting ever to have come before the UDC, according to the council's chairman, Mr Michael O'Riordan. If successful it will see Dungarvan get its first major shopping centre, with Dunnes Stores as the anchor tenant.
Supporters of the plan say it would revitalise the retail life of the town which is losing potential custom to other urban centres including Clonmel, Waterford and Cork.
Proposals for a restaurant/night-club, residential units, a four-screen cinema complex and 420 car-parking spaces, as well as landscaped areas and new roads, are also included in the first phase of the application.
Concern has been expressed, however, that there is too much focus in the proposal on building a conventional shopping centre and not enough on maintaining the character of the town.
Mr Proinsias Breathnach, a lecturer at NUI Maynooth and a native of Dungarvan, says the proposal is out of kilter with the UDC's own aspirations for the 40-acre former Glanbia site. These are outlined in a draft development plan for the town drawn up before the Clancy application was received.
The draft plan, which is likely to be voted on by councillors in October, envisages a mix of developments for the Glanbia site, including retail, residential and leisure. Squares and avenues would contribute to a "high-quality urban environment", it says.
Most importantly, it emphasises the need to integrate the site into "the natural expansion of the historic town centre".
This, Mr Breathnach claims, is where the Clancy Construction application is lacking. In a letter to Mr Brian White, the Dungarvan town clerk, he said the UDC was faced with issues of "historical dimensions".
"It can decide to create an integrated and unified urban core which will add greatly to the town's appearance and attractiveness and stimulate pedestrian movement throughout the town centre," he wrote.
"Alternatively, it can decide to facilitate a modern shopping centre located adjacent to the historic urban core, but aimed at diverting shoppers from that core with inevitable negative consequences for the remainder of the town centre."
Mr O'Riordan, an independent councillor, agrees that the decisions to be made are of enormous consequence.
"We're building a town within a town and we have to get this right. We have only one opportunity to do so and if we get it wrong we will be indicted for the rest of our lives."
Although enthusiastic about the project's potential, he also has reservations and has asked for a detailed report to be provided to councillors by planning officials. He also wants to know more about Clancy Construction's long-term plans for the site.
The Thurles company owns 27 acres of the Glanbia site, but its planning application relates to just nine. A commitment has been given, however, that subsequent phases would involve the construction of a retail park, a fast-food restaurant, car showrooms, an office/technology park, a hotel, retail warehousing and more residential units.
Despite the increased competition the new shopping centre would bring, local businesses are behind the proposal, believing it will bring an overall increase in trade. Mr Mario Flavin, president of Dungarvan Chamber of Commerce, said the decision of Dunnes Stores to be the anchor tenant was a vote of confidence in a town which could see its population of 8,000 double over the next 10 years.
Clancy Construction had put "an awful lot of work" into the planning process and had consulted local councillors and businesses. Mr Breathnach, he said, was entitled to his view, but "you have to live in the town", and 95 to 99 per cent of local people were behind the project.
The UDC's draft development plan does not concentrate solely on the old Glanbia site, but relates to the entire area between the N25 and O'Connell Street. It envisages reducing the impact of parking and traffic on Grattan Square, the existing town centre.
The town is already undergoing a transformation, with industrial warehouses on the quayside having given way in the recent past to apartments, shops, restaurants and a public library, developments which have rejuvenated a once largely derelict area.
With expectations high that the town will be selected for a decentralised government department, these are exciting times for Dungarvan.
