Plans by the British retailer Tesco to build a new store, car park and petrol station in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, have been rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
Donegal County Council had in March granted permission, subject to conditions, for the store complex at Donegal Road, Ballybofey, but the decision was followed by two appeals to the planning board.
The proposed development consisted of a foodstore with a floor area of 4,351sq m including an alcohol sales area, 328 car-parking spaces, an internal roundabout, advertising signage, trolley bays and landscaping.
In refusing permission, An Bord Pleanála stated that, under the Ballybofey/Stranorlar Local Area Plan, the preferred location for a new retail development, "where practicable and viable", is in the town centre.
Moreover, it noted, the Department of the Environment's key policy objectives, as outlined in the Retail Guidelines for Planning Authorities, support the continuing role of town centres as the preferred location for retail development.
Having regard to "the location of the site outside the proposed bypass link road, to the inconvenient walking distance from the site to the commercial core of the town and to the existence of practicable and viable alternative sites within convenient walking distance of the commercial core of the town centre and public transport facilities", the body considered that the development would conflict with the overall policy of the planning authority.