Major project planned for Golden Island site

A planning application for a major commercial development in the centre of Athlone is to be submitted in the coming weeks.

Tiane Limited, which is connected to local developer Tony Diskin, is seeking a ten-year planning permission for the significant project, on land at the junction of the Golden Island Road and Carrickobrien Roads and Golden Island.

The location is a key site in a busy part of the town which is close to the existing Golden Island Shopping Centre, Inish Carraig and Aldi developments.

Details of the proposal are included in a planning notice published in last week’s Westmeath Independent.

The project involves the demolition of the existing warehouse units to the north of the site, spanning 4,600 square metres and the provision of almost 11,000 square metres of new commercial floorspace in four blocks.

New commercial buildings to the east of the site, opposite Aldi, are to be retained.

The proposed development will be served by 267 car parking spaces and 165 bicycle spaces.

Block A, with gross floor area of 2,865 square metres, is to include a convenience supermarket with net retail floor area of 1,665 square metres.

Another block is to include a building of maximum height of 11.9 metres, accommodating four retail units on the ground floor and an office unit on the upper floor.

The main retail unit in this block spans 1,575 square metres of net retail floor area and is designed for non-bulky retail.

The final proposed block would have the highest building height of 12.25 metres and comprises five single story bulky use retail units. 

These are to be at the south west corner of the site and adjoining the existing commercial building to the south east of the site.

The largest two of these bulky use retail units span 1,562 and 1,200 square metres respectively.

Tiane Limited had submitted larger proposals for the location in 2012 and were refused planning permission in January 2013 by An Bord Pleanala which ruled that the project would “damage the vitality and viability of the town centre”.