Tipperary store in doubt as council refuse planning application in long-running saga

Over 20 jobs in one Tipperary town could be in danger after Tipperary County Council refused planning permission for a store to remain open at its current location.

Tipperary County Council refused an application for retention planning permission for the Mr Price outlet in Tipperary Town, which opened without the correct planning permission in 2021.

The discount store currently employs in the region of 22 people in the town, and had applied to the council for retention permission to keep the store open, after An Bord Pleanála ruled last year that the outlet should be refused retention permission to remain trading at the location.

The Mr Price outlet in Tipperary Town had opened without planning permission at the Tipperary Town Retail Park, just off the Limerick Road in the town.

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The units in the retail park are zoned as office use, not retail, and An Bord Pleanála upheld a Tipperary County Council decision to refuse the retailer retention permission to continue operating there.

Corajio, the company behind Mr Price had submitted a fresh application for retention permission to Tipperary County Council.

The new planning application sought retention for unit one and unit two as a shop for the retail sale of goods including ancillary staff offices and canteen along with all shopfront signage.

The application stated that Mr Price "invested €1.5million in Tipperary Town, purchasing the Tipperary Town Retail Park, which has remained vacant since construction".

The application stated that Mr Price "operated his existing business from two units having found great difficulty in identifying an alternative, suitable, available and viable premises in the town."

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The application also stated that because the Tipperary Town and Environs Development Plan has now expired, the land that the Mr Price outlet sits on is now unzoned, and says that attention must be paid to the established uses of other units in the area, with Dunnes Stores, Dealz and Tesco all in close proximity to the Mr Price outlet.

It is not yet understood what reasons Tipperary County Council gave for refusing the newest planning application in the long-running saga.