AN Bord Pleanála has granted Lidl planning permission to construct a new supermarket and apartments in Douglas.

The Planning Board has overturned a decision by Cork City Council to refuse planning permission for the outlet last August.

The Council had refused planning permission on grounds of incompatibility with a development plan objective for the land and injury to visual amenity.

The four-storey scheme will feature a new store and includes apartments on the Douglas Relief Road roundabout.

The decision to grant planning permission to Lidl Ireland GmbH for a new store has been met with criticism from councillors in Cork City South-East.

Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Shannon who has lived in Douglas all his life said: "I am disappointed. I remember people lived in the village. The whole urbanisation and retailisation of that area has meant that the living soul has been taken out of the village. It is not a residential area anymore,” he said.

“The decision goes against our retail strategy and our current development plan. Jobs and living space are welcome but we do need to have a green area to break up the urban landscape," he added

Labour Local Area Rep in Douglas Peter Horgan said that Douglas deserves better than traffic gridlock and over retailisation.

"The decision by An Bord Pleanála to ride roughshod over the views of locals, local councillors, the City Council on this decision is breathtaking," said Mr Horgan. 

Fine Gael councillor Deirdre Forde said Douglas needs a ‘better mix’. 

“This decision will come as a surprise to many people. We had hoped that all the open space in Douglas would be kept open space and that we could develop facilities for the community. At the moment the mix is all about convenience shopping and low-cost shopping whereas we need a better mix in Douglas.” 

Conor Nagle, regional managing director for Lidl told The Echo the store will create 30 new local jobs: “Lidl are delighted with the decision from An Bord Pleanála. This is an exciting proposal for the Douglas area which will turn an unused site into one that offers great services to the community. 

"This brand-new state of the art store will create 30 new local jobs as well as supporting many hundreds more during the construction phase of the entire development.”