Retail giant Dunelm’s plan to open a new store at Rushmere in Craigavon has been given the seal of approval by ABC Council.
The move will see two existing outlets amalgamated to form one, paving the way for the retail park’s newest arrival.
Dunelm is due to take over the former B&M Bargains shop and Poundstretcher.
The application had detailed “alterations to the shop front and rear facade” of Units 6 and 7 at Rushmere. The proposals, just approved, will include the installation of a new trolley facility at the front of the store.
There would also be a mezzanine floor too creating greater floorspace for the retailer’s wide range of products.
Dunelm styles itself as ‘the UK’s leading home furnishings retailer’ and permission had been given previously to remove the internal wall of the two units.
The front of the building will be glazed with a separate entrance and exit to be put in place.
ABC Council planning officials had considered the proposals and have now granted approval for the works.
In their report, they considered the new Dunelm unit to be located within a town centre location with good access links, including cycle routes and bus routes.
They added: “It is considered that customers using the shop will be primarily for the shopping provision of any existing unit and as such more shopping trips will not be generated by this proposal.
“On balance, given the town centre location and the accessibility of the shopping centre, officers are satisfied the existing car parking provision will therefore be adequate.”
They were also of the opinion that a proposed reorganisation of the internal road system and car parking would “not unduly affect any third party by loss of light or overshadowing”.
The proposed development is “accessible from the street level and therefore allows for disabled access”.
And in terms of the alterations and extensions, they felt that the plans made “no real aesthetic changes to the existing building”.
The application had been made by centre owners Killahoey Ltd, who previously confirmed to Armagh I that the intended tenant was Dunelm.
The door was opened for Dunelm’s arrival when B&M Bargains relocated from Unit 7 to the former Home Base outlet last September. The move allowed the bargain store to increase the size of its premises and add a garden centre.
Poundstretcher, at Unit 6, meanwhile, had previously ceased trading at the site after more than a decade.
Dunelm offers a wide range of home-related goods, including furniture, bedding, curtains, lighting, decorating and DIY products, and kitchenware, as well as garden and travel accessories.
The company operates across the UK, with five stores already trading in Northern Ireland – two in Belfast, and one each in Ballymena, Coleraine and Derry/Londonderry.
The imminent new store, therefore, will be the first in County Armagh and a welcome addition to the Rushmere family.
