The fate of the long-awaited Aldi Store on a section of the former Waterford Crystal car park at Kingsmeadow has moved closer to resolution, with a larger than previously anticipated store set to be constructed within a four storey development, along with a number of retail units.
The 1.1 hectare site on the Cork Road has been the subject of a protracted planning battle for over five years, since the German-owned company first took an interest in Waterford. In 2006, after several years of complexities, Waterford City Council approved the construction of the city’s second Aldi store on the site. This process had been delayed by a battle with local residents, followed by a land contamination issue which led to the Environmental Protection Agency recommending remediation work before any building. When granted, the planning permission applied to a four storey mixed use development including two retail warehouse units, a three storey car showroom, an Aldi store, a cafe with an exterior roof terrace and 162 car parking spaces.
This month, however, the local authority approved an amended application which included a change of use from the permitted car showroom to a retail warehouse unit, an increase in the floor area of the Aldi store to incorporate an off licence and an increase in the permitted café with exterior roof terrace. The two ground floor retail warehouse units which were previously approved will now become one larger unit.
