Home Bargains, Holywood Exchange

Planning approval was obtained to allow Home Bargains to sell its range of food and non-food items from two amalgamated units which have been vacant for some time. Located off the main A2 Belfast Road, approximately midway between Belfast City Centre and Holywood Town Centre, the site also contains the retailers Decathlon, BHS Home, Next Home and Sofaland along with a nearby IKEA, Sainsburys and B&Q DIY store.

Issues Encountered

• Restrictive planning condition
• Retail impact on existing centres
• Need
• Sequential assessment of any preferable town centre sites

Our Involvement

We prepared a detailed Retail Impact Assessment report to assess the likely impact of the proposal on existing centres and to assess the availability of suitable town centre sites. Strategic Planning also arranged political support of the proposal through a process of lobbying relevant Councillors. The application was subsequently approved in December 2015.