Holywood Exchange

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Holywood Exchange Shopping Centre, seen across the northern end of the runway at Belfast City Airport. As of February 2007, none of the retail warehouse units have been let.
Holywood Exchange Shopping Centre, seen across the northern end of the runway at Belfast City Airport. As of February 2007, none of the retail warehouse units have been let.

Holywood Exchange is a major retail development on the borders of Belfast and Holywood, Northern Ireland. The site was previously known as D5 and Harbour Exchange. At present the development compromises an 11 unit 13,940 m2 (150,000 ft2) retail warehouse centre, a Sainsbury's store and service station and a B&Q store. As of February 2007, none of the retail warehouse units have been let, over 2 years since their completion in May 2004. An IKEA store of 29,000 m2 is under construction and expected to open in November 2007.

Like the expansion of the Sprucefield development, Holywood Exchange has been controversial and the subject of repeated planning problems and legal disputes.

Contents

[edit] History

Sainsbury's Holywood Exchange opened in 2003.
Sainsbury's Holywood Exchange opened in 2003.

The first planning application for what was then known as D5 was made by Aquis Estates Limited, Anglia and General Developments Limited and Belfast Harbour Commissioners on 14 November 1995. [1] In 1997 the Planning Appeal Commission and the Department of the Environment's Planning Service recommended that approval should be granted. Formal planning permission was granted on 13 April 1999. On 21 June 1999 Belfast City Council and The Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce applied for judicial review of the decision to grant planning permission. On 9 July 1999 planning permission for D5 was quashed as it was judged that the Minister did not take the decision with all the relevant information. [1]

Planning permission for the competing Tesco development on the opposite side of the A2 road had been granted on 28 November 1998. Following the quashing of planning permission for D5 its developers sought judicial review of the permission granted to Tesco, arguing that the same could apply to that development, however this was refused on 17 September 1999. This judgement was slightly controversial, given that the judge refused to rescind planning permission solely due to the fact that the £13 million Tesco store was almost complete. [2]

The developers resubmitted their planning application and were granted permission on 21 March 2000. This decision was again successfully challenged in September 2000.[3] Following another appeal planning permission was granted in February 2001.[4] The Belfast Chamber of Trade lodged a legal challenge with the House of Lords, however its judicial committee refused to grant the chamber of trade leave to appeal.[5] Construction of the B&Q store commenced in December 2002.

B&Q Holywood Exchange opened in August 2003. Sainsbury’s Holywood Exchange opened in September 2003 with a sales area of 3,809 m2 (41,000 ft2) [6]

[edit] Further development

In January 2006 IKEA announced its intention to build a 25,800 m2 store, its first in Northern Ireland. In May 2006 IKEA amended its application for a larger 29,000 m2 store. [7] The application was approved in December 2006,[8] work on the store began in January 2007 and it is expected to open in November 2007.[9]

[edit] Transport

The Holywood Exchange developers were able to take advantage existing road connections. The most important element of these connections was a full flyover on the A2, already built for access to the Belfast Harbour Estate. The Belfast to Bangor railway line runs between the site and the A2. There are proposals for a railway halt to serve both Holywood Exchange and the adjacent Belfast City Airport. However Belfast City Airport argues that constructing the halt adjacent to the airport terminal (further away from Holywood Exchange) would encourage more air travellers to use the rail connection. [10] The Airport has also stated that it will consider providing road access to the airport through Holywood Exchange as a way of reducing congestion on the existing airport access route.

On 16 January 2007 the Regional Development Minister David Cairns announced that a feasibility study would be launched into the construction of a rapid transit route linking Holywood Exchange to Belfast city centre. The route would also serve the airport and the Titanic Quarter development.[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mr Justice Coghlin (2000-09-01). "In the matter of an application by Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Belfast City Council and North Down Borough Council for Judicial Review". Northern Ireland Court Service. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  2. ^ Heritage Review No. 3 (PDF). John McMurtry & Co Ltd (Spring 2000). Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  3. ^ "Judge axes £80m shopping complex", BBC News, 2000-09-01. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  4. ^ "Disputed shopping complex go ahead", BBC News, 2001-02-23. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  5. ^ Morton, Robin. "Chamber of Trade faces D5 legal bill", Belfast Telegraph, Belfast Telegraph Newspapers, 2001-11-06. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
  6. ^ J Sainsbury plc Preliminary Results 2003/4 (PDF). J Sainsbury plc (2004-05-19). Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  7. ^ "Ikea enlarge planned Belfast shop", BBC News, 2006-05-26. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  8. ^ "Ikea gets go-ahead for city store", BBC News, 2006-12-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  9. ^ "Work starting on first Ikea store", BBC News, 2007-01-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  10. ^ Belfast City Airport Master Plan to 2030 (PDF). Belfast City Airport. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  11. ^ Morton, Robin. "Light rail plans for Belfast speed up", Belfast Telegraph, Independent News & Media (NI), 2007-01-16. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
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