Plans for a new supermarket in Roscommon have been rejected by County Planners. The decision was confirmed late last week. The proposed development by MCS River Village Limited in Monksland would be located just to the south of the Joe Duffy car showroom. Plans included the construction of a single storey supermarket with an ancillary off-licence sales area as well as an ESB substation, electric vehicle charging points, and roof mounted solar panels. The total area of the site was calculated at just under 1 hectare.
Roscommon County Planners refused the application on 3 conditions. The first stated that the site would fail to provide a 'sense of place' as it did not meet the requirements of integrated mixed land use set out in the Bealnamulla/Monskland Local Area Plan. Secondly, since the site is car dependant, planners found the site to not be in-line with the Smarter Travel initaitves, which prioritises pedestrian mobility and alternative modes of transport. Lastly, the decision stated the visual design of the supermarket would fail to achieve a high quality presentation to the public realm. The decision is yet to be appealed.
