It follows a decision by An Bord Pleanala not to grant retention for a change of use of two units at Tipperary Town Retail Park on the Limerick Road.
The units in the retail park on the N24 out of Tipp Town are currently occupied by Mr Price who had been refused permission by Tipperary County Council for a change of use.
The site is zoned as Light Industrial under the Tipperary Town and Environs Development Plan which explicitly rules out shops and supermarkets.
Corajio – trading as Mr. Price – appealed the local authority decision to An Bord Pleanala arguing that the proposed use is justified rather than leaving the site vacant.
They also say having Mr Price trading there has prevented leakage out of Tipperary town to other towns by offering a wider range of retail opportunities and providing a renewed interest in the site.
Among the reasons given by the An Bord Pleanala inspector in upholding Tipperary County Council’s refusal was the vacancy rate of 31% of ground floor units in the town centre made it even more important to have the likes of Mr Price trade in the town rather than on the outskirts.
