Louth county councillors yesterday voted against a planning application which would have seen the Republic's first designer outlet village being built off the main Dublin-Belfast road outside Dundalk.
After a heated debate, the council decided against the motion to contravene the county development plan to allow the application by Sears Property Development Ltd to go ahead. It had sought permission to erect a factory outlet centre at Ballymascanlon Roundabout, Aghaboys, Dundalk. A complex comprising 100 shops, three restaurants and 1,600 car spaces is planned for the 28acre site.
It is anticipated that the decision by Louth County Council will be appealed to An Bord Pleanala.
When the project was announced last year, traders in Dundalk and Drogheda objected, claiming it would have a negative impact on their trade and draw shoppers away from town centres.
Mr Austin Reid, of the Dundalk Retailers' Association, welcomed the vote. "The result was the right one but there is a lot of work still to be done. The next stage will be to An Bord Pleanala; it was always understood that the developer would appeal if the permission was not granted. I hope the decision will sway An Bord Pleanala to our cause."
The objectors also included shop-owners in Ardee, Dunleer and Drogheda, who all fear that the centre could draw trade from an area stretching from Dublin to Belfast and inland to Athlone.
Councillors opposed to the application said they were concerned about the location and the effect on traffic on an already busy road. "This is the busiest junction in north Louth. Our own consultants, MCOS, said it would limit our options and today I am told people have changed their minds. I want to know why Ballymascanlon was chosen as the location," said Councillor Peter Savage (FF).
Another councillor, Mr Terry Brennan (FG), who voted for the plans, said: "Improving access to Dundalk must be part of the planning conditions. I believe it will be of benefit of the overall populace of the county. We have nothing to fear."
However, the councillors voted 16-seven against the motion, which was proposed by Mr Bernard Markey (FG). There were three absentees.
The chairman of Carrickmacross UDC, Mr Francie O'Donoghue, welcomed the decision. He said it would be welcomed by Carrickmacross UDC and by the business community in Carrickmacross and further afield.
The Carrickmacross UDC chairman recently tabled a resolution expressing concern to Louth County Council about the proposal. This resolution was unanimously carried and later supported by Castleblayney UDC and Monaghan Town Chamber of Commerce.