Work on new Home Bargains store in Derry to begin in May

Work on the new Home Bargains store in Derry is to begin in May after planning permission was granted for the development. The approval was issued at a special meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Planning Committee. The new store, which will sell convenience and comparison goods, will be located at former Budget DIY store at the junction of Strand Road and Buncrana Road, which has lain vacant since 2006. Home Bargains is also planning to incorporate a garden centre into the development, which is expected to be opened by Christmas. The development will also see the demolition of the former Xtra Vision building on the site. A planning officer told the meeting while the application had included provision for 180 car parking spaces, they would be seeking an additional 28 car parking spaces to ensure that there was no impact on an existing business located close to the entrance of the site. Speaking at the meeting, Eamon Loughrey, representing TJ Morris, who own Home Bargains, said that the new Derry outlet represented a £6m investment which would create 100 new jobs. Mr Loughrey added the approval represented a ‘year of hard work’ by all involved, adding that it would act as Home Bargains’ ‘flagship store in the northwest’. He said the regeneration of a derelict unit would not only be a ‘significant boost’ for the city’s economy and job creation, but also help regenerate the city centre by attracting shoppers from across the city and Donegal. The architect tasked with the development of the site, Brian Ireland, work on the new store was to begin in May.