Fears are growing for the futures of 108 Kilkenny Group employees at its store on Dublin’s Nassau Street.
It comes after a meeting of representatives from Ternary, the Goodman family business, and Kilkenny Group failed to allay the retailer’s concerns over the jobs. This year, Ternary lodged plans for a €100 million office block on the site. The proposal, if it wins planning approval, will create 430 construction jobs and employ 1,600 people when the offices are ready for occupation.
However, the plan to redevelop the Setanta Centre has met strong opposition from the Kilkenny Group, which operates a store at the centre.
Consultants for the Kilkenny Group say that a large number of unaddressed issues associated with the development “is unacceptable and fundamentally lacks consideration for the operation of the Kilkenny shop”.
The submission says that it will not be possible for the Kilkenny store to trade during the construction period, with consequences for the 88 permanent and 20 seasonal employees at the store and the million shoppers, who visit every year.
The planning consultants used by Kilkenny argue that the construction plan for the development is unfeasible and impractical. The consultants say: “We consider there is a severe lack of consideration of the potential adverse effects on the Kilkenny shop, financially and reputationally.”
