£8m Upgrade Planned For The Outlet

Plans to upgrade The Outlet in Banbridge have been unveiled.

The £8m expansion proposals aim to protect the shopping centre's future.

If approved, the development would see the construction of an eight-screen cinema complex, a 7,000sq ft children's indoor play park, two restaurants and a garden centre. Some 500 jobs could be secured by the move, as well as creating a further 200 full and part-time positions.

It is understood The Lotus Group has been appointed to submit the application.

Alastair Coulson, from The Lotus Group, is quoted in the media as saying: "The proposed changes will ensure that The Outlet's offer will be different to any current local offering and will attract visitors into Banbridge from a much wider area.

"It's expected that the new Omniplex alone will attract over 300,000 visitors annually. The changes will bring The Outlet's offer into line with other successful centres in Great Britain and Ireland, and significantly reduce the current vacancy rate to just 10%."

Mr Coulson continued: "This will markedly improve customers' experience and help The Outlet re-establish its reputation as one of the island's leading retail destinations."

The Outlet, located in Banbridge, first opened in 2007 at a cost of £70m. It was designed to strengthen cross-border shopping opportunities, but in recent years, it has faced competition from the designer shopping outlet Kildare Village, which is located around an hour's drive from Dublin.

If the proposals for the Banbridge site are approved, it would cost between £6m and £8m and could be completed by early 2015. In addition to the above, work is due to start on a 60,000sq ft Tesco Extra store later this year, while planning application for a McDonald's drive-through restaurant was submitted last December.

(JP/CD)