Opponents of a massive John Lewis superstore in Co Antrim won the first round of a legal battle to prevent its construction in the Northern Ireland High Court today.
They were granted leave to apply for a judicial review of planning approval granted to the department store group by Northern Ireland Environment Minister Lord Rooker in June.
Belfast and Lisburn city councils and the trade bodies in the two cities were among six organisations which banded together to fight against the £40m development.
John Lewis is preparing to build a massive store at the out of town Sprucefield retail park outside Lisburn.
Traders in Lisburn, and Belfast city centre ten miles away fear it will deal their businesses a savage blow by drawing trade away from both.
After hearing arguments for and against the granting of planning permission, Mr Justice Girvan gave the go ahead for a judicial review which is expected to be held before the end of the year.
He said he was “satisfied there is a case for further consideration” and that the applicants had put forward sufficient material to persuade him there was an arguable case.
Lord Rooker said when he granted planning permission, against the recommendations of some of his senior planners, that the decision was in the “best interests of the people of Northern Ireland.”
Approval was for a 200,000 sq ft John Lewis as part of a 550,000 sq ft expansion of Sprucefield, which would provide accommodation for another nine retail outlets.
Sprucefield already houses, amongst others, a major Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury, B&Q and PC World.
John Lewis has said it is Sprucefield or nowhere as far as setting up in Northern Ireland is concerned, and if legal action goes against them they will look at the option of opening their first store on the island of Ireland in the Irish Republic.
That decision would lose the province the 900 jobs John Lewis say this will create at Sprucefield.
It has ruled out Belfast as a development option saying it would not sustain the full range department store it plans nor provide the kind of parking space it requires for customers.
It has been pressing ahead with its plans and has pencilled in Christmas 2007 for the opening of the store.
Belfast City Council, the city’s Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Lisburn City Council, its Chamber of Commerce, and Central Craigavon Limited – representing traders in the Co Armagh town – all challenged the granting of planning permission.
They were joined by AM Developments, the Dutch company behind a £300m retail and residential development currently being built in central Belfast and which will provide a base for House of Fraser to enter the Northern Ireland market.
