The retail centre, located on a 17.5-acre site at Kilmacuagh, outside the town, will comprise 10 retail units including an anchor store, along with a garden centre, a two-storey office building, a restaurant and 915 car parking spaces.

The car park has been subdivided into three landscaped zones to minimise the visual impact on the overall development.

With 235,000sq ft of retail floor space, the centre is expected to become a popular local shopping destination, and to help thwart the ongoing problem of customer slippage to other midlands towns.

The developers say their objective is to create a stateof-the-art centre, after reviewing other retail schemes in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

"The scheme will be a leading-edge model which will provide a shopping landscaped street, with seating, trees, sculptures etc, " says Gerry Murphy of FitzGerald Kavanagh and partners, architects for the project.

"Materials including stone, steel and glass are used to create a contemporary architectural back drop."

Developers Michael O'Sullivan and Aidan Kelly also own significant adjacent landbanks, believed to be in the region of 300 acres, which will come under the aegis of the local area masterplan currently being prepared by the council.

Once the plan is completed, and subject to its endorsement by local councillors, further significant urban development is anticipated in the area.

Further information from letting agent Padraig Clancy: 086-850 0645.