Local businessman Joe O'Toole's proposed development includes a supermarket, a department store, 55 retail units, 112 residential units, a restaurant, a number of offices and 946 car parking spaces.

The centrepiece of the project is an open landscaped plaza to be constructed around the landmark Bishop's Palace, an 18th century protected structure. According to Mr O'Toole, who along with his wife Helen runs the local SuperValu supermarket, the project, called The Palace Centre @ Tuam, will create hundreds of new jobs in the town. "This development will reinvigorate the centre of Tuam and contribute significantly to its ongoing development as a key arterial town in Co Galway.

From a commercial point of view there's been nothing happening in the town, " he says.

"Tuam needs something like this and I happen to be in a position to take on the project.

I've been buying up parcels of land since I arrived here from Headford 25 years ago. I must have made 20 separate purchases. It's not often you get this amount of space in one singe area. In that sense it's ideal for a development of this nature. I know from the volume of trade we're doing in our supermarket that there is the demand there for extra retail facilities. We're determined to attract the big names in all the various areas, drapery, hardware, etc. We want to ensure this is a complete shopping centre, " he says.

The planning application seeks permission for a 2,890sq m (31,108sq ft) supermarket, 1,300sq m (13,993sq ft) department store and a 3,000sq m (32,292sq ft) household store.

The development will also incorporate part of an inner relief road already planned for the area. "The new road will improve access to the area and will also relieve traffic in what is at the moment a very congested part of town, " says auctioneer John Mannion of DNG Mannion in Galway city.

"The success of the development will depend ultimately on the anchor tenants. We're confident we can get high profile tenants into the main units.

After that, the smaller units will fill up fairly quickly. This is the type of commercial development Tuam has needed for some time. The town's population increased by 11% in the period between last year's census and the previous one. At the moment, people are having to drive 20 miles into Galway when they want to do serious shopping. This centre will service areas around Mountbellew, Glenamaddy, Williamstown, Dunmore, Milltown and in as far as Claregalway and Corrafin, " he says.

The centre, designed by OKM Architects of Galway, will front onto a new road currently under construction by the county council and running along the banks of the river Nanny. "Obviously you can t take the planning authorities for granted, " he says. "But if things are straightforward planning could be granted within three or four months."