PRE-PLANNING discussions over a proposal to bring an Aldi store to the seafront of Portmarnock have been held with Fingal County Council, it has been revealed. The discussions took place last month between the developers behind the project and council planners.

The proposal is to bring an Aldi store to the northern section of the site that is occupied by the Sands Hotel, where 'The Bungalow' is currently situated.

Cllr Peter Coyle (Lab), has investigated what was discussed at the preplanning meeting and the attitude of council planners to the proposal.

It is understood that the developers behind the project were advised they should consider alternatives to the proposal, including investigating other possible sites for the Aldi store.

Aldi stores have caused a lot of planning controversy almost wherever they have been proposed but one situated on Portmarnock's seafront is likely to cause uproar among locals.

However, the talks were exploratory at this stage and there is no guarantee they will result in a formal planning application for the proposed site.

Developers were also told that the 'prime operation of the hotel' had to be retained on the site, the Fingal Independent understands.

Cllr Coyle has flagged the issue in a recent newsletter to his constituents and said that he was keeping an eye on developments around the proposal.

Details of the pre-planning discussions, were posted on Fingal County Council's website which Cllr Coyle said was unusual for such a meeting.

Oddly, the location given by the developers for the proposal puts Strand Road in Portmarnock in Dublin 13 instead of the correct address in County Dublin.

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