Mullingars new lidl to open this thursday

Just three months after the builders moved on site, Mullingar’s new Lidl supermarket (above) is on the verge of completion, with the opening due to take place this Thursday, December 11.
The supermarket is the German firm’s second in Mullingar, and it is located on the site which was previously occupied by The Horizon ballroom.
The Horizon ballroom went out of use in the 1980s, and was demolished in 2007.
In its heyday, the venue played host to music giants such as Thin Lizzy, Johnny Cash and Jim Reeves.
In May of this year Lidl received permission from An Bord Pleanála to build a supermarket on the site.
The firm’s application was for a single-storey mono-pitch roofed discount foodstore with ancillary off-licence sales, and for provision of a 79-vehicle car park.
The firm had initially applied last year to Westmeath County Council for planning permission, but the council turned down the application.
This was on the grounds that if permitted, the development would become a retailing destination in its own right, and would thus undermine the vitality and viability of Mullingar town centre.
The inspector from An Bord Pleanála ruled, however, that subject to compliance with certain stated conditions, the development would be appropriate at Grange, and that it would not seriously injure the amenities of the area, or of property in the vicinity.