Liffey Valley €26 million upgrade surges forward

Liffey Valley €26 million upgrade surges forward

By Maurice Garvey

WORKS on a €26 million investment to upgrade Liffey Valley Shopping Centre are motoring along – with management hopeful the project will be completed by Autumn, reports Maurice Garvey.

The new development includes an additional 10,500sq.m. of retail shopping space – a 16 per cent increase in the floor area of the shopping centre.

Liffey Valley Shopping Centre - extension resized

The project will deliver six restaurants, a new Penneys and reconfigurations to Vue Cinema – the latter part which is finished and in pristine condition.

With Penneys due to open in early August and three restaurants currently looking for employees, one local representative is calling for a “multi-agency approach” to ensure a “local employment dividend.”

Sinn Féin Clondalkin councillor Jonathan Graham met with management of the Liffey Valley Centre and a representative from Hines Ireland and its partners Hail and Grosvenor Britain and Ireland, the company overseeing the expansion works.

Cllr Graham said: “One of my priorities is to ensure a local employment dividend for the Clondalkin area insofar as I can. I tabled a motion at the April Clondalkin area committee inviting all the relevant stakeholders to meet councilors.

“Following on from this, I tabled a more recent motion, to meet with the centre, and discuss a local employment dividend. I want to welcome the several hundred jobs that will come on stream from this project.”

Cllr Graham said stakeholders agreed to “a multi-agency approach” to generate “local employment dividend.”
“Over the coming weeks, I will put this plan into action, and ensure that local people are aware,” said Cllr Graham.

Denis O’Connell, Director Liffey Valley SC said: “The first phase works are over, and three of the six restaurants are fitted out, with one expected to open on St Valentines Day and another around St Patrick’s Day.

“Penneys is on track to open by early August, but we are weather dependent.”

He continued: “We were asked to attend the Clondalkin local area committee meeting last year to make a presentation and we did. We were asked before Christmas for an update and a meeting with Clondalkin councillors – Jonathan Graham was the only one who showed up.

“Jonathan Graham suggested the multi-agency approach and we are happy to support that. Ultimately, we don’t have too much influence on who the construction firm employs, but three of the restaurants are actively recruiting at the moment – Eddie Rockets, Prezzo and TGI Friday’s.”

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