Blanchardstown Centre
| File:Blanchardstown Centre logo.png | |
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| Location | Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°23′35″N 6°23′20″W / 53.393°N 6.389°W |
| Opening date | October 16, 1996 |
| Owner | Blackstone |
| No. of stores and services | 180 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 120,774 square metres (1,300,000 sq ft)* |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 7,000 |
| Website | blanchardstowncentre.ie |
The Blanchardstown Centre is a large shopping centre located in Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland. It opened in October 1996 and was extended in 2004 to create extra retail space. It lies in the administration of Fingal.
Stores
The centre contains 180 stores, 3 retail parks and 7,000 free parking spaces. The anchor tenants in the Shopping Centre itself are Dunnes, Penney's, Marks and Spencer, H&M, Cotton On Megastore, Barratts, Debenhams and Zara. The Blanchardstown Centre is also home to Ireland's largest TK Maxx store, Lifestyle Sports and 53 Degrees North, all of which are located in the Fashion Park. Surrounding the Centre are three retails parks, two of which are part of the Centre, whilst the other, WestEnd Shopping Park is operated separately and features several large stores such as New Look, Heatons and Next. There are other amenities located in the Blanchardstown Centre including a 9-screen cinema operated by Odeon Cinemas, a Leisureplex entertainment centre, the Draiocht arts centre as well as Ireland's largest public library.
Dining
There are a number of restaurants and fast-food outlets in the development, including Ginseng, Ming Court, Dante's, Kay's Kitchen, TGI Fridays, McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Wagamama, Nandos, Milano, Eddie Rocket's, KFC, Captain America's and a total of four branches of Starbucks.[citation needed]
Improvements
The objective for building the shopping centre in Blanchardstown was as a recommendation of a report carried out by planning consultants in 1960. At the time of the building, Blanchardstown had a population of 120,000,[1] and this figure was growing due to its location beside the M50 and adjacent to the M3. Since opening in 1996, Blanchardstown shopping centre has become the "largest retail and leisure development" in the country.[2][better source needed] In the last number of years,[when?] EBay, Fingal county council and Liberty insurance have relocated their headquarters to the site, which has given a boost to the local economy creating jobs.[citation needed] The Crowne Plaza also built a four star 200-bedroom hotel, opening in 2009. Between 1996 and 2006, Blanchardstown population had grown by 37%.[citation needed] Blanchardstown centre has a lower population average, 38% of the population is under the age of 24, In comparison to the national average of 35%.[citation needed]
Future
There are plans set to extend the centre by 38,500 sq ft (3,580 m2) with the new Yellow Mall extension.[3] These plans include a three story complex with a new anchor store, 17 new shops and a food court located on the second floor, as well as a two-story underground carpark. Eight new restaurants are planned for the exterior.[4]
References
- ^ "Blanchardstown Centre - Background". www.blanchardstowncentre.ie. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- ^ "Blanchardstown Centre - Commercial Opportunities". www.blanchardstowncentre.ie. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ http://www.wejchert.ie/project_information.php?projectId=24&parentId=3
- ^ http://communityvoice.ie/pages/CV112/CV112n03.htm