The countdown is already underway to the opening of Athlone Town Centre, which will bring big-city shopping to the heart of Ireland and create 1,000 jobs. Athlone Town Centre Marketing Manager Nicola Ross explains more. After years of planning, the massive Athlone Town Centre development is rapidly taking shape and set to open its doors to excited shoppers from all over the midlands in October of this year. The Centre is a €500 million mixed-use town centre development and is set to become the number one shopping destination for the midlands. It is the only regional shopping centre due to open in Ireland this year and will set the mark for all future fashion-led centres. "This is a very exciting time to be involved with the development," enthuses Athlone Town Centre Marketing Manager Nicola Ross. "You can see the changes and the progress that's being made every day. The centre of the town has already been transformed and we're at the stage now where everyone is eagerly looking forward to the big opening in October, which will be just in time to cater for Christmas shopping." Developed on an eight-acre site which incorporates the area from the Civic Centre to Gleeson Street and Park Groove, Athlone Town Centre will provide a state-of-the-art shopping environment rivalling developments seen in Dublin, with over 70 shops. Retailers will commence their fit-outs from May onwards, and when the centre opens in October, Athlone will move up to fifth in Ireland for shopping. The scheme's promoters, Gallico Developments, have masterminded an exceptionally designed purpose-built shopping facility, cleverly integrated with a high-quality urban quarter. The development, which includes two internal streets and a central plaza, caters for almost every need of the modern lifestyle and reflects the Westmeath town's prosperity, rapidly increasing size and its easy accessibility from locations within the region. The development will comprise over 300,000 sq ft of retail space, which in conjuction with the nearby Golden Island Shopping Centre, creates a shopping precinct in the heart of Athlone comprising over 500,000 sq ft of shopping. Complimenting this fashion centre is a 4-Star 160-bedroom hotel and leisure complex and a much-needed car park for the town centre providing 1,400 spaces. The new hotel will be the tallest building in the midlands, some 11 stories high. The development will also include 150 luxury town houses and apartments which will have views of the River Shannon, and buyers will be able to avail of Section 23 tax breaks. On completion in early 2008, it's predicted that Athlone Town Centre will employ 1,000 people. At present, 500 construction workers are employed, the majority of whom are from the local area. "We purposely took on local construction companies to carry out the development. We were very much aware of the fact that many construction workers in the midlands have traditionally had to travel to Dublin and other parts of the country to secure work, and we wanted to bring them back closer to their homes," Nicola explains. It seems fair to say that Athlone Town Centre is being developed for local people by local people. Athlone man Michael O'Carroll, who is a Director of Murray O'Leary Architects in Dublin, is the lead architect, while former Roscommon footballer Paul Staunton is CEO of the project. The directors of Gallico Developments - John O'Sullivan, Jim Keane and Tom Donohue - are all locally based businessmen, with John also a director of the Hudson Bay Hotel. The main developers are Galway-based JJ Rhatigan & Co., who employ a large number of people from the midlands. "The fact that virtually all of us are from the locality makes us very proud," says Nicola, who is a native of Athlone. Nicola stresses that the entire community is behind the development of what will be the country's largest shopping centre outside Dublin, despite initial planning difficulties. "Since we received planning permission in 2005, we have got unbelievable support from local residents and businesses. All the local traders are behind us because they can see that it will bring more business to the town. The development will create 1,000 new jobs and it mustn't be forgotten that there are 500 employed in construction at the moment. "It must also be pointed out that this won't have a negative impact on the retailers in Golden Island. We're a fashion centre and if anything, we will compliment them." Independent research carried out by the Javelin Group, one of the UK's leading retail research companies, shows that by 2010 the midlands will have a population of nearly 700,000, with a spend on core goods reaching €1.3 billion. It is also forecasted that the three midland gateway towns of Athlone, Mullingar and Tullamore will experience massive growth in the next few years - with Athlone Town Centre expected to benefit greatly from this. "There will be 690,000 people living within a 40-minute drive of Athlone by 2010, and they will no longer have to go to Dublin or Galway to do their shopping because everything will be available to them here in Athlone Town Centre. As a region, the midlands is going from strength and strength, and with the campaign to reopen the Athlone-Mullingar rail-line gaining momentum, accessibility between the two towns will never be easier." Access and egress to Athlone Town Centre will be a mere 800 metres from the new Dublin-Galway motorway, which will be linked to the existing dual carriageway on the northside of the town. The stretch of the motorway from Dublin to Athlone is due to be completed later this year and the Galway section will follow in 2008. This puts Athlone in the unique position of having five exits off the main Dublin-Galway route, which will give shoppers easy and hassle-free access to and from the Town Centre. Marks and Spencer recently announced that they will anchor the development with a state-of-the-art store which will be the retailer's first department and grocery store in the midlands. Solo letting agents Bannon Commercial has confirmed that terms have been agreed with a host of leading international retailers. There has been exceptional interest in the development with over 80 per cent of the units now reserved of under intense negotiation. For further information on Ireland's newest regional shopping centre, log onto www.athlonetowncentre.com Tweet

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