Sprucefield

Sprucefield Centre was developed by Marks and Spencer on the site of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club and opened in March 1989. The proximity to the radio transmitter required the centre to be built as a Faraday cage to protect electronic equipment from the mast's electromagnetic field.{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Leonard|title=Marks and sparks; City Diary |work=The Times |publisher=Times Newspapers|date=15 March 1989}} Sprucefield Centre includes shops such as Marks and Spencer, Next, Pets At Home, Boots and McDonald's.

The centre was virtually destroyed in January 1991 in an IRA incendiary attack. Three of four stores were destroyed, (MFI, Allied Maples and Texas), while the Marks and Spencer wing suffered only water damage.{{cite news | first = David | last = McKittrick | title = IRA revives firebomb attacks | work = The Independent | publisher =Newspaper Publishing PLC | page = 3 | date = 7 January 1991 }}

An expansion of Marks and Spencer has been reported for many years. An outline planning application was submitted in 1995, followed by a public inquiry in 1999. The Planning Service recommended the proposal be accepted. If built the extension calls for the demolition and resiting of the transmitter station, although these plans never went ahead. In August 2007, Marks and Spencer opened a large homeware section (second largest in the UK after Manchester) on the Sprucefield site in what had been the adjoining Homebase shop. Homebase's lease on the building was not renewed by M&S who own the entire complex. M&S also upgraded its anchor store with a new café, better lighting and customer friendly walkways. The expansion of their Sprucefield store makes it the largest store in Ireland and the third largest in the United Kingdom. In April 2016 Marks and Spencer reported that their Lisburn Sprucefield store recorded the highest food sales of any of their UK stores making it the most profitable store in the M&S network.

Sprucefield Park was opened in 2003, with Sainsbury's and B&Q as anchor tenants. There are four smaller units, occupied by B&M and The Range. The {{convert|21,500|m2|ft2|abbr=on}} project was managed by a Stannifer/Snoddons Construction joint venture. Stannifer is a British property development company, while the latter is a construction company based in Hillsborough, County Down. Construction was carried out by McLaughlin & Harvey.[http://www.mclaughlinandharvey.com/project.aspx?CtyID=2&PjtID=79 Retail – Sprucefield Park]. Accessed on 28 June 2007. Stannifer took ownership of the site, while it retained a 50% share of the proposed second phase. In 2004 The Westfield Group acquired Stannifer's parent (Chelsfield) and took control of the company's shares in Sprucefield Park.

Sprucefield Park (like the Sprucefield Centre) has faced major objections at almost every stage. Sainsbury's announced its move into Northern Ireland on 20 June 1995O'Kane, Paul, Sainsbury's to invest £100m in 7 new outlets in North. Irish Times 21 June 1995 and opened its first stores in 1997, however it would be eight years before its Sprucefield store was opened. An application for outline planning permission was submitted in July 1998 and final permission was granted in February 2001.{{cite press release | title =Sam Foster backs news retail proposals at Sprucefield | publisher =Northern Ireland Department of the Environment | date =7 February 2006 | url =http://www.nics.gov.uk/press/env/010207h-env.htm | access-date =21 August 2006 }} The planning permission for the centre also included a multiplex cinema and a 150-bed hotel, however these have yet to be built. Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, which sold its pitches to Marks and Spencer for its development in 1989, had again to relocate when it sold its pitches to the developers of Sprucefield Park.{{cite news |first=Graham |last=Hamilton |title=Hockey: Garvey striking it rich with £2m ground |work= Belfast Telegraph|publisher=Belfast Telegraph Newspapers |date=10 February 2001 }}

In December 2004 the B&Q store was extensively damaged by an incendiary device. The store was closed for approximately six months.{{cite news | title ='Incendiary device' caused blaze | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4110329.stm | work =BBC News | date =20 December 2004 | access-date =21 August 2006}} In January 2005 another firebomb was discovered in the centre's Sainsbury's store, however this was successfully defused. Both incidents, and others such as the destruction of a Next store at Forestside Shopping Centre in Belfast, were blamed on dissident republicans.{{cite news | title =Incendiary defused in shop | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4133323.stm | work =BBC News | date =29 December 2004 | access-date =21 August 2006}}

In September 2015 B&Q announced that its Sprucefield branch was one of five Northern Ireland stores that it would close.{{cite news | title =B&Q stores to close in Northern Ireland: 300 jobs will go | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34393193 | work =BBC News | date =29 September 2015 | access-date =26 October 2015}} However the store remained open.

In October 2022 German retailer Lidl announced its intention to open a branch at the retail park.{{Cite web |last=McMahon |first=Donal |date=2022-11-09 |title=Public consultation planned for new Lisburn Lidl |url=https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/sprucefield-lidl-plan-public-consultation-25463352 |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=BelfastLive |language=en}} In August 2023, The Range announced its intention to open a branch at the retail park in September, in the former Toys "R" Us unit.{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=James Martin |date=2023-08-01 |title=The Range confirms location and opening date of new NI store |url=https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/the-range-ni-store-sprucefield-27435741 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=BelfastLive |language=en}}

In 2024, Argos and Next Home closed their doors, Argos moved into the Sainsbury's supermarket.

In June 2004 the developers announced plans for a {{convert|220000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} John Lewis department store and 29 additional units on the site. Despite objections from Lisburn retailers and the Belfast Chamber of Commerce the development was given approval in June 2005 by then Northern Ireland Environment Minister Jeff Rooker.{{cite news| title =Green light for John Lewis store | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4599599.stm | work =BBC News | date =1 June 2005 | access-date =21 August 2006}} However, in October 2005 six parties opposed to the development won the right to seek a judicial review of the planning permission. These parties were Belfast City Council, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Lisburn Chamber of Commerce, the owners of Lisburn's Bow Street Mall, Central Craigavon Limited and AM Developments Limited (AM Developments is building the Victoria Square centre in Belfast city centre). On 10 May 2006 the appeal was upheld, effectively removing planning permission. However, the judge, Mr Justice Girvan, said he was not ruling on the merits of the store itself, rather on the way the decision to grant permission was taken. This allowed a new planning application to be submitted.{{cite news | title =Challenge to £40m store is upheld | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4755893.stm | work =BBC News | date =10 May 2006 | access-date =21 August 2006}}

Westfield and Snoddens' reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing planning permission in November 2006 after a new legal challenge by Central Craigavon Ltd., owners of the Rushmere Shopping Centre.{{cite news | first = John | last = Manley | title = Retailers defy legal challenge | work = The Irish News | publisher = The Irish News Ltd. | page = 52 | date = 9 November 2006 }} Westfield detailed its new planning application on 26 August 2008. The number of additional retail units planned was reduced from 29 to 19, however the developers conceded that the proposal is "ostensibly the same" at a total floor space of approximately {{convert|50,000|m2|ft2|abbr=off}}.Manley, John. "Sprucefield plans 'little changed'" Irish News. p.54. 29 August 2008

In March 2014 Westfield agreed to sell Sprucefield Park to Intu Properties plc for £70 million. It is now owned by PIMCO (90% stake) and NewRiver (10%).{{cite news |last=O'Neill |first=Julian |date=20 March 2014 |title=New Sprucefield retail park owners to consider John Lewis plans |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26665600 |work=BBC News |access-date=25 March 2014}}{{Cite news |date=2019-11-25 |title=Sprucefield retail park sold to NewRiver for £40m |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-50543354 |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2024-10-14 |title=Slim Chickens opens first drive-thru restaurant outside the US at Sprucefield |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/business/slim-chickens-opens-first-drive-thru-restaurant-outside-the-us-at-sprucefield-YDUMUXWDC5FIHDTMSU5P2IIUAQ/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=The Irish News |language=en}}

In 2023, an expansion plan was discussed again, which would include more retail space, a hotel and three restaurants. The first phase, which includes the restaurants, will begin to open by October 2024.{{Cite web |title= Major plans to develop Sprucefield move a step closer as a full planning application is submitted|date=11 January 2024 |url=https://www.northernirelandworld.com/business/major-plans-to-develop-sprucefield-move-a-step-closer-as-a-full-planning-application-is-submitted-4475028}}{{Cite web |date=2024-01-22 |title=Nando's and Starbucks sign up for Sprucefield Retail Park expansion |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/business/nandos-and-starbucks-sign-up-for-sprucefield-retail-park-expansion-BRKL4LGCWVE6NGDYTISISJJLGM/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=The Irish News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McLaughlin |first=Sophie |date=2024-08-12 |title=Fast-food chain to open first drive-thru location in NI |url=https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/slim-chickens-sprucefield-open-fast-29724781 |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Belfast Live |language=en}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.sprucefieldcentre.co.uk/ Sprucefield Centre official site]

{{Shopping centres in Northern Ireland}}

{{Westfield United Kingdom}}

Category:Shopping centres in Northern Ireland

Category:Buildings and structures in County Down

Category:Westfield Group

Category:Lisburn

Category:Retail parks in the United Kingdom