Retail Impact Assessments

In accordance with the provisions of the Retail Planning Guidelines a Retail Impact Assessment (RIA) is often required to accompany a planning application for retail developments e.g. a supermarket, department store, retail warehouse or discount foodstore. The document from this process is called a Retail Impact Statement (RIS). This assessment sets out to examine the impact of the proposed retail development on the vitality and viability of the town centre as well as the impact upon existing retail facilities within the catchment. It involves a detailed planning policy context, statistical analysis / projections as well as the preparation of a sequential test where appropriate. A Retail Impact Statement can also form part of an Environmental Impact Statement. This office has extensive experience in the preparation and evaluation of Retail Impact Assessments for developments all over the west of Ireland.