Bell suggests way forward in John Lewis impasse
Billy Bell MLA, Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Lagan Valley, commenting on the High Court’s decision to overturn former Environment minister Lord Rooker’s decision to give the John Lewis development at Sprucefield planning permission said today :
“This decision was probably inevitable after the failure of Lord Rooker to consult widely enough on the impact not just of the John Lewis store itself but of the additional commercial units planned in association with it.”
“It is vital that the Government convene a round-table conference now on this matter because we cannot afford to see 900 jobs lost to the City of Lisburn and the surrounding towns. We must try to negotiate a way forward which will accommodate both John Lewis and the City centre traders. That is not necessarily as difficult as it may, at first, seem. ”
“I believe the Government should put a new element into the negotiation and I believe that element should be the relocation of a major Government Department Headquarters to the City Centre of Lisburn to help offset some of the impact of a new John Lewis store. We need to get those 900 jobs to Lisburn but we also need to keep the city centre alive and this just might be a way to do it.”
“If a major Government Department were located in Lisburn City Centre then that would create a lot of foot-fall trade for the city centre shops. This needs to become a win-win situation. People have to start and use a bit of imagination and common sense instead of getting stuck in their respective trenches.”