Sprucefield plan does not include John Lewis

A new £50m plan for Sprucefield near Lisburn no longer includes a John Lewis department store.

In a statement on Tuesday, the site's owners Intu proposed building 13 retail units and an 80-bedroom hotel.

As well as the hotel and shops, the plan includes five food and beverage outlets.

They said the proposed investment would create over 200 construction jobs and over 300 retail jobs.

Martin Breeden from Intu said they want to "transform an under-utilised retail park" into an exciting place to shop, eat and relax.

“The location is perfect, and we already have interest from quality retailers," he said.

“Our plans will create hundreds of jobs for local people, complement the existing offer in Lisburn and turn Sprucefield Park into a flourishing retail location, attracting more people.”

A community consultation on the plans is also due to take place.

Glyn Roberts from Retail NI said it’s “not a surprise” that John Lewis wasn’t part of the application as the chain has “moved to having a greater online presence”.

He added: “I hope that we will see a John Lewis store coming to Northern Ireland in a town or city centre location, in the near future.”