Iceland Food Warehouse is set to open a new branch at the Lesley Bloomfield Shopping Centre and Retail Park in Bangor, County Down, after Ards and North Down Borough Council’s planning committee approved the scheme this week, according to BelfastLive. The move will bring a long-vacant unit back into use and add another discount food option to a retail site that already draws shoppers from across the area.

The development is expected to represent a £1.5 million investment and begins with around 15 construction posts, before creating 40 to 50 permanent jobs once trading starts. Planning documents indicate the store will take up about 10,000 square feet, with the council report saying Iceland wanted a single-level layout with servicing space, extensive parking and strong visibility from main routes.

Council officers concluded that there were no better alternative sites in Bangor, and they judged the impact on the city centre would not be severe enough to count as significantly adverse. The report also said the new store should broaden choice for shoppers and strengthen competition in the local market. DUP councillor Alistair Cathcart backed the proposal at the meeting, saying frozen food retail is better suited to a car-based location.

Lesley Bloomfield Shopping Centre and Retail Park is already a major retail destination in Bangor, with more than 2,000 free parking spaces and a mix of national chains. The Food Warehouse format is Iceland’s larger retail model, typically placed on retail parks and designed to offer a wider range than a standard Iceland shop. The Bangor opening comes as the chain continues to expand its Food Warehouse estate across the UK.

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