Makro Cash & Carry is located at 97 Kingsway, Dunmurry, situated approximately 400 metres east of Dunmurry town centre. The site occupies a prominent triangular parcel of land extending to approximately 3.9 hectares, bounded by major transport infrastructure and established commercial uses.

To the east, the site is defined by a landscaped bund associated with the M1 motorway, which runs at a higher elevation than the car park and site access. Beyond the motorway lies a Park and Ride facility serving the wider Belfast metropolitan area. The western boundary is formed by the Belfast–Dublin railway line, with established residential neighbourhoods located beyond the rail corridor. To the south and south-west, adjoining land is occupied by storage, manufacturing, and construction-related uses, including civil engineering operations that share the existing vehicular access from Kingsway.

The site benefits from direct vehicular access onto Kingsway, a key arterial route linking south-west Belfast with Lisburn and the wider region. Public transport infrastructure, including rail services at Dunmurry Station and bus routes along Kingsway, provides wider connectivity.

Existing Use of the Site

The site is currently occupied by a Makro wholesale cash and carry warehouse, providing bulk goods to registered business customers. The existing building extends to approximately 15,460 square metres gross internal floorspace, arranged over a large single trading floor with a mezzanine level. Ancillary accommodation includes staff facilities, storage areas, and servicing infrastructure.

Externally, the site accommodates a substantial surface-level car park, originally laid out to provide 708 parking spaces, alongside a large service yard and lorry holding area to the rear of the building. The premises operate as a single, self-contained wholesale unit with restricted public access in accordance with its planning permission.

Historical Development of the Site

The Makro store at Kingsway was established following the granting of planning permission S/1992/0481 in August 1992 (submitted in May 1992). This permission authorised the demolition of earlier structures and the construction of a purpose-built wholesale warehouse for use as a cash and carry facility, falling within Class 11 of the Planning (Use Classes) Order (Northern Ireland) 1969.

The original permission imposed several restrictive conditions, including:

• A prohibition on retail sales to the general public

• A requirement that the premises operate solely as a wholesale cash and carry

• A restriction preventing subdivision of the building into multiple units

These conditions were applied to allow planning authorities to retain control over the scale, intensity, and nature of activity on the site, given its out-of-centre location.

Since its opening, the site has remained in continuous wholesale use, with only minor permissions granted for signage, servicing alterations, and operational adjustments consistent with its established function.

Proposed Tesco Development

In November 2025, Tesco Stores Ltd submitted a planning application (LA04/2025/1991/F) seeking permission for a significant reconfiguration of the existing building and site layout. The proposal includes:

• Subdivision of the existing Makro building

• Change of use of 4,750 sq m gross floorspace to Class A1 retail

• Erection of a new loading bay within the service yard

• Minor external alterations to the building fabric

• Reconfiguration of the existing car park

The proposed Class A1 retail floorspace is intended for occupation by Tesco Stores Ltd, facilitating the relocation of an existing Tesco store currently operating from Kingsway Shopping Centre. The proposal includes 3,248 sq m at ground floor level and 1,501 sq m at mezzanine level, providing a total net retail floorspace of approximately 2,181 sq m.

Internally, the primary intervention involves the construction of a dividing wall to create two independent operational units within the existing building. The Makro wholesale operation would continue within the remainder of the premises, with internal reconfiguration undertaken to maintain operational efficiency.

External Alterations and Access Arrangements

Externally, the proposals are described as limited in scale and largely cosmetic, including:

• Repainting of existing cladding

• Replacement of selected cladding panels

• Installation of ribbon windows

• Removal of redundant emergency exits

• Construction of a new servicing bay and scissor lift

Vehicular access to the site would continue via the existing Kingsway junction. However, pedestrian infrastructure is proposed to be significantly enhanced, including new footways, improved internal circulation routes, and a signal-controlled pedestrian crossing on Kingsway to improve connectivity with surrounding residential areas and Dunmurry town centre.

Parking and Servicing Provision

The existing surface car park would be reconfigured to provide:

• 175 spaces allocated to the proposed Tesco store

• 130 spaces retained for Makro

• 261 residual spaces retained within the wider site

This would result in a total of 566 on-site parking spaces, including dedicated disabled and parent-and-child bays. Servicing for both retail and wholesale uses would continue to be accommodated within the existing service yard, with clear operational separation maintained between the two uses.