Complaints Led To Removal Of Pizza Stall That Boosted Footfall At Centra In Johnstown Now Set To Close

Thursday, 22 May 2025 16:55

By Martin Osborne

According to Fine Gael Councillor Fintan Brett, the pizza stall was set up near the Centra and had a noticeable positive impact on customer traffic.

A pizza stall that once brought welcome footfall to Centra in Johnstown was met with complaints from some locals who called it an “unauthorised development.”

Centra, is set to close on June 7, leaving residents with no local access to basic retail services.

According to Fine Gael Councillor Fintan Brett, the pizza stall was set up near the Centra and had a noticeable positive impact on customer traffic.

“It helped footfall,” he said, adding that its removal “would not have helped” the store’s already precarious situation.

He said some people took issue with it, logging complaints to Kildare County Council.

Kfm understands that the owner of Centra, Alan Jordan, invested €250,000 in upgrading the current location, but was unable to find a suitable alternative site to expand the store.

Centra’s closure marks a significant loss for the village’s 1,320 residents, who have already seen key community facilities disappear in recent years.

Speaking to Kfm, Cllr Brett called the news a “shock”, and part of a wider pattern of decline that has left Johnstown without even the most basic amenities.

You can read that full story here.

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