Pressure is mounting on Tesco to come up with a definitive timescale for its plans for a new superstore in Cupar or give up the land it has commandeered at South Road for other development.
Tesco has confirmed that it is to erect hoarding to screen off the derelict new site at South Road, following complaints about the visual impact of harris fencing and a huge rubble pile.
Posts in preparation for the screening work have gone up this week. This follows the start of work on a “service road to nowhere” a month ago. But councillors fear this will just be an attempt to hide the lack of action from public view and want the supermarket to be honest.
Gloria Coats, Tesco regional corporate affairs manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “I have escalated the community’s concerns about the state of the site and we will therefore be making improvements to the site to make it more visually appealing.
“The rubble at the back of the site will be levelled and hoarding will replace the harris fencing currently on the site, as it is not in a very good state. The fenceposts you see are in preparation for the hoarding.”
Fife councillor Margaret Kennedy told The Courier: “I welcome Tesco paying attention to their development site. However, I do hope the corporate level will give some structured consideration to coming forward with timelines to deliver the new store appropriately for the present time.”
Cupar Community Council secretary Douglas Provan said: “My comments are the same as Margaret’s only if they are not going to build on it, they could at least landscape it to make it attractive.
“The other thing is, I thought planning was a devolved matter. Why has the Scottish Government not changed the law so land-grabbing cannot happen?”
The Courier was told last Friday that North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell had written to the chief executive of Tesco, Philip Clarke, on the matter.
North East Fife MSP Rod Campbell has also told Tesco there can be “no more excuses”.