By Eric Nicolson

THE PROMISE of securing the jobs of 60 members of staff at Caithness Glass has been used as a “ploy” to gain planning permission for a £5 million retail outlet that could contribute to the demise of Perth town centre, it has been claimed.

Operations director at McEwens of Perth John Bullough believes the development is not about saving jobs, pointing out that the workers have been used as “collateral.”

Mr Bullough now fears that Perth centre could die.

At Wednesday’s Perth and Kinross Council development control committee, members unanimously supported plans to transform the Inveralmond site into a major tourism destination and shopping complex, of which Caithness Glass will be only a part.

Dartington Crystal, of Devon, has been unveiled as the potential buyer of Caithness Glass, which is in the hands of the receivers after owner Edinburgh Crystal went bust, while Auchterarder building firm A & L King and the Kilmartin Property Group are the developers behind the overall plan.

It remains one of Perth’s prime tourist attractions and the company will demolish the existing 1970s building and replace it with a seven-unit “retail parade” attached to a smaller glassmaking plant with 300 parking spaces, securing the existing jobs.

Despite being contrary to the local plan, and possibly the structure plan, it has received the backing of council planners and councillors.

Mr Bullough said, “The proposal centres on an enormous retail development that would be very damaging to Perth city centre. I have the pleasure of sitting on several committees, including Perth Partnership Steering Committee, Perth City Centre Management and the St John Street Association, and I am yet to have spoken with anybody in favour of it.

“I am all for the Caithness Visitor Centre to be refurbished or extended but it is clear that, aside from the rhetoric regarding this being the saviour of 60 jobs, it is simply a ploy to use these workers as collateral to get the approval for the retail units.

“This brings back memories of the unfortunate history of the auction house that used its association with farming for its original planning permit and then used this as the thin end of the wedge to extend the association to include gardening. Anybody who has recently visited Dobbies will realise it is just as much a department store as it is a garden centre.

“The development of Tesco and Asda into non-food retail puts further pressure on the city centre.”

He added, “Who wouldn’t situate out of town? The rent is cheaper, the rates are cheaper, easy access and plenty of car parking. It’s every retailer’s dream. If the city centre dies, the town will die with it. Over time the problem will become much more significant for the county.”

Mr Bullough drew a worrying analogy with Inverness.

He pointed out, “Every job that is created in an out-of-town development is lost in the city centre. Inverness is a perfect example.

“We are in a similar location in Inverness (secondary street off the High Street, in the old town) and there have been 15 businesses that have closed on our street alone in the past 12 months. The old town is dying due to a large out-of-town development and a programme that encouraged businesses to leave the centre.”