By Gordon Berry

CUPAR COMMUNITY Council is trying to obtain the views of the local business community as supermarket giant Tesco looks set to press ahead with plans for a major new supermarket in the town.

Tesco recently held some meetings with local businesses, the community council and councillors, but has so far not publicly revealed the extent of its proposals.

The Courier, however, has been told that Tesco intends to demolish its existing supermarket in South Road and build a much larger one—similar in size to its Dundee Riverside store.

The development will utilise the existing Tesco site and the neighbouring former headquarters of the Reekie Group, which it already owns.

Although Tesco has previously been given approval for different expansion plans at the site, these have never been progressed.

The chairman of Cupar Community Council, Canon Pat McInally, said that Tesco would have to submit four different reports with its new planning application, including a retail impact assessment and a traffic impact assessment.

One of the big issues is sure to be traffic, with suggestions already being made that a roundabout should be installed to serve the new store and improve traffic movement on South Road.

Transport officials have suggested that another set of traffic lights should be installed, but locals were given a possible taste of things to come only a few weeks ago when nearby roadworks controlled by lights led to considerable disruption.

Canon McInally said that as part of the retail impact assessment process Tesco had agreed to meet local members of the public in-store on Monday.

He said an architect would be present with a full set of plans, and would be able to speak about the new development and answer any questions the public might have.

In addition, so it can be clearly demonstrated that the consultation is not entirely Tesco-led, a similar opportunity will be available in Cupar’s County Buildings on Tuesday, he said.

“We also want to lobby the small businesses in the town to ask them to express any anxieties or to make recommendations as part of the same process.

“The community council looked at a leaflet drop but we have decided that there was no time to put one into operation, so we are asking, through the local press, for responses.”

Canon McInally said that responses, to be sent in before January 11, can go to St Columba’s Church, Ashlar Lane, Cupar, or by Email to StColumbasParish@aol.com.

There is to be a further meeting with Tesco on Tuesday, January 14, and the community council will submit responses to the company then.