Dundee Civic Trust has said the city’s elected members are failing to make “logical and consistent” decisions after another out-of-town retail development was approved.
The charitable trust, which aims to protect the city’s architectural and environmental heritage, hit out after a narrow vote in favour of the West Gourdie Industrial Estate plan.
It will see three retail units including Home Bargains and The Food Warehouse, as well as a food and drink unit, open near Asda Dundee West and Aldi Mykrekirk Road.
The decision was taken despite officers in the council’s planning department recommending it be refused.
Donald Gordon, chairman of the trust, said ignoring officers could harm employment and local businesses.
He said: “We are very disappointed in the decision.
“The reality is that retailing throughout the city and especially in the city centre and in Lochee, is in big trouble, due to online competition and the economic ravages of Covid-19.
“This is obvious from the large number of vacant shops in the city centre, in district centres, and even in the existing perimeter retail parks. By the end of the pandemic, the situation will be much worse.”
Some councillors had expressed concern the development could entice people away from district high streets and shops in the city centre.
Others however said such investment in the city during economic instability should be welcomed. The vote ended narrowly in favour, by 12 to 11.
Mr Gordon said having already agreed the Town Centres First principle, those in the council chamber should stick to it.
He said: “As a city, we should be planning realistically for a controlled contraction in retailing which is much less dependent on car transport.
“The city must remain compact and allow easy access to work, retailing and leisure services on foot, by cycle and by frequent public transport.
“Yet we face a succession of applications for the creation of new shopping units on the edge of the city which are hard to access except by car, and this development is a particularly bad example, since there is no nearby housing.
“What Dundee needs now is a tough focus on managing retail contraction in a well-planned way.
“This will be very challenging so councillors, please make a start by disregarding the propaganda put out by developers, backing your own officers and your own policies, and making decisions which are logical and consistent.”
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “The planning committee considered the application and decided to grant it with conditions.”
