The first meeting of Dundee City Council’s new development management committee will take place on Monday evening, giving councillors the chance to approve or refuse planning permission on a number of projects.
Newly-elected and long-standing councillors who were re-elected in May’s local vote will come together to discuss whether or not four deputations brought before them should be given the go-ahead.
Plans for a new motor vehicle showroom on Jack Martin Way and the erection of new offices, residential units, a hotel and commercial units at the Waterfront have both been recommended for approval by council officers.
Plans for a mixed use development for a Lidl retail store, drive through coffee shop, pub, restaurant and car showroom on East Kingsway have been recommended for refusal, as has a similar development for a drive through coffee shop, restaurant and nursery building on land south of Kinnoull Road in the Dunsinane industrial estate.
Lidl last week hit-out over the refusal recommendation for their East Kingsway development, planned for the vacant site where the ABB factory once stood..
Council officers recommended the plans be refused for failing to meet three policies of the Dundee local development plan.
Officers noted the land, which has lain unused for 14 years, is located in a “prime position” adjacent to the road network and close to the port, presenting a “unique location” for potential offshore wind and decommissioning projects.
Further to this, officers maintain that building a supermarket, coffee shop and restaurant would not provide the necessary support to the Mid Craigie economic development area.
Council officers argue that plans for 195 parking spaces marked out on the proposal indicates the development is aimed at “attracting customers from the wider area”, as opposed to supporting local employees from within Mid Craigie.
The Dunsinane industrial estate plans are recommended for refusal because they contravene two policies of the local development plan.
Officers argue that by building a restaurant, takeaway, drive through coffee shop and the children’s nursery would have a detrimental impact on principal economic development areas.
Again, officers do not feel satisfied that the proposals would be of benefit to the Dunsinane economic development area because the 76 parking spaces marked out in the plans suggest the development is aimed at attracting customers from a “wider area”, rather than supporting local employees.
The committee meets in public at the city chambers, in the city square, on Monday evening at 6pm.
