A fresh bid for a new supermarket in Kirriemuir will be determined at a meeting in the town.
Next week the Town Hall will be the venue for a full Angus Council meeting to determine the revised bid by Guild Homes (Tayside) Ltd for a 3.2-hectare site at Pathhead after it was deemed a major application by planners.
The proposal envisages a supermarket covering 3,995 square metres on the west side of Forfar road next to an existing veterinary surgery. Access would be directly from the A926 leading into Kirrie from a new roundabout.
A previous Pathhead proposal, along with other supermarket bids for East Muirhead of Logie and a large scale retail development of Kirrie’s Gairie Works, was initially refused by Angus councillors in February 2010.
Subsequent appeals for Pathhead and East Muirhead were rejected but planning permission and listed building consent was granted for the redevelopment of the town centre factory site. That allows up to November next year for the submission of an application for approval of matters specified in conditions attached to the planning permission in principle.
The new Guild Homes application has once again attracted a refusal recommendation from planning officials, but in an extensive supporting statement the firm argues that there is plenty of scope for another town supermarket, even with the Gairie Works plan.
A retail statement submitted by the firm suggests a population catchment of just over 27,000, with estimated available convenience goods expenditure of £50.25 million and comparison goods expenditure of £44.96m this year.
Guild Homes project a total turnover of £18.3m and the company’s statement indicates even with the Gairie Works permission a substantial leakage of expenditure equivalent to 25% or £12.7m of the total available on convenience goods.
The applicants estimate that the impact on the town centre would be only 1%.
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Kirriemuir Community Council carried out a street and door-to-door survey.
The report to the council meeting states: ”When asked the question ‘do you support the proposal to develop a site at Pathhead as a supermarket?’ 56% said yes; 27% said no and 18% were undecided.
”Kirriemuir Community Council has commented that ‘whilst there is a small majority in favour, the significant number of people remaining undecided indicates there is not a clear and strong support throughout the community’.”
However Kirriemuir Landward East has offered the view that ”the majority of its members as well as members of the public present were of the view that the proposal would be of tremendous benefit to the town and surrounding area”.
Over 1,200 other letters have come forward, including 1,132 in a standard letter of support, with 76 objections (74 using a standard letter).
Angus infrastructure services director Eric Lowson said he considers the Pathhead plan to be contrary to development plan policy and does not agree with the applicant firm’s retail assessment.
”The retail review undertaken on behalf of the council … indicates that there is not sufficient capacity to accommodate two supermarkets in Kirriemuir.
”A significant adverse impact on the vitality and viability of town centres would likely adversely affect investment in the maintenance of the fabric of buildings in historic town centres.
”The proposed development lies outwith but adjacent to the development boundary. In this case I recognise that there is benefit in providing new food retail development in Kirriemuir.
”However there is an extant planning permission in principle for the erection of a new large food retail development at Gairie Works.
”Accordingly I do not consider that there is a proven public interest for the development and I do not consider that there are any social, economic or environmental considerations that confirm an overriding need for the development.”