Sainsbury’s says it has addressed traffic concerns as part of its planned £40 million supermarket to be built on the outskirts of Perth.
As previously reported (link), Sainsbury’s has submitted revised proposals for a store on the former site of the Perth agricultural mart in Crieff Road. It says the project will create around 450 jobs.
However, residents raised concerns about traffic implications as Crieff Road is prone to becoming a ‘bottleneck’ at times.
Sainsbury’s now claims concerns have been addressed and states that Transport Scotland has agreed to widen part of the A85 road past the planned supermarket.
The firm has set up a website (link) and a Twitter account (link) to gauge public opinion. There will also be a drop-in session at Perth Concert Hall’s Norrie Miller Studio, at 6.30pm on Thursday, October 13, at which interested parties will have the opportunity to meet Paul Miller, the national development surveyor for Sainsbury’s.
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s said the company is ”looking to engage” with the people of Perth.
”The proposals for the store include 65,000 square foot of retail space with an in-store cafe, ample car parking spaces and a petrol filling station,” she said. ”The development would be a major investment in the city of Perth and would create in excess of 450 full and part-time jobs for the local community. The local economy would also benefit as Sainsbury’s are celebrated for working closely with Scottish suppliers, including Simon Howie Butchers and Inveralmond Brewery, both Perthshire businesses.”
She said the ”revisions” made to the planning application this summer reflect comments from the local community and Perth and Kinross Council.
”Sainsbury’s has responded to local issues and revised the design and layout of the store, introducing some landscaping around the north and north-west edge of the site,” she added.
”Sainsbury’s has also responded to concerns about the ability of the A85 trunk road to accommodate the increased volume of traffic … Following much discussion with Transport Scotland, Sainsbury’s has undertaken to widen parts of the A85 past the supermarket site, and provide additional traffic management measures to deal with the increased traffic…
”These revisions will mean that supermarket traffic can be catered for and it will also assist general traffic making its way into the city particularly in the mornings.”
The revised proposals are likely to be determined by the council before the end of this year.