Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Sainsbury's dragging their heels over Balmakeith?

Tonight at the Suburban Community Council meeting Cllr Dick Youngson gave an update on planning applications. He said that the Sainsbury’s outline permission still had to be approved by Highland Council. There then followed a brief discussion in which Cllr Graham Vine of West CC asked: ‘Could I ask, do we know if it is Sainsbury’s dragging their heels or whether it is Highland Council playing silly wotsits?’
Provost Laurie Fraser, also in attendance, said emphatically, ‘No it’s Sainsbury’s not Highland Council.’

10 comments:

salty said...

Aye,you can take that with a pinch of "Sainsburys Salt"

Nairnac said...

Is it just me that's not entirely convinced that Nairn's Sainsbury will ever actually materialise.
Highland Council were dead set against it, and if HC were to offer Sainsburys a site in Inverness with guaranteed permissions, maybe they'd agree to drop the Nairn plan allowing HC's Inverness masterplan to continue unabated. (edited)

Graisg said...

I don't think there's any danger of that Nairnac, I'd go for cock-up rather than conspiracy theories as far as our local authority is concerned.

Our lack of a decent supermarket comes from the Highland Council's doomed from the start(?) plan to get a new supermarket in the town centre.
I do beleive that last year the public finally convinced them of the error of their ways and they agreed to give permission to Sainsbury's at Balmakeith.
Perhaps one could debate until the cows come home about what is causing these delays and remember the big list of conditions that the Scottish Government imposed on that decision after the Public inquiry.
Let's just hope it happens - we really need the jobs now.
If you look at the Highland Wide development plan you will see that we, just as much as Inverness are part of a masterplan - one that perhaps is still living the pre credit crunch dream.

Anonymous said...

The story from inside the industry is that
Sainsburys roads designers are trying to agree final details for the access road and junction layout with Highland Council, that's what's holding it up. The problem isn't with Highland Council or Sainsburys specifically. Remaining anonymous for obvious reasons .....

Anonymous said...

Well I heard, that they are no longer coming to Nairn with Kinloss closing? well yes it could just be a wild rumour, always plenty of those about but who knows.

Graisg said...

No RAF bases in Huntly Anon, yet a Tesco's and Asda for 4,000 people. There's a market in Nairn for a good supermarket based on that comparison alone.

Spurtle said...

On the subject of rumour and hearsay , are all small towns in the UK the same ?

Someone farts at Nairn harbour & , by the time word gets to the top of the High Street, they've shat themselves.

Sainsburys put forward a design for their new store which, to be honest, was poor and , given that it will be the first thing that anyone approaching Nairn from the East would see, the HC planners dug in and insisted changes were made.

It takes time, as does finalising the designs for the road junctions and new traffic lights. The final application is now in, dotting i's and crossing t's, and they have applied for the building warrants.(which will have cost them about £14000 ish)

So those already sporting orange underwear will just have to wait until a little next year to get their fix.

Likely 20 to 26 week build program, starting March/April so the brickies hands' are warm enough to lay blocks and hold onto their fags at the same time would see them open Sept/Oct. Just in time to get the Easter egg merchandising out on display.

Not sure when we get the new traffic lights though, before I suspect.....

Graisg said...

Point taken Spurtle but when a town's leading citizen indicates that the company are responsible for delays then people are entitled to be concerned.
However, hopefully, Nairn's years of supermarket speculation games will shortly be coming to an end with the opportunity for employment and choice of food that Sainsbury's Balmakeith will provide.

Nairnac said...

Forgive my cynicism, but look what happened last time Highland Council entered into discussions with a supermarket operator about improving the situation in Nairn.

Roughage said...

Goodness me Spurtle we cant have people in the Harbour Street vicinity suffering from severe flatulence & by the time they reach the High Street they have no control over their bowels just think of the mess on the new pavements, mind you it does match the colour scheme & helps fill in the cracks, so if any persons suffer from the above symptoms I offer a rectum rectifier service
which helps with those embarrassing bottom burps, skitters doon the troossers,
those who talk shite,
planners who make a mess,
Neasgaid-fala creams supplied,
no jobbies too small.

Dr R.Sole
Windy Ridge,
c/o The Gurn