Friday, October 17, 2014

Planning application for Lidl and other stores at Balmakeith goes online on Highland Council e-planning site

The plans can be viewed on the Council's e-planning site here. Although the application is now available on line the Council state: "Sorry, we are not currently accepting comments from the public on this application."

Update:
Earlier today we published information from a letter that had appeared on the Council's e-planning file for this application. The Gurn understands that the letter had been erroneously placed on line and was in fact a private communication and has since been removed by the Council. We decided that it would be appropriate for us to remove that information from this article  at this time. 

We also contacted the developers for some clarification. A Ziran Land spokesperson told the Gurn:

"I can confirm detailed negotiations with Home Bargains are advancing as are negotiations with family restaurant operators. I must stress nothing is finalised as yet. We are also talking to other operators interested in coming to Nairn whose size requirement cannot be accommodated within the town centre.

Meanwhile we are very keen to meet with representatives of the Nairn community to discuss direct regeneration initiatives for the town centre that we are considering."

12 comments:

Something shiny something new said...

Bye bye High St

Lord and Lady as we like to think we are of the West end said...

Oh dear,

This is truly dreadful news. One thing to have a Lidl store positioned in Nairn devaluing properties by many thousands, but one was hope above hope that we might have had a new branch of Harrods and for Heston to have opened a satellite of his excellent eatery the Fat Duck, we so much like his eatery

I can only hope that the developer sees the error of his ways. Nairn we'll have you know is not a place where paupers shop. There are some jolly descent chaps who live here who would purchase locally if we were provided with the appropriate facilities

Yours etc...

Anonymous said...

Take it the above comment is a wind up..

Anonymous said...

You could argue that Lidl will only effect footfall for the likes of Sainsbury's and Co-op stores in Nairn, but a store such as Home Bargains is definitely going to have an impact on several High St stores

We can vote with our wallets and keep going to the High St but I bet some folk will like the new out of town shopping experience maybe followed by a bite to eat or a coffee at the new pub

More jobs out their for Nairnites (if they're not just advertised in Forres as per Sainsbury's) but how much employment will be lost because of the new businesses?

Anonymous said...

Home Bargains!! Great news, that will be another reason not to go out of Nairn for shopping. I use Home Bargains in both Inverness and Nairn, so for me it makes no difference to the Nairn high street as I rarely shop there anyway.

My loyalty is to my wallet, not some outdated shop.
The only shops i frequent in Nairn is Leopold Street Butcher and sometimes Nickel n Dime. Ok and on occasion Mr Tan, yum.
90% of my shopping is done in Asda, Home Bargains and Lidl, M&S and online.
The novelty of the High Street Shops of old is just that, old and in the past. No matter how much "re-generation" on the High Street there is, it will never be like it was in the 50's, through to the 80's.

When i was growing up in the 70s/80's the High Street had a huge variety of shops. I don't ever recall a charity shop. There was umpteen vans going around as well, Ashers, Morrisons, Drapers, Ice Cream Vans, Chip Vans, Fruit n veg Van etc.. See in them days their was no Internet. Many more people did not or could not afford a car.
There were lots of clubs, Bowling, etc, very much a community spirit.

As i said those days are gone... times are a changing, and not always for the better, but that is life. MOVE ON!!!

Your's
An auld relic.. or is that wreck.

Anonymous said...

I like going to Home Bargains too

Anonymous said...

10.52pm Should read Inverness and Elgin, not Nairn, Freudian slip perhaps?

Anonymous said...

Well said, anon@10.12. Times are/ have changed, whether for better or worse we are where we are. In reality we don't owe any business, no matter how small or big, or local or otherwise, anything. Apart from the global change in shopping habits, why have some businesses in the High Street closed? Could it be because they weren't getting many customers? If so, then it's too late for people to start squealing about the loss of shops if they haven't been inside some of them for years.

Anonymous said...

It's time that the planting of trees and shrubs was started across the road from Sainsburys. The area around Sainsburys is starting to look good with their trees and shrubs growing and blocking the super market from the road, but the industrial estate is a real eyesore with all its huge advertising banners etc. I though I had read somewhere that there was going to be planting this autumn.

Anonymous said...

Who is responsible for planting in nairn?

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 2:19

There are two funeral directors in Nairn

Graisg said...

I think anon 2.19 means trees and shrubs anon.