City centre set for new discount store
Siew Peng Lee • Published 10 Feb 2012 09:15
13 Comments
DUNFERMLINE could get a new discount store next to Tesco in the heart of the city centre if a major redevelopment gets the go-ahead.
The store is part of plans submitted by Edinburgh-based developers Linklever to convert Pilmuir Works and St Margaret Works.
The Category A-listed buildings, in Pilmuir Street, once provided thousands of jobs in the linen industrty, but Linklever now want to transform them into 55 homes, including 14 for affordable housing, a restaurant/cafe/pub, retail units and an unspecified "non-residential institution".
The City of Dunfermline area committee previously approved a similar application, which featured a different design, and was set to approve the revised plans on Wednesday.
A report to councillors said Linklever "propose to develop part of the site to serve a retail function", adding that "potential market interest has been shown by a discount food store".
Both Lidl and Aldi have told the Press they're not involved in the development.
The store would take up 1200 sq m of the 5500 sq m of retail floorspace, with the remainder left for "comparison retailing" - defined as including household goods, clothing, jewellery, bookshops, sports goods and other non-food shopping.
The report explained, "This type of split is considered to be reasonably commonplace with discount food stores often locating near larger convenience operators.
"In the case of Dunfermline, the ongoing development of Tesco on the site to the south of the Pilmuir Works makes it an attractive site for complementary uses such as discount food stores."
It added that Fife Council's consultant for retail impact assessments was "satisfied that the development of a discount food store at Pilmuir Street would not threaten the vitality and viability of the town centre".
It continued, "The council's consultant notes that the current Fife Retail Capacity Study recognises potential for comparison retailing to increase in turnover in Dunfermline town centre by £23million in the period up to 2015."
The plans include associated service areas, parking, landscaping, the formation of a new road and alterations to existing road access.
A total of 91 parking spaces within the Pilmuir Works site and 111 within the St Margaret's Works site will be retained.
However, the developers will be required to contribute £175,000 to improve public transport, as the site "requires significantly more off-street car-parking compared to the number of spaces proposed" within the city centre, plus a further £4920 towards local school facilities.
Land within the 1.86-hectare site will also be handed over to the council's transportation and environmental services to allow for a cycle path and footway to pass around the site.
Planners had recommended approval, saying the plans offered "an opportunity to resurrect a dilapidated building" and "any commercially sustainable development that allows its built fabric to survive is supported by council policy as it will safeguard the future of a nationally important building".
The report concluded, "The currently proposed development has not attracted a significant level of objection and will provide an increase in the number of people living within close proximity to the city centre as well as increasing the vitality and viability in the immediate vicinity by virtue of the proposed mix of uses."
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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char
11 posts
Feb 11, 02:46
Report commentNON-FOOD-RETAIL. Both Lidl and Aldi predominantly sell food. Great research by the Press...
Try calling Matalan or TK Maxx.
Recommend?
Yes 17
No 9
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ShahHoorsur
31 posts
Feb 11, 10:02
Report comment"55 homes, including 14 for affordable housing, a restaurant/cafe/pub, retail units and an unspecified "non-residential institution".
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. This has really made my weekend, many thanks to the 'Press.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 3
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SmarmyGit
47 posts
Feb 11, 19:17
Report commentGood, at least something is being done with the building, breath some new life into it and that area of the toon!
Recommend? Yes 17
No 1
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mikeintheknow
98 posts
Feb 12, 20:38
Report commentHow about filling up the empty until in the town first? there two in the retail park.
Maybe its B&M ?
Recommend? Yes 12
No 1
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mikeintheknow
98 posts
Feb 12, 20:40
Report comment14 cheap housing? that crap, if it was more like 140 we might getting somewhere!
Recommend? Yes 2
No 10
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Furdic1
2 posts
Feb 12, 21:27
Report commentIt does say discount food store in the article.
Recommend? Yes 13
No 2
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robertlee13
1 post
Feb 13, 12:41
Report commentobviously someone didnt read the article properly there will be 1 discount food store and the rest of the units for non-food-retail
Recommend? Yes 8
No 2
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BrownOwl
12 posts
Feb 13, 16:54
Report commentI remember when the original plan was approved it included a small museum and a creche and I wonder if these aspects are still going to be part of the development. Glad that things are finally moving forward anyway to breath new life into the area.
Recommend? Yes 5
No 1
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DunfermlineEast
70 posts
Feb 13, 20:02
Report comment'Affordable' is standard planning talk. The reality is shared equity/flats which will not sell as in crap location/basic shell with rubbish end kitchen and no fittings. Affordable is always a matter of prospective though, one mans affordable is another cheap. It is good to see an old building in a derelict part of town renovated and used (and not knocked down to turn into a god awful Tesco) though.
Recommend? Yes 10
No 4
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naebotherataw
7 posts
Feb 14, 10:00
Report commentwhat a pile of cack, the town centre and the retail park at b&q have loads of empty units, so oh yeah sure we need more units that can sit there empty.
the town centre is slowly dying and no ammount of rebuilding is going to save it until fife council planning stop rubber stamping idiotic ideas that simply wont work,
instead of carnegie college building a new campus in the st margarets carpark why dont they use the dunlop buildings.
or turn the whole place into a museum showing dunfermlines varied history of commerce and industry.
just a thought.
Recommend? Yes 8
No 1
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bicyclebob
135 posts
Feb 14, 20:14
Report comment -
Analsmith
16 posts
Feb 15, 09:56
Report commentWhere is Dunfermlines real attractions?
It seems we are turning the whole town into a giant retail outlet of big city stores in a small town... we need to develop the amenities we have and the things we NEED not desire.
I dont dismiss that it is good to have these shops but Dunfermline is lacking culture and the council is ignoring this fact by trying to paper over cracks with expensive paper.
One thumb up, one thumb down... bleh!
Recommend? Yes 9
No 0
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AngusD
8 posts
Feb 17, 13:46
Report comment
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