Tick-tock Tesco: Store won't open until October 2013
Matt Meade • Published 6 Jul 2012 10:15
30 Comments
TESCO has said it won't open its city centre superstore until October NEXT YEAR.
It's another delay in a saga that has dragged on for four years since the retail giant was first given the green light for development in 2008.
The firm announced key dates this week as the roadworks to accommodate the Carnegie Drive site have now been completed.
But a brick won't be laid until February.
Dunfermline and West Fife MSP Thomas Docherty told the Press he gave a very "cautious" welcome to this week's announcement.
"It's gone on for about four years but it would be really churlish not to welcome them," he said.
"We've had a number of false dawns from them and people want to see progress.
"The development is to the benefit of Dunfermline High Street but Tesco has let a lot of people down over the last couple of years with delays and promising things but not delivering.
"We really want to see progress being made - any further delays are not acceptable."
The store is expected to create up to 500 jobs and attract 30,000 customers each week.
Since planning permission was granted in 2008 for the 60,000 sq ft shop progress has been slow.
The council said that building work could not begin until firefighters had moved out of the old fire station in Carnegie Drive to their Pitreavie facility in March 2010.
The proposed site was eventually cleared when the former Thomsons World of Furniture building was demolished in January 2011.
Then, unpopular city centre roadworks for the new Tesco site caused months of misery for motorists.
These have now been completed but it will be another eight months until construction starts.
Douglas Wilson, Tesco corporate affairs manager, said, "We can confirm that we are still fully committed to our new store in Dunfermline town centre and pleased to announce that we are planning to open the new store in October 2013.
"Work on the store construction will commence in February 2013 with a view to opening the store in October of the same year, bringing with it the promised jobs and investment to Dunfermline town centre."
He added, "When Fife Council issued the planning consent they said we had to finish roadworks first, which was understandable as they are quite sizeable.
"They didn't want the roadworks going on at the same time as construction traffic was going in and out of the site."
Dunfermline Central councillor Bob Young said the anticipated 400-500 jobs were great news for West Fife.
"Those kind of numbers are absolutely wonderful for Dunfermline. It just shows you the size of the store that they are going to be open.
"Tesco and the development of the old fire station can go hand in glove in helping boost that part of Dunfermline."
Recruitment for the new store will begin in July 2013.
This article appeared in Dunfermline Press 06 Jul 12
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 09:46
Report commentMany, many Dunfermline folk having been saying for months that the new tesco would be put on hold so why on earth did they close Bruce street knowing that William st. would be closed for six months beggars belief.
People walking from Mill street find a closed pavement which should link to Chapel St for buses. Peope with prams.buggies etc have to cross a busy road to a narrow pavement, the cross back at the lights. It is an absolute disgrace that the aforementioned Mill street pavement has not been completed and is indee dangerous despite safety fences which collapse in high winds.
Should we be surprised. not with this council and planners! Should they be surprised that people are boycotting Dunfermline.Yes because they cannot see the wood for the trees or in this case the new Tesco for the fact it has not been built....Or is it No.because of incompetance.
Recommend?
Yes 29
No 0
-
benefithater
60 posts
Jul 6, 10:00
Report commentSt Leanords st ASDA have been declined planning permission multiple times to extend onto the wasteland at the back of it due to the fact that it would take business away from the town centre? obviously some councillor hasn't been handed a heavy enough brown envelope!
Recommend? Yes 40
No 4
-
Ooosh!
31 posts
Jul 6, 10:24
Report commentWhat the deuce!!!
Tesco is becoming more of a nuisance than Starbucks and Greggs, why cant some other companies invest in Dunfermline? It's like a town of imbred shops all breeding and generating offsprings all over the town.
Are we not classy enough for Sainsburys? Too trashy for Morrisons or what?
Recommend? Yes 30
No 2
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 10:27
Report commentAgreed benefithater.......perhaps the brown evnelope should contain a P 45.
Recommend? Yes 20
No 1
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 10:42
Report commentYup!. More like PESTCO....Morrisons (the best supermarket of them all) have applied for planning for supermarket on the site of former B&Q and bus garage in Kirkcaldy..once again Kirkcaldy, not Dunfermline.
West Fife vilages on the A907 have to travel miles for shopping and the council/planners won't allow a supermarket on the old MFI site. so much for serving the interests of the public.
Do you think given the brown envelopes to the council from tesco in the form of unfinished work that Sainsburys and Morrisons have more integrity than Tesco and the council to stoop to their level?
Recommend? Yes 17
No 1
-
shockshock
13 posts
Jul 6, 11:46
Report commentAye, Tick Tock Tick Tock. Our D&WF MP Thomas Docherty states it would be " it's gone on for about four years but it would be really churlish not to welcome them" Man I love the hypocrisy of our esteemed elected representatives. If a policy of his opponents in government took four years to show any fruition, just how churlish would he get?
"we've had a number of false dawns from them" he says " and people want to see progress"
How does this man know what the people want? Once elected into Westminster, of Hollyrood for that matter, these people don't had a scooby what the people want, neither do they care.
I have seen some of the questions that this "right honourable gentleman" has been asking and debating of late and don't fool ourselves here, like many other a politician, they are seeking to further themselves in their political parties with an eye on the bigger prizes and these prizes do not include places like Dunfermline I'm afraid.
If his interest (and that of others ) was purely for the best of the local community then they would have collectively done something about the fact that "Tesco has let a lot of people down over the last couple of years with delays and promising things but not delivering"
Is this Tesco he is talking about or his own political party? It's so hard to tell from where I sit!
Yet another Tesco was not wanted in Dunfermline and was certainly not needed to their semi- supermarket monopoly in Dunfermline. Still, I suppose we can fill the High street and Bridge street with more charity shops, who knows, Tesco might even open a few. They could even get the Fife Provist (a post never in existence previously) to open them as well, I'll bet he gets in on the act to open the new store as ,if,whenit opens.
Happy shopping when it all comes together. Tick Tock.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 1
-
shockshock
13 posts
Jul 6, 11:58
Report commentRedRobin said
"Many, many Dunfermline folk having been saying for months that the new tesco would be put on hold so why on earth did they close Bruce street knowing that William st. would be closed for six months beggars belief."
A simple answer to this question is that there is and has been for decades, a complete lack of joined up thinking by our city Fathers and a lack of real and I emphasise, real community involvement and real consultation. All whispers and deals behind closed doors, - don't let the plebs know our wonderful plans, they might come up with some sensible suggestions and we cant have the public doing that.
Me, I was personally shocked when I saw the kerbstones laid across the North enterance to Bruce street, handy for folks living in Foundry Street, Baldridgeburn, and all the surrounding areas. Of course, they would all have been informed and invited to the public forums and consultations for these measures, wouldn't they? Or was a steamroller perhaps employed?
Still a funny old thing the fire though.
Recommend? Yes 18
No 1
-
shockshock
13 posts
Jul 6, 12:03
Report commentOh yeah, nearly forgot to say, it's going to be great when the art centre plans for the old fire station fall through too, I mean we'll get something Carnegie Drive really needs, another eating establishment, wonderful.
Recommend? Yes 7
No 2
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 12:32
Report commentShock Shock and other excellent contributers, you all hit the nail on the head. Let's face it when and if PESTCO open I think they will find that they have done their sums wrong when it comes to the footfall they anticipate.
Yes, good for jobs, however let's not kid ourselves a high % will be part time and short term contracts.
Personally I don't shop in any Tesco, indeed if it was the only shop in my town and face it they nearly are in many areas I would travel to another provider.
PESTCO and the council should not underestimate the power of the customer but there again the council are so out of touch?
If it opens and flyers are sent etc. nothing will give me greater pleasure than to tell them where to put it! and I don't mean the bin.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 2
-
ferrisimo
2 posts
Jul 6, 12:51
Report commentNo where in the article is any explanation given for the delay. Presumably this is down to Tesco reviewing proposed developments as a result of their recent poor results. I had assumed that given the money spent on the road works that there would eventually be a store built. Given the delay I would guess its 50/50 that they will be attempting to sell on the site now instead.
As someone who lives near this I feel a need to try and look on the bright side. Othrwise its just depressing. The new road layout seems to work in the most part, the pavements are mostly replaced and they have done a good job of planting on the roundabouts (not sure about the palm). On a selfish note the boy racers that frequented the old car park have moved on as well. Apologies if they are waking you up at three in the morning now. Apart from the loss of parking its not really worse than having an empty furniture store.
As a whole I'd say that the town is looking better than expected given the current financial climate. Ignoring the Kingsgate going bust, the number of charity, empty or pay day loan shops. We do have a new Matalan and Witherspoons is to come. What more could we want?
Actually for Tesco to deliver on thier promised "art" budget and build a monument to the various failed promises made to the people of Dunfermline who have been repeatedly shafted by property developers (ongoing) and companies hell bent on playing the system of government subsidy.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 0
-
Dunfyresident
66 posts
Jul 6, 12:54
Report commentI do not believe for a moment that the store will be open by October 2013. The extention to the Sainsbury's branch in Kirkcaldy took Barr 6 months (although a different division of Barr is used for Tesco contracts) - a reasonable length of time. If that was only an extension, then how long does it take to build a store from scratch?! I don't believe that any of us will be shopping at a city-centre branch of Tesco by the end of next year.
Recommend? Yes 12
No 1
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 13:22
Report commentU make a good point Dunfyres.....I don't think it makes any difference extending a store or building a new one in this case.....we won't be shopping at the new tesco cos i don't believe it will happen and strange that I said to my other half only 3 weeks ago that site could be sold on?
I would say food for thought, but cannot buy the food yet can we?
Recommend? Yes 6
No 1
-
shockshock
13 posts
Jul 6, 14:45
Report commentredrobin said
"Yes, good for jobs, however let's not kid ourselves a high % will be part time and short term contracts."
And then there will be a job dip as 1. the High Street, Bridge Street and indeed the Kingsgate feel the pinch as Tesco will undoubtedly be a novelty for a while. Then there will be a rebound as the footfall in Tesco falls, but when people then go looking for the shops they used pre-Tesco, they will find that they no longer trade, what to do??
"Personally I don't shop in any Tesco, indeed if it was the only shop in my town and face it they nearly are in many areas I would travel to another provider."
As we have done for many a year now, I fail to understand why Tesco have this monopoly on our town and yet the likes of Morrison’s, who we would use if they moved in to town, seem not to be 'interested' or just perhaps haven't offered the correct incentives more like!
"PESTCO and the council should not underestimate the power of the customer but there again the council are so out of touch?"
Indeed, the council(s) past and present are far to comfortable and have got away with all sorts in this once proud town to bring it to its current state.
"If it opens and flyers are sent etc. nothing will give me greater pleasure than to tell them where to put it! and I don't mean the bin."
Indeed, insertion requiring the assistance of a willing local proctologist perhaps?
I sympathise with ferrisimo for living close to and having to put up with the disruption this and agree that certain elements of the road system work reasonably well, although reducing the lanes from three down to two at Coady's heading West will cause considerable backing up of traffic as the buses and other traffic turning left into Pilmuir street will leave traffic wishing to head straight on no option but to wait, when previously they had the option of a second lane for going straight on and keeping a flow of traffic past that particular set of lights ??Nice one??
This is a town in dire need of progress an investment but I fear than the injection of a supermarket on this scale is just not right for us.
Another facet that interests me is that I believe that the store will be 24 hr operation, boy, let the fun and games commence over the weekends in Dunfermline, I hope they have laid on plenty of extra security staff and that when trouble starts, and it will when the knuckle draggers get punted out of the clubs and pubs but still want more booze, Tesco will be a good source for them, I just hope that Tesco provide the muscle to keep them oout and don’t rely on our already stretched Police force. It has the potential to be like the night of the living dead!! Only the Zombies will be seeking booze.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 1
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 15:12
Report commentErm shock shock ....got to confess had to refresh my memory on proctologist...thought it meant what u alluded to...he he.
The only problem you and I have is that there will be a huge queue ahead of us with the same objective we could always put a card advert in the duloch store offering our services..good job we still have a sense of humour in this place!
Recommend? Yes 2
No 3
-
DUNFTC
3 posts
Jul 6, 15:38
Report comment#shockshock - the only shock going on here is your shocking inability to spell, and your clear misunderstanding of the planning process by which a food retail superstore gains a consent. Planning is never granted on an operator basis.
I note that you are very vocal about the whole process by which the development was determined, and i am assuming that you submitted a valid planning objection detailing all your apparently serious concerns about the viability of the town's high street shops, that being your democratic right to do so. Funnily enough, a quick look at the planning file online turns up no such objection.
You nicely sum up what is wrong with our planning system; you have a lot of points to moan about, but you make no representation, or do not involve yourself beyond ranting to an electronic newspaper column sitting on your sizeable behind from the comfort of your own home. If you don't get involved in the process, then you don't really have any right to question the decision made, as you could have made representations to the council and planning committee which would have been duly considered. This application went through a democratic process which included significant public consultation, and more than one exhibition, all of which was advertised locally and in the press.
Note; Hollyrood = Holyrood (as in holy cross)
Provist = Provost
Recommend? Yes 9
No 4
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 6, 18:01
Report commentDUNFTC....so you never mistype eh?....one thing I know is you don't use the same word four times in one sentence...'shockng' grammer...Your the one who has lowered the tone being personal.
You do a pretty good impression of a rant to an electronic newspaper column whereas all other subscribers have used common sense
Recommend? Yes 2
No 8
-
char
131 posts
Jul 6, 20:48
Report commentTesco opened 2 new Metro's in Edinburgh in a matter of weeks. 6 months is enough time to build a new unit if they've pre-ordered all the steels. It's much easier building from new than to extend an existing building - no customer to worry about!
Think most would prefer a Sainsbos or Morrisons but Tesco are well known for (alleged) land banking. Big Tam Docherty should be getting involved but Labour love Tesco (allegedly).
DUNFTC is right in his/her points though. If you didn't complain at the time then no point bumping your gums now. Planning also can't reject an application on the basis of the applicant. The permission is granted on the basis of it being a food store with some large goods sales - doesn't matter if it's Tesco, Sainsbury's or Mr Magoos Magic Emporium!
Recommend? Yes 8
No 0
-
supersonic
222 posts
Jul 6, 20:58
Report comment -
jaycee1502
11 posts
Jul 7, 11:08
Report commentLooks like TESCO conned the cooncil to stop any other retailer opening!
Recommend? Yes 3
No 2
-
DunfermlineEast
137 posts
Jul 7, 12:00
Report commentThe problem with Dunfermline is the lack of zoned retail land. You cannot just build a supermarket anywhere. That is a reason why Tesco, Asda and the Co-Op are here, they have the retail land. People are whinging that there are too many Tesco shops, when there are more Co-Op ones!!!!
Morrisons, a desperate chav shop, only has a presence in Scotland as it bought some Safeway stores, which was a shop worth visiting. A Sainsbury would be welcome, but the lack of retail land is putting a block on it. There is a small retail park planned for Duloch, near the leisure park, but it is too small to attract anything better than a 'local' or 'metro' style shop.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 0
-
ItsErnie
202 posts
Jul 7, 20:29
Report commentSo Mr. Docherty is giving Tesco's news a "cautious welcome" and thinks it would be "churlish" not to welcome them eh?
I wonder if he remembers his comments at the time Tesco originally announced their plans when he had nothing good to say about them and thought that their coming to the town centre would be bad news for the High Street.
God loves a convert Mr. Docherty and I expect that Tesco do too! (Envelope in the post eh?)
Recommend? Yes 3
No 0
-
char
131 posts
Jul 7, 23:11
Report commentMorrisons a chav shop? Think you're confusing with ASDA (need the Big Mac Meal in hand to fit in)
Recommend? Yes 3
No 3
-
DUNFTC
3 posts
Jul 8, 10:32
Report comment#redrobin - I am not really sure where the same word was used 4 times in the same sentence (shock and shocking are not the same word, and shockshock was a reference to the post username). I was ready to perhaps come up with a suitable retort to your muddled response, but then i noticed to my horror this line contained in your post;
"Your the one who has lowered the tone being personal"
I am certainly not willing to get into a debate with someone who doesn't know the difference between the words "your" and "you're". For your education, the first example is the possessive form of the word you, and the second is a contraction of the words you and are. Come back to me once you have completed a Primary 5 writing lesson.
Recommend? Yes 1
No 7
-
GrantStevenson
21 posts
Jul 8, 11:02
Report commentHad to chuckle at "Douglas Wilson, Tesco corporate affairs manager, said, "We can confirm that we are still fully committed to our new store in Dunfermline town centre and pleased to announce that we are planning to open the new store in October 2013".
Mmmmmmmmm, I wonder........................................
Recommend? Yes 4
No 0
-
C.RABBIT
14 posts
Jul 8, 12:15
Report commentNever mind when the shop (I doubt it will be a superstore as signed) opens.What about the footpath which closed faster than it opened. It has given many people a much longer walk to access the town centre and bus station. I and many others wonder what idiot gave permission for it to have such a high wall running it's the length , anyone walking along it cannot be seen for most of it. This is another occasion when one asks do we have a planning department in Fife.
Recommend? Yes 3
No 1
-
itsallwentpetetong2012
145 posts
Jul 8, 14:42
Report commentIf Tesco are not going to built the supermarket then they should sell the ground to another retailer or supermarket or lease it back to the council as we cant afford another massive blackhole in Dunfermline like the coop site
Recommend? Yes 3
No 0
-
beaker
80 posts
Jul 10, 16:52
Report commenti agree wi redrobin, dunftc yer spelin is atroshis.
Recommend? Yes 3
No 0
-
stormxxx
137 posts
Jul 11, 04:02
Report comment -
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 11, 19:28
Report commentHello beaker. at last some one who 'nose' what they are talking about..
U to stormxxx..
It's a bit like the weather...sunny periods when Tesco are filling the envelopes...deep depressions when the the purse is empty.
Tesco are known for buying up 'land' and then walking away until it suits them to come back.
They underestimate the customer....I have said it before and will say it again don't support them!..they are not the best supermarket in town
EVERY LITTLE HELPS!...does it? not in my book!
Yours exasperated..don'i give a bogoff if my spelling is wrong
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
-
redrobin
285 posts
Jul 11, 19:40
Report commentHeard the joke about Fife Council?
No I do not believe u did!
Jokes are funny not predictable!
Jokes if funny are not mean't to be a laughing stock1
There again heard the one about the council and the ?????
Watch this space
The punch line will apper here long before Tesco opens
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
