BL Developments are proposing to reduce the height of their development on the old Scottish Power site, which means a reduction (from 712 to about 550) in the number of houses being built on the site.
To compensate for this loss of revenue, they are suggesting that a supermarket is built and say that Waitrose is interested. The application for the shop would be in the name of Waitrose. Parking space would be provided for 60 cars and the shop floor would be 18,000 sq.ft (that's about 2000 sq ft bigger than our Scot -Mid), plus additional storage space.
I am interested in what the general feeling is regarding this proposal.
POLL: Supermarket on the old Scottish Power site?
POLL: Supermarket on the old Scottish Power site?
Last edited by wangi on 01 Oct 2010, 12:40, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Poll restored
Reason: Poll restored
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Bob Jefferson
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Some context may also be worth considering.
The previous application, although recommended for approval, was rejected by Committee. The Committee may well have been swayed by vociferous objections, including several from the PCC relating to excessive height, density, and associated traffic issues.
Given the recommendation for approval, the developers must consider an appeal would have a good chance of success. However any such appeal would be costly and the outcome still uncertain.
Instead the developers have come back with a revised scheme with a storey knocked off the entire development. This reduces height, density and associated traffic issues.
However, for the development to stack up financially, added value has to be put into the development to satisfy the lenders funding the project. hence the proposal for a Waitrose. The price of reducing the number of residential units is the retail development.
However the developers, and more importantly their funders, are unwilling to proceed with the cost of a new application if they run the risk of continued opposition swaying the decision. The question they have posed to the Community Council is whether they're willing to support the new application, with the inclusion of a Waitrose, in order to satisfy their concerns about height, density and traffic.
If yes, then they'll probably proceed on the basis that the planning risk is much reduced.
If no, then there will be a strong temptation to simply sell the site and walk away.
So at least for the moment the choice appears to be between this new revised proposal with a Waitrose, and the uncertainty of the site being passed on to a new developer.
The previous application, although recommended for approval, was rejected by Committee. The Committee may well have been swayed by vociferous objections, including several from the PCC relating to excessive height, density, and associated traffic issues.
Given the recommendation for approval, the developers must consider an appeal would have a good chance of success. However any such appeal would be costly and the outcome still uncertain.
Instead the developers have come back with a revised scheme with a storey knocked off the entire development. This reduces height, density and associated traffic issues.
However, for the development to stack up financially, added value has to be put into the development to satisfy the lenders funding the project. hence the proposal for a Waitrose. The price of reducing the number of residential units is the retail development.
However the developers, and more importantly their funders, are unwilling to proceed with the cost of a new application if they run the risk of continued opposition swaying the decision. The question they have posed to the Community Council is whether they're willing to support the new application, with the inclusion of a Waitrose, in order to satisfy their concerns about height, density and traffic.
If yes, then they'll probably proceed on the basis that the planning risk is much reduced.
If no, then there will be a strong temptation to simply sell the site and walk away.
So at least for the moment the choice appears to be between this new revised proposal with a Waitrose, and the uncertainty of the site being passed on to a new developer.
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allaboardtheskylark
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Off topic, but... Top is 53 votes in Do you support the current plan for PHS/St Johns? back in 2006.Porty wrote:34 votes is possibly a record for TP/POL polls?
BL asked folk visiting their Town Hall public consultation to express a preference and Waitrose/M&S Food outlet type came out tops. Plus, as Porty says, they know Waitrose is interested.Franck wrote:Why does it have to be Waitrose?Why not ASDA or Tesco?
comes across as being very middle class snob material.Why not a new improved Scotmid?
There has been no retail impact study carried out yet , but think it is also felt that Waitrose would have less impact on current retailers than say a Tesco Metro would.
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Bob Jefferson
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Going further back to 2004, when we used to have a poll on the Portobello Online home page, a total of 345 people voted on the superstore poll.wangi wrote:Off topic, but... Top is 53 votes in Do you support the current plan for PHS/St Johns? back in 2006.Porty wrote:34 votes is possibly a record for TP/POL polls?
The results then were 317 against the superstore, 26 for and 2 undecided.
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Bob Jefferson
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It's certainly an extraordinary change from the 90%+ who voted in the last poll against the Superstore. And I'm surprised at the number of people who are prepared to accept any supermarket on the site.Marya wrote:74% so far have voted in favour of a supermarket on the site. Is this a fair reflection of the feeling in the community or not? If you haven't made your view known so far, then please do so.
Er ....maybe because the software now is more sophisticated and only lets you vote once ?Bob Jefferson wrote: It's certainly an extraordinary change from the 90%+ who voted in the last poll against the Superstore. And I'm surprised at the number of people who are prepared to accept any supermarket on the site.
Plus we aren't talking about the same scale of retail development.
www.porty.org.uk
It's a massive difference in scale...
Admin: replies to this thread which are about the proposal, rather than the poll itself, have been merged into the main thread. To join in on that discussion see here.
Admin: replies to this thread which are about the proposal, rather than the poll itself, have been merged into the main thread. To join in on that discussion see here.
Re: POLL: Supermarket on the old Scottish Power site?
isn't it time this was removed as a sticky? There's been nothing added for about 3 weeks?
Re: POLL: Supermarket on the old Scottish Power site?
It is the poll that is the central concern of the thread Seashell, not the comments. And the voting on the Poll went from 39 to 42 yesterday, so still very active.
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Re: POLL: Supermarket on the old Scottish Power site?
Ok okay - that's not clear from the "stats" that appear on the page, which indicated (to my eyes at least) that there had not been any activity for ages. My mistake.