Tesco chiefs told to build Thurso store or lose permission
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THE long-running wrangle over Tesco’s abortive plans for a new superstore in Thurso has taken a fresh twist.
The retail giant has been told to get on and build the store or be stripped of its planning consent.
The ultimatum comes in a letter from Highland Council, which is understood to have lost patience with the lack of action at the former auction site off Ormlie Road.
With the store scheduled for completion three years ago, Tesco has yet to lay a single brick since the company received planning permission in January 2008 for the building, a petrol station, car park and new access.
The Caithness Courier has now obtained a letter sent by Highland Council’s principal solicitor Stewart Fraser to Tesco bosses, stating it expects development to take place as part of the planning permission awarded.
In the letter to Tesco, dated May 2, Mr Fraser writes: "The council expects the mart site to be developed for the purpose approved.
"Considerable time has passed since the granting of permission, and if the site remains undeveloped for a long period (i.e. a superstore is not provided) and this frustrates the aims and objectives of the development plan, the council will consider the service of a completion notice or revocation of the permission."
The local authority does not give a particular deadline by which this condition has to be met.
Mr Fraser also refers to ongoing discontent with the appearance of the mart site having a detrimental impact on the surrounding area, with many residents claiming it had become an eyesore.
The council wants Tesco to prepare a plan setting out its proposals for the upkeep of the site by Friday, May 30. Thurso councillor Roger Saxon, who has been a vocal critic of the lack of development at the site, said Tesco should be under no illusion about the severity of the letter.
He said yesterday: "This basically tells them to get on with their proposed superstore or risk revocation of the planning permission.
"This normally wouldn’t be possible once a developer has technically started work, but there is a mismatch between what they intend and what was approved by the Scottish reporter at the local public inquiry. The letter further tells Tesco to clean up the site or face an amenity order."
Tesco received planning permission for the development over six years ago with the complex due to have opened by spring 2011 with the creation 60 jobs on top of the 90-strong workforce at the company’s Millbank store in the town.
In December 2012 Tesco claimed the economic recession had delayed its plans and the two options it was exploring involved either building a new supermarket or selling the Ormlie site.
The impasse has caused concern to local people, Thurso Community Council and Highland councillors, who were repeatedly told there were unspecified issues which had contributed to a 16-month delay in processing Tesco’s application for an extension of the planning permission.
Correspondence released to North of Scotland Newspapers under a freedom of information request last week revealed these related to possible chemical contamination from the site’s previous use as an auction mart.
There were also concerns about access and legal issues.
