A £100million shopping complex plan for the outskirts of Aberdeen have been dramatically pulled.
Drum Property Group are behind the ambitious proposals to expand the Prime Four site near Kingswells which into a major retail area alongside the new Aberdeen bypass.
First tabled in October, the developers claimed the expansion would create 500 jobs and announced that Next and Boots were among the major names that would move into the retail park.
But it proved controversial with the majority of city centre shopping centres and neighbouring Aberdeenshire Council lodging formal objections.
Proposals had been due to be presented to next Wednesday’s meeting of the full city council after the group had withdrawn them at the last minute in March.
But with planners now recommending refusal for the scheme, Drum have pulled the plans once again.
Graeme Bone, Drum’s Group Managing Director at Drum, said: “We fundamentally believe there is an inevitability that out of town retailing will play a key role in shaping Aberdeen’s future, it can enhance and complement the city centre, and by far the best location for it is at Prime West.
“However, the council has given us the clear message that they don’t believe that the time is right to embrace that potential, and the application exercise has provided us with a wider understanding of the current priorities of the administration for the city centre and Aberdeen as a whole.
“As an Aberdeen-based company which has invested more than £375 million into the city over the last few years, we are fully aware of the importance of a vibrant and thriving city centre, and acknowledge there is a programme of development activity currently being focused upon.
“We will monitor progress, and continue to work on our plans to bring forward a retail park that represents the best opportunity to provide Aberdeen with a highly accessible, 21st Century shopping environment, which local residents have demonstrated they want, and deserve.”
Ian Cox, secretary of Kingswells Community Council, said: “We were keen as a group to see whether the centre could co-exist with the city centre but the council have now indicated that there would be an adverse impact so we have to support them in their decision to withdraw.”
Drum signalled that they would be “re-submitting a revised scheme for consideration in the future” but that is not expected to come in the near future.