Jamie Buchan
Discount supermarket chain Aldi has announced surprise plans to finally develop its derelict Kirkburn Mill site at Peterhead.
The German company is poised to lodge a planning application for a new store at the former textile plant, creating about 30 jobs.
Aldi bought the site six years ago with the intention of turning it into a retail park.
But the plan was scrapped after the firm failed to generate interest from other retailers.
The site, regarded by locals as a major eyesore on the edge of the town centre, was put on the market.
Now, Aldi bosses have performed a U-turn and announced they will build a store in Peterhead.
The plan will be a scaled-down version of its original retail park proposal.
In a statement, Aldi’s Scottish director of property, Graham Nicolson, said: “The business of retailing is constantly changing. What was once a commercially challenging prospect at the height of the recession now looks a lot more attractive.
“Aldi’s strong trading performance, particularly over the last two years, has set our business on an ambitious expansion programme in Scotland.”
He added two further Aberdeenshire stores were due to open later this year, in Ellon and Inverurie.
At one stage, Aberdeenshire Council considered using the old Kirkburn Mill plot to build its new Buchan HQ.
But the local authority baulked at Aldi’s undisclosed asking price.
The retailer later said it would accept the council’s original offer, which was also kept under wraps, but was told it was no longer on the table.
Aberdeenshire Council’s economic development manager, Belinda Miller, yesterday welcomed the new proposal.
“This is great news for Peterhead,” she said. “To have the prospect of a brand new Aldi on this prominent gateway site, bringing competition and choice to local shoppers, will provide a real boost for the community.
“And with the prospect of 30 new jobs for local people as well as important construction jobs, this will be a shot in the arm for the local economy.”