David Kerr
Plans for a £10million retail park in Aviemore could be approved this week.
The project has won the backing of national park planners and the local community council as part of efforts to breathe new life into a prominent vacant site in the centre of the village.
The park will be built on the same land which was previously earmarked for a new Tesco supermarket before the company pulled the plug on the development last year.
New site owners London and Scottish Investments are following the design of the planned supermarket closely but will split the building into three separate units.
It is understood that Home Bargains, a Marks and Spencer food store and a supermarket have been lined up to take up tenancy at the park.
The application, which is due to be considered by the Cairngorm National Park planning committee on Friday, is asking for permission to allow 60% of the shop space to be used as “convenience goods” with the remaining 40% “comparison goods”.
Tesco had proposals to build on the site at Myrtlefield approved in 2012, and planned to build a £15million 45,000sqft store which would have created about 200 jobs.
However, the retail giant pulled out in January last year at the same time as withdrawing from a site in Fort William.
Aviemore Community Council chairman John Grierson said they “fully support” the development as it “will bring more variety and competition to the local market place to the benefit of the public”.
However, he questioned why the proposal had been “called-in” to the national park in the first place, saying as a change of use application it could have been dealt with by Highland Council planners.
The application has been made by the landowners in the name of SC Aviemore.
They said: “SC Aviemore have a window of opportunity to develop out the site for the same form of development which has been supported on this site for over a decade.”
National park planning officer Katherine Donnachie recommended approval for the scheme, adding: “Overall it is considered that the potential offered by the proposed changes for encouraging new retailers into Aviemore may help retain custom in the village, rather than losing it to the larger towns outwith the Badenoch and Strathspey area.
“This is likely to benefit the viability and vitality of Aviemore.”