Aberdeen Standard Investments seeks to entice Lidl to locate to Inshes Retail Park in Inverness

Developers are hoping to entice a supermarket chain to open a store at an Inverness retail park by seeking a variation in a planning condition for major expansion at the site.

Aberdeen Standard Investments hopes to attract Lidl to the site at Dell of Inshes next to Inshes Retail Park.

Planning permission has been given for development including a 4700 sq m retail unit along with eight smaller units and a pub/restaurant.

But an application has now been submitted to Highland Council seeking to vary a planning condition to allow the sale of food and convenience goods up to a maximum of 2000 sq m gross.

Although Lidl is seeking permission for its own proposals to build a food store and up to 38 homes on another nearby greenfield site in Sir Walter Scott Drive, Aberdeen Standard Investments believes its Dell of Inshes site is more appropriate.

A supporting statement says: “The reason for this application is to react appropriately to the market demand for additional convenience floorspace which is known to exist in the Inshes area and has been demonstrated through the application by Lidl to develop a new Lidl store on land at Sir Walter Scott Drive,” it states.

“The land on which the Lidl application has been submitted has no history of retail development and is divorced from the Inshes District Centre.

“By contrast the Dell of Inshes site is allocated in the development plan as an extension to the Inshes District Centre and has an extant planning permission for commercial and retail uses.”

It says the only issue to be addressed to allow Lidl to operate from the Dell of Inshes site is the restriction which does not allow the sale of food and convenience goods.

Another planning condition requires details of the occupier and its proposed retail offer to be submitted to the planning authority before occupation.

The supporting statement continues: “This application is therefore geared towards enticing Lidl to relocate to this more appropriate site with this safeguard in place to allow the council to review the proposed operation before opening.”

An application by Aberdeen Standard Investments for a three-year extension of planning permission for the Dell of Inshes site – first granted in 2017 on appeal – was turned down in March by Highland councillors.

Officers warned it could cost the city centre £3.8m a year in lost revenues, that the development would be prone to flooding and it would increase traffic around the busy Inshes roundabout.

However, the developers have until March next year to bring forward their amended proposals.

It has also lodged a planning appeal against the decision to refuse.

Lidl’s for Sir Walter Drive have also raised concerns with officers warning it could undermine efforts to reduce car journeys and cut carbon emissions in the city.

Planning officers also say it is against the proposed Inner Moray Firth local development plan.

In arguing the case for a food store at the Dell of Inshes site, Aberdeen Standard Investments says it is better linked to the commercial centre and has superior accessibility compared to the proposed Lidl site.

It adds: “Regardless of whether or not technically the Lidl and Dell of Inshes site might both be considered to be in out-of-centre locations where there is a choice of site to be made between competing locations, accessibility and proper planning of the area considerations require to be taken into account which would lead the decision maker to choose the Dell of Inshes site as the superior location for a further food store in this area. If the Lidl site is chosen this will fragment the commercial developments in this area and lead to traffic and accessibility issues as customers move between sites and stores which are not well related to each other.”

Asked about the new proposal, a Lidl spokeswoman said: “We’re happy to confirm our plans for the Walter Scott Drive site remain unchanged and we look forward to receiving a decision on the planning application in due course.”

If approved, it will create 40 new jobs.

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