Store bid shelved . . for now

THE way has been left open for a supermarket to be built in Portobello despite campaigners winning their fight against current proposals.

Plans to build a store on the site in the High Street were yesterday thrown out by the Scottish Executive, but the public inquiry made clear that new proposals could still be given the go-ahead.

Campaigners who have fought against the supermarket development for almost two years were delighted to hear that the inquiry had upheld the city council’s original decision not to grant planning permission.

But they acknowledged that their fight may be far from finished, and said they would not be surprised to see different supermarket plans put forward.

Developers Duddingston House Properties have said they are to look again at their options for the former ScottishPower headquarters.

And they have not ruled out submitting a new proposal for a supermarket, after the inquiry reporter said such a development could support the town centre. In her conclusions, reporter Janet McNair said the current proposals did not satisfactorily address some design and traffic issues and so upheld the council’s decision to refuse planning permission.

But Miss McNair added that a superstore development on that site which fitted in with the area and addressed the issue of the extra traffic it would generate would complement Portobello.

This has raised the prospect of a revised supermarket plan to be put forward for the site.

Community leader Diana Cairns said: "We have had a long hard fight already and we deserve to celebrate that, but I think we are all aware this is not the end of the road.

"Duddingston House Properties still own the site and we will need to wait and see what they decide to do with it, but it is possible they could come back with different plans.

"This kind of battle can go on for a very long time but I for one am willing to keep on fighting it, because I recognise the importance of the High Street."

Stephen Hawkins, chairman of the Portobello Campaign Against the Superstore, said he now wanted to see more discussion between the developers and local people.

He said: "This issue isn’t dead. Duddingston House Properties still own the site and they will now be looking at what they can do with it. I would hope that they will now open up a real dialogue with the people of Portobello

."

A spokesman for Duddingston House Properties said: "We are encouraged by the reporter’s decision regarding the former ScottishPower site on Portobello High Street and her conclusion that a superstore development on the site could help retain trade in the local area and complement the role of Portobello town centre.

"Her decision to dismiss the appeal is based primarily on reservations about how the new store would be linked into the town centre and about the effective management of traffic.

"Duddingston House Properties will be examining these issues very carefully in deciding how best to take matters forward."

Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MSP Susan Deacon said: "The developers should be left in no doubt after this public inquiry about the strength of local opposition to this issue and I think they would be very ill-advised to come back with any kind of similar proposal.

"There is an opportunity now for them to do what they should have done at the very beginning and bring forward proposals for the site which are in line with the views and aspirations of the local community."