£200m development gets green light
THE supermarket wars in Armadale are over after councillors decided to approve two new sites, including a council proposal and a £200 million cinema, homes and retail development surrounding the new train station.
But there was a major blow for Sainsbury's and the Edinburgh Scotwaste Monarchs speedway team after their plans fell through because an official agreement was not in place to house the Monarchs away from Armadale Stadium, at South Couston Farm in Bathgate.
Planning officials also urged councillors at a special meeting last Wednesday to opt for two supermarkets rather than a single large one.
This is to help provide much-needed housing in the area as homes provisions were included in some of the other seven applications submitted to the council.
The Monarchs had been promised a six-figure windfall from Sainsbury's to help construct their new stadium if the supermarket had been successful, but supporters are now concerned over the future of the Capital outfit, who have used Armadale for the last 14 years.
Monarchs co-promoter John Campbell said: "When we unveiled our new site recently we said we wanted to leave a legacy for Monarchs fans of the future, and our determination to do that remains unchanged. We are determined to make sure Monarchs live on."
Speculation has now risen that Monarchs could stay at Armadale for at least another year until funding is found for South Couston as they have planning permission to continue racing at Armadale in 2011, but their lease on the stadium expires in October.
Mr Campbell added: "The view of Edinburgh Speedway Ltd remains we wish to relocate to South Couston – it is time to move on."
As the only operator-led application, if planning for the development had been approved, a Sainsbury's supermarket would have been in development within 12 months and up to 350 jobs created.
Dougal Hartley, Sainsbury's development surveyor, said: "This is extremely disappointing news. Since we began consulting early last year, we were very encouraged by the overwhelming support for our development plans in Armadale.
As we have always stated, the Armadale Stadium site was, in our opinion, the best and most deliverable site for development in Armadale."
SDA's plans for a 200m regeneration development called Armadale Station got the nod, as did the council's plans to upgrade Watson Park.
It is thought Asda are SDA's preferred supermarket bidder, while Aldi or a similar-sized operator is earmarked for the site at Watson Park – known to locals as The Corrie.
The Corrie plans include a 2,322sqm retail development, relocation of the current park facilities for two grass football pitches, play area, multi-use games area and BMX track.
But locals want assurances there would be new facilities in place before any building work is done.
Armadale Community Council chairperson Elizabeth Hands had mixed feelings on the decisions.
She said: "The community council is pleased that the need for two supermarkets has been recognised by the council and are further heartened by the fact that they chose to go with the location at the new station favoured by the people of Armadale in our consultations.
"Regarding the second site at Watson Park, we appreciate the council's need to raise funds in these difficult times, but feel that the loss of the green space could have been avoided and another brown field site utilised."
Independent Armadale councillor Stuart Borrowman added: "Council officials said Volunteer Park was the best site in the town but I don't think the applicant (Scotmid] could give the assurances of relocating Armadale Thistle the officials wanted.
"I have two main fears. Firstly, that these supermarkets are implemented quickly, and secondly the large concern is that people are wary of the decision for Watson Park. There is a need to make sure that not a blade of grass is taken away until the new facilities are in place first.
"I'm very pleased there has been a decision after three years of rumours and officials had an enormously difficult task to sift through these applications.
"This means that people will no longer have to leave Armadale to do their shopping and local traders can benefit from it as well."
The Armadale Station plans, focusing around the new 300m Bathgate-
Airdrie railway line, includes a 40,000sqm store, up to 2,000 houses and could create 4,500 jobs according to SDA.
Alongside the proposed supermarket will be a new primary school, a park and ride facility, a shops and offices complex, a cinema with restaurants, hotel, nursing home, public parks, a business park and industrial estate and around 1,000 houses and flats, including 250 affordable houses.
The money generated by the sale of the supermarket will pay for the new two-stream primary school and additional links to surrounding roads, including the A801. The school will initially cater for 222 pupils and have 60 nursery places.
A planning application for the first phase of 170 houses and a care home development will be lodged with the council next month, with work starting on the first two plots of housing at the end of the year.
Armadale SNP councillor Isabel Hutton believes the decisions will help "kick-start" a community that has been a victim of years of "neglect".
She said: "One of the reasons I stood to be a councillor and campaigned for investment and supermarket provision was the fact that, as a resident in Armadale, I had witnessed continuing neglect in our town and that Armadale was always last when it came to investment.
"With this decision comes a kick-start to our community. I also welcome the commitment by the council to see a developers' forum created.
"This will see developers around the table look at a series of meetings aimed at putting in place a workable strategy, which will deliver the key infrastructure , needed to allow the Armadale Core Development Area to be fully developed."
Sandra Carter, of SDA Ltd, said: "Planning approval allows the delivery of our other proposals, including the new primary school and additional road infrastructure and we were clearly pleased to see the councillors recognise the wider benefits our development brings to the town.
"Having worked with the development team on this project for several years it is great that our vision of a sustainable community of shops, a school, parks, businesses and new homes that will stimulate economic growth and benefit Armadale can now be delivered."
Dave McDougall, chief executive of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce, also welcomed the news.
He said: "Developments like this offer the prospect of sustainable economic development and regeneration in West Lothian and provide particularly good opportunities for the local business community."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bathgate
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
