Sainsbury’s outline Perth plans

Nov 24 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A KEY figure behind supermarket giant Sainsbury's potential multi-million pound move to Perth's former Agricultural Centre has said the retailer's arrival won't signal the end for independently-owned city centre traders.

Concerns have been expressed within the local business community that plans for a new foodstore on the Fair City's Crieff Road – which the firm have said could cost somewhere between £40-£45m – will divert potential custom away from smaller outlets.

But, before attending two-day public consultation at the Tulloch Community Centre designed to allow locals to have their say, the chain’s development surveyor, Paul Miller, said the move would spark “20 years' of economic growth,” for the area.

He said: “As a city, Perth is going to grow, both physically and economically, towards the site over the next 20 years and this development could well signal the start of this move.

“The store itself will bring 500 full and part-time jobs, but that figure doesn't include the additional construction roles that will become available.

“We are always encouraged to look at using local suppliers, and this development will be no different.

“Throughout the planning stage, the local business community have cautiously welcomed us and – in the current economic climate – I think anyone investing this amount of money should be, provided the investment is appropriate for the area.

“For Sainsbury's, this is not just about us investing in bricks and mortar, we are investing in people.

“The staff who will take over the running of the store will take responsibility for the promises we made to the people of Perthshire during our public consultation.

“It’s up to us to make sure we deliver what we say we will,” he said.

Plans for the foodstore on the home of the former Perth mart will be submitted to Perth and Kinross Council's planning department shortly.

Mr Miller revealed that a substantial chunk of the money will be required to combat the problems with traffic congestion that currently blight the area.

He said: "You can't have a big store like this without having the appropriate road links and car-parking provision.

"We have been working closely with the Scottish Highways Agency, Transport Scotland and the local authority to create a solution to any traffic problems.

“Our main aim is to create a system of lights along the whole road that are linked together, there will have to be work carried-out on roundabouts and junctions as well – but we are confident we can find a solution.”

Recent meetings with community councillors and local politicians have given the firm the chance to gauge public opinion, gatherings that have proved “generally positive”, according to Mr Miller.

He told the PA that the historical importance of the potential 70,000 square-foot store's location has not been lost on the nationwide retailer.

And he called on local farmers to attempt to establish links with the chain, in the same way that Dunning-based butcher Simon Howie has managed in the past.

He continued: “There is a possibility of us discussing potential links with local farmers and suppliers.

“We have a sourcing and buying team based in Glasgow, and we will interact with them to ensure we get the best out of any local produce available.

“Simon Howie has been a client of ours for several years now. It's always the case that, once a company such as ourselves establishes a presence in an area, more and more local firms become involved,” he said.