JD Wetherspoons given consent for pub in Blairgowrie

Oct 21 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

MEGA pub chain JD Wetherspoon will be raising a glass to Perth and Kinross Council for opening the door of opportunity in Blairgowrie.

The local authority’s development control committee granted unanimous planning consent for a change of use application for former retail premises at 25 Allan Street – the former Woolworths building which more recently operated as a Poundworth store in the Blairgowrie conservation area.

Conditions related to opening hours of the new establishment and associated matters will be dealt with by the Licensing Board.

The application had divided the Blairgowrie and Rattray community. Some argued that it would breathe new life into the community, others feared the disruption to residents of nearby homes and the adverse effect on businesses in the town.

One nearby resident, Kevin Stephen, spoke passionately to committee about how he feared the pub run by a “massive corporation” would have a significant impact on his and other households in the vicinity.

He referred to a document from the applicant indicating Wetherspoons’ standard hours of trade throughout the country – which showed closing time Sunday to Wednesday as 12.30am, Thursday to Saturday as 1.30am.

Mr Stephen added: “Wetherspoon’s serve cheap drink and food, so local businesses are going to suffer.”

His stance was supported by one ward councillor, Caroline Shiers, who said: “Blairgowrie benefits from a variety of good individual shops, eateries and pubs and there is a risk this application will alter the balance and some businesses may not survive the change.”

She also called for the council to impose conditions on planning consent which were tight enough to minimise disruption to residents.

Councillor Bob Ellis said he took on board what Councillor Shiers and Mr Stephen had said, but he spoke of the potential positive aspects, including employment opportunities for 40-50 people.

“We now have the chance to see a well-run establishment come to Blairgowrie and invest £1.7m in the transformation of this building.”

The committee agreed to a number of conditions including minimising noise emissions and light pollution, plus restrictions on the use of the first and second floors of the premises.