Sainsbury's 'sets the record straight'

Published 26 Jan 2012 11:45

SAINSBURY'S has sent a four-page letter to councillors in a bid to "set the record straight" on a number of issues.

The supermarket giant, which wants to build a store, flats, filling station and cafe on the pierhead, says it is disappointed by the lack of vocal support for town centre development.

Paul Miller, Sainsbury's national development surveyor for Scotland, has written to all Argyll and Bute councillors.

He says there has been a "perfect storm" of political debate..

His comments come a week after the results of a Helensburgh Community Council survey revealed that 69 per cent of 603 residents surveyed do not want a supermarket on the pier, with many saying they wanted a Waitrose store.

Mr Miller wrote it was "remarkable" that council officers are being criticised for doing what planning officials across the country do in applying the "sequential test".

This is a planning principle which seeks to identify certain types of locations before others, such as town centres before out-of-centre developments.

He wrote: "It would appear that the sequential test has become an 'inconvenient truth' in Helensburgh for supporters of the out-of-centre proposals [Waitrose], but established policy it certainly is."

READ MR MILLER'S COMMENTS IN FULL IN THIS WEEK'S ADVERTISER

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This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 26 Jan 12

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