The Gurn has learnt that the Reporter has decided to allow a request to defer the public inquiry. The Inquiry will now take place on the 16th June. There is no doubt that to a town suffering job losses and shops closing (plus the lack of a supermarket that meets the needs of consumers of this new millennium) that this postponement is a disaster. However, a Nairn source close to Sainsbury's told the Gurn that the company remains committed to the project. Let's hope that commitment survives the forthcoming shocks that this recession still has to deliver!
Plus the following in from Spurtle:
Phone call to Spurtle's hot line this morning, confirming public inquiry deferred until June 16th. Reason cited by the Reporter : "Exceptional circumstances............ and that material that parties could reasonably have expected to produce is not available in time for others to adequately consider..... " So it sounds like, prior to going pop, someone at Pettifer Estates may not have been putting quite as much effort into preparing for the inquiry as they should have. Sounds like Sainsbury's don't quite have their finger on the pulse either. There a are lot of folks hoping to see improved supermarket facilities in the town as soon as possible - yet we now have the developer's administration pushing the inquiry back until June and their supermarket partners, only yesterday, writing to a supporter, telling them that everything is on schedule for the March public inquiry ! These people should be in Government - The left hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing :) Meanwhile, this leaves a breathing space for the Co-op to decide what they are going to do with the Somerfield site. Spurtle would suggest that they re-develop the site themselves, and do it quickly. The longer it goes undeveloped , the more chance it will end up being sold on to another operator. We know that Sainsbury's don't want it - so it must be appealing to Tesco/Asda/Morrisons - even if it's just as a poke in the eye for Sainsbury's prior to their store getting the green light .
3 comments:
@Busybee, sorry the Gurn wasn't at the preinquiry meeting so we are unwilling to publish the first bit of your comment re Pettifer Estates and riding out of town on horseback etc.
However, the following is general opinion and thus happy to oblige:
'Of course travelling on horse back will be the prefered method of transport around town when this supermarket brings another 4 sets of traffic lights along with their very own roundabout. So even if the project does get the green light everyone else will be queuing behind and almost endless line of red lights. It will still be quicker and more convenient to shop in Inverness. '
If you can send us a link to on-line material or scan in documents and send them to us then fine we'll go with the rest.
Please bear in mind that there is nothing to stop anyone opposed to the Sainsbury's development publishing their own material in their own blog however and the Gurn would be happy to link to such opinion even if we take a different view. The Gurn doesn't have a digital monopoly at all!
Horses on the road are classed as vehicles and have to obey the highway code including traffic lights, but could still be a preferred method of transport for Nairn.
Probably just West end residents though, as you'll need a pretty big garden to store your horse/s.
I can see Nairn gardeners having prize winning flowers on the back of the free manure and Sainsburys having to install stables at the new store
Great idea Busybee
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