Supermarket move for Dornoch abattoir site
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Owners Aberdeen and Northern Marts Group (ANM) have just lodged a planning application for consent in principle to demolish the substantial abattoir, located on a 1.06 hectare site at Shore Road near the town’s business park.
They want to replace it with a 2500 square metre supermarket with a 120-space car park.
ANM this week made it clear they were not working with any particular food retailer and the redevelopment was a speculative move.
The abattoir, which was operated by ANM subsidiary Scotch Premier Meats, closed down in January 2010 with the loss of 29 jobs and an estimated £500,000 in wages to the area.
Local people have since described the dilapidated site as an “eyesore” and complained that it was being left to decay.
Attention has recently been focused on the future of the slaughterhouse as a result of the revival of the business park, where four new businesses have recently started up, including a Nisa supermarket.
The Northern Times approached ANM two months ago to ask if they had any plans for the slaughterhouse site.
At the time, ANM’s communications manager Bob Dow said recently appointed chief executive Pat Machray was considering the options.
A spokesman for ANM said earlier this week: “The site is surplus to our requirements and we believe it is very suitable for a retail development, which would be of interest to developers.”
The spokesman added that the number of food stores in the town had been taken into consideration when deciding on a use for the site.
Dornoch Community Council chairwoman Yvonne Ross said: “We have not been notified officially yet, although I was made aware of it by a member of the public and I went and had a look.
“We have a meeting a week on Wednesday when it will be discussed. It is good that we already have a Co-op, Spar and now a Nisa in the town and I wonder whether we need any more supermarkets, although I would welcome any business into Dornoch.”
Constituency MSP Rob Gibson commented: “I would question if a new supermarket at Dornoch would create more jobs or force other businesses to close.”
