A developer is a step closer to transforming a redundant industrial site at Fort William into a thriving retail park.
Council officers have recommended approval of Morbaine Ltd’s proposals when considered at an area planning committee meeting in Inverness next Tuesday. (APR 12)
The company was instructed in January to resubmit its application because of revisions required after the discovery of underground fibre-optic cabling at the five-acre site in the town’s North Road.
The proposed £10million development would comprise a Marks and Spencer “Simply Food” store, an Aldi supermarket and a branch of Home Bargains.
The underground cables were discovered beneath a planned A82 roundabout access.
BT said it needed to maintain access to the equipment which meant the junction had to be moved 32 feet, altering the boundary of the site.
If all progresses well for Cheshire-based Morbaine, the new stores are now expected to be in business early next year.
The construction phase would create about 180 jobs. The new outlets are likely to create 150 jobs.
Morbaine began the process in 2006 but has encountered various challenges including local concerns about the potential impact on established town centre traders.
A spokesman for Morbaine said: “We would like to thank the people of Fort William and the surrounding area for their support for what has been complex process over a number of years.
“We would ask them to support us one last time when the planning application is considered so that we can realise the economic benefits to the area of this development as well as increasing the retail options for people in Fort William and the surrounding area.”
