Tesco dancing on Asda's grave at the Mart in Thurso?

[Loafer]

The Wick store will be safe enough. It will be mostly the convenience stores that will be closing. If the Wick one isn't making money then they must be doing something seriously wrong.

Tesco Wick are way short of their targets...they may be profitable but maybe not enough for the bigwigs. I don't think Wick or Thurso Tesco is safe

[scorrie]

Tesco Wick are way short of their targets...they may be profitable but maybe not enough for the bigwigs. I don't think Wick or Thurso Tesco is safe

They will be safe enough in Wick. There is more to keeping a shop open than targets being met. In my experience targets are dreamed up by numpties who believe that business can forever keep expanding and as we have seen in recent years businesses are discovering that this is not the case and you can't just keep throwing credit at people, to enable them to spend more, without there being consequences.

Tesco could make cuts in the least profitable areas of the store but to shut the doors would handing over a sizeable chunk of business on a plate to their competitors in the town and that's surely a last resort unless the excrement is really hitting the fan.

Of course the share price has soared with the news of closures. Where there is misery for some, someone else always profits from it.

That is my Tesco Value 2p worth on it anyway.

[Kevin Milkins]

Better reading this, and of the eight new stores they have announced they are not going to build in Scotland none are in Thurso...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...lands-30725122

That's because they never intended building one in Thurso in the first place.

[Loafer]

That's because they never intended building one in Thurso in the first place.

Well said Kevin, absolutely spot-on. On top of that, they wouldn't have had a snowballs chance in hell of getting permission to build a huge shop betwen two schools...

[Earlhickey]

That's because they never intended building one in Thurso in the first place.

Kevin, I've never understood that logic, If the store their in now didn't become available, i'm sure they would have built one on the mart site.

[Kevin Milkins]

My logic Earhikey is that their is no benefit for Tesco to have two stores of the same size in Caithness because it would double the cost to achieve the same level of business.
Its my opinion, and I stated it at the beginning of this thread, that the only reason for Tesco to buy the mart was to keep the opposition out.

[Raymond Taylor]

As mentioned in my Hotel story, commenting to the Highland Council and Main Issues Report (Present stage of local plan review) is the tool we can all use to try to determine what happens in and around the town from housing sites to retail. The next local plan could be in place for 20 years possibly 30.

The present local plan review has now been on going for four years and will not be complete for another 18 months at least. Have your say now or never especially if your my age. If you want the Mart site debacle sorted out for instance click on the link in my hotel story and ask the Highland Council to allocate another retail site, that would sort out the Tesco debacle for a start.The same can be done for anything you think the town requires and you don't need to specify a preferred site at this stage.

30 years is a long time and we need a flexible plan so the town can grow when and if required. As owner of Pennyland Farm I have been involved in this process from the outset. I am asking the Highland Council in my final comments before the 29th Jan deadline to allocate sites for Hotel, chalets, large and small retail, housing, business, tourism, leisure, forestry and a public park, most of which I could deliver to the town if the land is allocated. When I was in Wick the other day to speak to the Groat I was informed the Wick side is looking forward to a boom and Thurso was seen as the poor relation. This is the first time I have ever heard this and it worries me.

I cannot say I can deliver all the above in the short term as the planning process is so laborious, there is no short term when planning legislation is involved. What I will say though is this, if public opinion gets behind any of the above it is easier for a developer to deliver. If a site is allocated in the local plan it saves months if not years to any project. In fact I know from experience that if it is not in the local plan it is almost impossible to deliver.None of us can tell where the town will be in 10 or 20 years time and I hate the doom and gloom around.

For years I have put up with objectors telling me we don't need this and we don't need that. This will never happen etc etc. If they think it will never happen or it is not needed why would they be objecting it would not get built. Banks and investors are not stupid. If sound business plans and projections are not in place for any development in this day and age you have not a chance to find investment or raise the cash.

If a local plan is put in place that is fit for purpose then a least we have a chance. Who knows what will happen over the lifetime of the next local plan, maybe Thurso will boom. Let's put as flexible one in place just in case the doom and gloom merchants are wrong. I promise then to do my bit to attract much needed investment to the town.

Regards

Raymond

[Raymond Taylor]

Morning Folks! I will be in Caithness Horizons today from 3pm-8pm with larger plans where more detail can be seen of the hotel etc and forestry proposals. Also there to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

[crayola]

Welcome to the Org Raymond!

If you want the Mart site debacle sorted out for instance click on the link in my hotel story and ask the Highland Council to allocate another retail site, that would sort out the Tesco debacle for a start.The same can be done for anything you think the town requires and you don't need to specify a preferred site at this stage.

What do you mean by the Council allocating another retail site sorting out the Tesco debacle? Do you mean a different site for a different supermarket chain? That wouldn't solve the problem of the mart site and anyway which company would want to invest in a new Thurso site now that Lidl have invested in such a major expansion next door to you? Do you still see the possibility of an Asda or some other supermarket on the site at Pennyland that Asda were refused permission to build on?

[Raymond Taylor]

The new local plan will be in place for over 20 years, who knows what will happen in the future. The Highland Council allocating another retail site will send the right message to the Mart owners and give Thurso some flexibility and choice over the lifetime of the new plan.

[Raymond Taylor]

Thanks for the welcome Crayola, missed that. There is much interest in Thurso waiting for all sorts of land to be allocated in the next local plan. I can say no more than that at this time for a number of reasons. I have nailed my colours to the mast regarding the hotel project for a start.

[Wanted]

As long as 95% of highland Councillors have shares in Tesco , they will not do any stepping in on this site, ..if it was a council that really cares for its residents , they should come in with a compulsory purchase of the land and let it made available to anyone including ASDA, who will have no chance of Tesco selling it to them

[crayola]

Thanks for the welcome Crayola, missed that. There is much interest in Thurso waiting for all sorts of land to be allocated in the next local plan. I can say no more than that at this time for a number of reasons. I have nailed my colours to the mast regarding the hotel project for a start.

Thank you for your thank you. Ok I have more questions for you. How high is your proposed hotel relative to the Weigh Inn? You propose 7m, how high is the Weigh Inn? And why don't you propose the hotel in the field next to your B&B near where Asda was to be? I ask because I regard the view of the firth when travelling down Castlegreen Road to be one of the finest in the world and I don't want it to be spoiled by the sight of a hotel directly in front of anyone journeying down that road. Your 'Tesco bashing' big retail, be it Asda or any other, can go next to BT where it should have been proposed in the first place.

[Raymond Taylor]

Thank you for your thank you. Ok I have more questions for you. How high is your proposed hotel relative to the Weigh Inn? You propose 7m, how high is the Weigh Inn? And why don't you propose the hotel in the field next to your B&B near where Asda was to be? I ask because I regard the view of the firth when travelling down Castlegreen Road to be one of the finest in the world and I don't want it to be spoiled by the sight of a hotel directly in front of anyone journeying down that road. Your 'Tesco bashing' big retail, be it Asda or any other, can go next to BT where it should have been proposed in the first place.

I refer to the sticky on the hotel project which I started. The link on the first thread needs to be read and then the other threads where I answer some queries including the ones you mentioned above.

I also want to direct hotel site debate over to that thread as only 6 days to go for public comment to Highland Council.

On the siting of big retail they would not build out by BT. Not sure I was Tesco bashing but know for a fact the Mart site has cost Thurso 60 jobs since the ASDA decision was turned over several years ago.

[crayola]

I refer to the sticky on the hotel project which I started. The link on the first thread needs to be read and then the other threads where I answer some queries including the ones you mentioned above.I also want to direct hotel site debate over to that thread as only 6 days to go for public comment to Highland Council.On the siting of big retail they would not build out by BT. Not sure I was Tesco bashing but know for a fact the Mart site has cost Thurso 60 jobs since the ASDA decision was turned over several years ago.

What a lazy sloppy response. Your dismissive attitude is unlikely to garner support. Please answer the question, how high is the Weigh Inn? And don't you try to direct me to your thread Raymond sweetie. You haven't answered my questions here, there or on your link from your thread. Are you still stamping your feet because Asda weren't allowed to build in your back yard? You won't get my support unless you climb down from that high horse and demonstrate some community spirit.

[Raymond Taylor]

What a lazy sloppy response. Your dismissive attitude is unlikely to garner support. Please answer the question, how high is the Weigh Inn? And don't you try to direct me to your thread Raymond sweetie. You haven't answered my questions here, there or on your link from your thread. Are you still stamping your feet because Asda weren't allowed to build in your back yard? You won't get my support unless you climb down from that high horse and demonstrate some community spirit.

I have been called a lot of things but sloppy and dismissive never before. I have spent days on here and Facebook answering questions and numerous private messages in a pleasant and professional manner.

You seem to be a professional Orger maybe you have time to answer questions twice. I refer to my previous email once again about the other thread. The only question you will not find the answer to on there is the height of the Weigh Inn.

As at present I am in the UAE on holiday maybe you should direct your question to Mr Arif. If he can't provide the answer I promise on my return to get a set of ladders and a tape measure and help you out.

[crayola]

Your continued intransigence encouraged me to go to the Highland Council website and read a large number of documents on plans for the future of Thurso. It seems to me that those plans don't fit in with what you want so you're trying to get as many people to support your position without informing them about the wider picture. I can now say categorically that I do not support your proposal. See, you might have pulled the wool over my eyes if you'd cooperated and answered my questions. It's nice to be nice and you should have been nice to me in the first place. Now tell me sweetie, do you still want to build an Asda next to Pennyland Farm?

[Raymond Taylor]

Your continued intransigence encouraged me to go to the Highland Council website and read a large number of documents on plans for the future of Thurso. It seems to me that those plans don't fit in with what you want so you're trying to get as many people to support your position without informing them about the wider picture. I can now say categorically that I do not support your proposal. See, you might have pulled the wool over my eyes if you'd cooperated and answered my questions. It's nice to be nice and you should have been nice to me in the first place. Now tell me sweetie, do you still want to build an Asda next to Pennyland Farm?

Only reading the papers now after commenting to me like you did seems fair. Glad to see you were up to speed and had all the facts.

On the hotel thread (comment 33) as referred to for a third time I answer the point you mention above. And again the only point I did not answer in your original questions to me was the height of the Weigh Inn, which if you read between the lines I don't know.

Your cheap shot jibes are now beginning to annoy and I don't think I deserve them. You my friend whoever you are have been talking about the Asda/Mart situation for 66 months. I have been doing so on here for a week or two. If I knew who you were? I could make the call if you ever do more than talk what you think is a good game, as you do lot of talking.

To answer your last question, I was one vote from delivering an ASDA to the town several years ago and the reason I came on this thread was to see if people wanted me to try again by supporting retail in the present local plan review, and this is something I cover in both the hotel and ASDA threads.

I ask everyone including yourself to read the threads, press reports and the Main Issues Report and make an informed choice on all the development types referred to and comment to Highland Council before 29th January which is public comment deadline day. I can only deliver specific developments if the land is allocated in the next local plan.

[crayola]

To summarise, you want to spoil the view by building an Asda or similar in the field next to Pennyland Farm. But why would Asda or whoever want to build a new supermarket right next to the big brand new Lidl? You also want to build on the land next to Victoria Walk in order to spoil one of the finest views in the world. You don't know how high your proposed hotel is compared with the Weigh Inn so you don't know how much worse your hotel might look compared to the Weigh Inn. This is land that will be a designated 'green belt' in the next council plan unless you can pull the wool over the eyes of the people of Thurso and convince them you're doing them a favour. I recommend that the people of Thurso should look at the Council's proposals for the expansion of Thurso to the west of the town. Raymond is proposing to spoil the finest vista by building a large hotel and a large number of chalets and a lot of retail outlets on the very last green fields in that area according to the planners' recommendations. I do not support that.

[golach]

Crayola, I don't suppose you are old enough to remember what was on that site from 1940 to approx 1949/50. I do. It was a big collection of Nissan huts , a transit camp for the military traveling across to Orkney from the south and vice versa. No one bothered about the view then. I see no problem on any buildings being built , as for the Victoria Walk, how much of the original Walk is still there? How much disappeared with the houses that were built at Burnside?