Plans to build a new commercial unit on land next to a secondary school in Paisley have been submitted to Renfrewshire Council for consideration. Architects have lodged a bid for planning permission, on behalf of an applicant, for the project at a site adjacent to Gleniffer High School in Amochrie Road.
If approved by the local authority, a small scale retail development with parking is expected to be created at the location, likely to be a food store. Planning permission had previously been granted, subject to conditions, for the construction of four houses but this is no longer considered viable.
That is according to agent Framed Estates which has set out the reasons behind the fresh proposal in a planning statement presented to the council. It said: "A previous planning application (18/0852/PP) was approved on the site for four dwellings, however, the site is constrained by a large Scottish Water pipe requiring a 5m clearance. This renders the southern half of the site unbuildable. Given the restraints on the site, a pre-planning enquiry was carried out to discuss the feasibility of a single retail unit on the site."
The following statement is intended to demonstrate why residential development is not viable and how a small scale retail development can contribute to the local community. It then explained: "This pipe requires a five-metre clearance, meaning that foundations cannot be excavated and laid within 5m of the pipe. To do so would require strenuous engineering works to avoid damaging the pipe and its surroundings. This would be extremely costly and would mean the dwellings would have to be relocated, which given the size of the site would not be possible."
The statement claimed the surrounding area is dominated by residential development, adding: "A single small scale retail development such as a Coop or small Tesco would be better suited on this site, providing healthy food options within walking distance to the surrounding neighbourhood." The local authority has notified neighbours of the site about the plans and invited them to comment if they wished to do so. A decision on the application, which is expected to be made by planning officers, will be confirmed at a later date.
