Dobbies is set to create 120 jobs in Inverness by opening a new £5 million store after the development was backed by Highland councillors.The new centre will open for business next year in the former Focus building in Inshes Retail Park, next door to the Tesco supermarket.
The development was welcomed by councillors who hailed the employment opportunities, despite opposition from Inverness Chamber of Commerce and a rival garden centre.
The old Focus store has been empty for more than a year since the DIY company collapsed and Highland Council’s south planning applications committee on Tuesday approved Dobbie’s arrival.
It will see an extension to the empty store built to provide 33 per cent more floor space and a new restaurant opened.
Tesco’s current restaurant will shut and both companies, which have similar tie ups in other parts of the UK, will share one main access for the first time in Scotland.
Polytunnels will be built to sell outdoor plants while smaller units in Tesco, including a barber and watch repair shop, will be moved into the space occupied by its current restaurant.
The family-owned Simpsons Garden Centre, based about a mile away, had opposed the Dobbies store and claimed it would cause road chaos, particularly at the busy Inshes roundabout, because the company had underestimated the amount of traffic which would be created.
The chamber of commerce also voiced similar concerns after performing a U-turn when chief executive Stewart Nicol originally welcomed the jobs to be created.
Several councillors questioned why a financial contribution towards road improvements was not sought from Dobbies.
But senior council roads official John Danby said he was comfortable with the new development. “The traffic movement of a garden centre at peak times tends to be mid-afternoon, not necessarily the same time as the commuter peaks in am and pm,” he said.
