THE CONSULTATION
This consultation is being carried out on behalf of TJ Morris Ltd (trading as Home Bargains) leading to an application for ‘Full Planning Permission’ for a Home bargains unit and four neighbourhood retail units, public realm, planting, cycle parking and car parking. This proposal amends the development proposed in the former refused planning application 21/03982/FULL. The site comprises land to the south of Dunlin Drive, Dunfermline and extends to approximately 1.3603 hectares. The site is located to the east of Dunfermline within the settlement boundary.
The application site is a vacant area of scrub land located within the previously designated Dunfermline Eastern Expansion area (DEX). Although an access has been partially formed into the site from the Dunlin Drive / Pittsburgh Road roundabout, and a number of historic planning consents have been granted on the site, though the site itself has never been developed. An existing SUDS pond is located within the south-western section of the site and an area of woodland borders the site to the east.
Your views are sought on the proposal to help inform a forthcoming planning application. We welcome this opportunity to engage with the community and other relevant stakeholders, to provide a high quality development for the site and the local area.
The following boards provide information on the site and surrounding context, as well as indicative details of the layout, siting and design of the proposed project.
PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT SITE
The proposals are for a total of 2,369sqm retail floorspace together with areas of public realm, car parking, servicing, landscaping and other external works, including the erection of an acoustic barrier along the site’s southern boundary.
Public realm areas are located on the north east of the Site including outside the frontage of the neighbourhood units, allowing spill out areas to encourage pedestrian activity.
The parking facilities include cycle parking provision, EVC, disabled and parent & child car parking spaces. As well as, the accessible ramp to create an inclusively designed store. The car parking is located to the north of the Site, interspersed with green planting and further planting and screening on the Site frontage to reduce visual impact on the surrounding area.
A pedestrian pathway from the west increases pedestrian permeability to the Site and a pedestrian linkage route on the south boundary of the Site. The proposal retains the SUDs pond on the south-west of the Site and the proposal seeks to enhance the greening on the Site as much as possible.
THE DEVELOPER
TJ Morris Ltd is a family owned national retailer that mainly develops sites for their own stores but as with this site, can also include other units of varying size and type for different operators where TJ Morris Ltd will be owners / occupiers and landlords.
Home Bargains are one of the most successful retailers in the UK with the best credit rating possible for a retailer and are still expanding into all areas of the country. They have a proven track record of delivering high quality development of varying size and characteristics.
TJ Morris Ltd have extensive experience in working with landowners, local authorities, and planning departments and are ideally placed to respond positively to new developments taking into consideration the needs of all stakeholders. They have a confident and experienced team capable of delivering this hugely important economic boost to this part of Dunfermline.
Sustainability and energy efficiency is an important factor in their developments and they have a strong ethos for community engagement which extends to policies such as encouraging and facilitating local employment.
Some examples of high quality developments carried out by Home Bargains include:
The Stack, Dundee: a masterplan regeneration of existing leisure park to include redevelopment of retail units, plus a cohesive landscaping and public realm strategy including public art.
Niddrie Mains Road, Craigmillar: Home Bargains unit, smaller neighborhood units and public realms.
Portsmouth 2: A Home Bargains store offering 70 new jobs, affordable products and offering support to local charities and in store essential services for children and young adults with additional needs.
PLANNING POLICY & HISTORY
The Development Plan in respect of the site comprises National Planning Framework 4 (2023) and the Fife Local Development Plan, known as FIFEplan (2017).
Within FIFEplan, the site is not subject to any specific policy designation, other than being located within the settlement envelope. However, we understand the site has been allocated for the development in the past as part of the wider
Dunfermline Eastern Expansion. This is evidenced by the formation of an access which partially extends into the site.
Several historic planning applications have previously been consented on the site. The most recent being 14/00196/PPP (PPiP) granted June 2014 for erection of a local centre, including neighbourhood shopping scheme, care
home and community centre. There is a clear history of retail development being supported on the site.
The site is located adjacent to several development allocations. A number of these development sites have now received planning permission and have been built out. This emphasises the changing character of the area and furtherhighlights why the siting of a new Home Bargain in this location would address a newly created local need for retail provision in the local area.
