MOVES to build a new garden centre in Castle Douglas have been turned down for a second time. Les Reeves had hoped that Stewartry councillors would support his application to change the use of a site at the end of Ernespie Road to a garden centre, shop, tearoom and covered display area. But they agreed with planners that the site was too far away from the town centre and would affect its vitality and viability. Mr Reeves, who sold the site of the former garden centre to Tesco, was refused permission to relocate in June and the Stewartry area committee debated a similar application for the site on the other side of the road from the new housing development, bordered by the Old Military Road to Haugh of Urr and the road into Castle Douglas, on Monday. It was refused on the grounds that a garden centre of this size would have a significant detrimental impact on the vitality and viability of Castle Douglas town centre; that a substantial retail development in open countryside would have a detrimental impact on the landscape quality of the area and would detract from the main approach road into town; and the proposed development, if approved, would lead to further pressures for development, including retail provision along the eastern side of Ernespie Road, which would be unacceptable. Area planning manager Ronnie Irving said the previous application had been turned down partly on the grounds of road safety. That objection had been overcome by relocating the access to the secondary road. But it had also been rejected because of the impact on the retail role of Castle Douglas, and King Street in particular. It had been indicated that the garden centre would be carrying mainly bulk goods, Mr Irving said, but the kind of products carried at the garden centre would be those available in King Street. He said: “Our credibility would be at stake if, having said no to Tesco’s tearoom and telling them they could sell only 15 per cent comparison goods, we allowed this application further out of the town centre than the Tesco site is.” Mr Irving also said the Reporter had produced a report considering the potential for retailing on the showfield site. The Reporter had concluded that it should not be used for retail purposes, he said, and that the Tesco site was right on the limits of the town centre. “By agreeing the current proposal, I would suggest you would be liable to encourage applications for further retailing in that area,” Mr Irving said. The report said an important element of Castle Douglas was the number and variety of cafes and restaurants and it had been considered that the restaurant part of Tesco’s application would pose a threat to them. The report continued: “The applicant’s need to relocate results from his decision to sell his existing site to Tesco. It is not the council which has closed down the existing business.” It also said: “In terms of retail impact, it is essential that the vibrant and vital town centre in Castle Douglas is not adversely affected by inappropriate located retail development. Approval of the Tesco development in terms of capacity and location relative to the town centre was a marginal decision and careful control needs to be exercised to ensure that the fine balance of retail provision within the town centre is not upset.” Adrienne Regan, of The Stell, Kirkcudbright, spoke in favour of the application. She said it was replacing a business that had been running in Castle Douglas for many years. Products were available that weren’t in other shops in the town and the rural aspect of that part of the town was being reduced by housing, which would also minimise the traffic impact. It would enhance Castle Douglas, she said, and encourage people to go into the town. Shopkeeper Billy Kirk told the committee Mr Reeves’ business had been an asset to the town and the relocation would not be detrimental to the town. Mr Reeves agent, Ian Munro, said the report accepted that the overriding aim of the council’s structure plan was to provide sustainable development growth opportunities in towns and villages. Mr Munro said: “This is not a new facility. It is a replacement for a facility which has co-existed with the town centre for many years. Mr Irving referred to the consideration of Tesco, which was accompanied by a torrent of protests. We are dealing with a second application for the garden centre. It must be at least remarkable that there has not been a single objection to either of these two applications. I find that almost unbelievable but it is the case.” The report said the proposed development would be three acres. The former garden centre was two acres but only half of that comprised the garden centre. It said: “In other words, the total operational site area would be three times larger than the former development.” Mr Munro said the former garden centre had been a destination for people in the Stewartry. “People went there and probably also went into the town centre as well. I think Mr Irving is making too much of the extent of the proposed building here. It is simply a replacement,” he said. Mr Munro said they had looked at all the alternatives and there were none close to the town centre. Land values for sites in the town centre were not realistic for a garden centre, he said. He said: “What is proposed here is a site close to a growing built-up area, in a bowl and it is not going to spill into open countryside. It is a replacement facility, supported throughout the Stewartry. There are no trader objections.” He later said the increase in the floor area was marginal and a lot of space was taken up with staff and disabled facilities. Mr Irving said: “We are not talking about a straight replacement for the garden centre that Mr Reeves operated in Castle Douglas.” “This is two-and-a-half times the size of the garden centre in Heathhall. We are talking about a fairly large operation. I accept that larger towns are perhaps more robust in terms of what is available in the town centre. There is a fine balance but larger town centres are that bit more robust. This is a large garden centre which will be in direct competition with what is on offer in King Street. My concern is that visitors to Castle Douglas will get everything they need at Ernespie Road, go to Tesco for their shopping and go.” Vice-chairman Patsy Gilroy, chairing the meeting, said: “We don’t want to not have a good garden centre in the Stewartry but we are faced with the problem that it is against policy and not in the right place because it has not been identified as a suitable site.” | 
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