Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Commerce has lodged an objection to the proposed changes in the types of retailing that can take place at the Cuckoo Bridge Retail Park.

The Retail Park owners, British Land have lodged a planning application to allow a wider range of retailers onto the park.  They are currently restricted to those who retail ‘bulky goods’ and they have applied to allow them to let the five empty units to any non-food retailers.  They have argued that there is no demand from bulky goods retailers but believe that there are other retailers who might come to Dumfries.  This they argue will stop people shopping outside the region in for example Carlisle and therefore increase jobs in the Town.

Rejecting this argument the Chamber believes that this is just the thin end of the wedge that will see further empty shops in the Town centre.  President of the Chamber, Stuart Callander commented

“The Chamber shares the concerns at the state of the town centre and we must be careful to keep all the existing retailers and if possible attract new ones.  Out of Town retailing is now recognised as one of the many pressures on town centres and if we simply allow it to grow uncontrolled and take over the traditional role of the High Street then we will lose one of our greatest assets.”

Chamber Past President Trevor Knowles who represents the Chamber on the Town Centre Forum added

“The recent decision by Debenhams to open up on the High Street is very welcome.  But I do wonder if they might have been tempted to locate at Cuckoo Bridge had this planning restriction not been in place.  If there is any chance of new retailers coming to Dumfries - and given the current state of retailing in the UK this has to be an outside chance – then we need them to be in the town centre or as close to it as possible.  It is pretty clear that we will see more shop closures this year and we do need to mount a concerted campaign of action to support retailing in the town centre.”

The full text of the Chamber's letter of objection is available HERE