Tesco lose legal bid
TESCO have lost a legal bid to stop their biggest rivals from building a new superstore. The supermarket giants had objected to plans by Asda to build a shop on the site of the former NCR factory on the outskirts of Dundee.
But UK Supreme Court judges have ruled that the £24million development, which will create 480 jobs, can go ahead.
Asda were granted planning permission for the supermarket to the west of the city in 2010. But Tesco, whose South Road store is a few hundred yards from the proposed site, challenged the decision by Dundee City Council.
The Court of Session, the highest civil court in Scotland, ruled the local authority had acted correctly – then Tesco appealed to the UK Supreme Court in London.
The hearing was held last year and Lord Reed announced the judgment yesterday.
Asda now have the green light to proceed with their plans to build a 52,000 sq ft superstore with a cafe, filling station and 570-space car park.
Apart from the 480 jobs at the store, another 200 jobs will be created during the construction phase.
Asda spokeswoman Lisa Rooke said: “The decision by the Supreme Court is absolutely fantastic news for us and we’re relieved to finally be able to get to work on developing the store.”
Local MSP Joe FitzPatrick said: “I’m delighted that Asda have now got the go-ahead to start work on this long-awaited project at Wester Gourdie.”
The supermarkets are involved in similar rows in East Kilbride, where Asda want to prevent Tesco from building a store, and in Larkhall, Lanarkshire, where they’ve both been granted permission for new stores.