Sainsbury’s multi-million-pound proposal to establish a new supermarket in Inverurie faces continued scrutiny from Aberdeenshire Council’s roads team, despite the retailer outlining a substantial £7.75 million investment for the project. The national chain secured permission to convert the former Homebase store at Inverurie Retail Park in November 2024.
Following this initial approval, retail bosses submitted plans to Aberdeenshire Council in December, detailing intentions to demolish the existing outdoor garden centre area and expand the building. A subsequent building warrant has now confirmed the project’s total estimated cost at £7.75 million.
However, the local authority’s roads team has maintained reservations regarding the potential traffic implications of the new supermarket. They initially requested a comprehensive traffic survey to evaluate the impact on the retail park’s car park and, crucially, the capacity of the existing junction leading to the facility.
Sainsbury’s submitted the requested survey last month, asserting that both the current car park and the junction were adequate for the anticipated increase in customers. The Oldmeldrum Road site currently offers 366 vehicle spaces, serving existing retailers such as Home Bargains, Lidl, and Iceland. The supermarket projected demand for only an additional eight parking spaces, suggesting “significant spare capacity” of 99 spaces even during peak operational hours. Furthermore, Sainsbury’s contended that the new store would not adversely affect the junction’s performance.
The council’s roads team recently reviewed Sainsbury’s traffic report. While acknowledging the complexity of estimating parking demand for a store within a retail park, they stated they were “satisfied” that the existing car park could accommodate the projected demand based on their own parking standards.
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Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the junction’s operational capacity under increased traffic volumes. In their response, the team noted: “We are mindful that the signal junction is located on a busy road within a busy town centre and will become congested during peak times. A key consideration therefore is the impact and safety implications of the resulting queuing traffic to other road users, including those within the car park.”
The roads team highlighted the retail park’s “very well connected” status, encouraging customers to utilise active and public transport options where feasible. A final decision on the matter remains pending, with the team indicating that a full response can only be provided once all necessary information, including a “robust” assessment of the traffic analysis, has been received.
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