BY JACKIE MACKENZIE
The public of Skye have spoken on plans for a new Tesco store in Portree – they want a larger supermarket than the one proposed and they also want it to stock clothing.
Those were some of the findings from two public consultation events held by Tesco and its agents in Portree and Broadford during September.
Glasgow-based Zander Planning has finished collating information gathered at the events, which were attended by over 200 people, with 103 completing forms.
Of those who responded in relation to the question: Do you consider the site location and proposal to be acceptable? – 99 said yes (96 per cent) and 4 said no/not sure (4 per cent).
The main shopping locations which people used were:
- Co-op (Portree and Broadford) 56 or 54 per cent.
- Tesco – delivery, Dingwall and Inverness 37 or 36 per cent.
- Morrisons – delivery 7 or 7 per cent.
- Asda – 2 or 2 per cent.
In relation to the question: Do you consider there is a shortage of food retail shops in Skye? 100 said yes (97 per cent) and 3 said no/not sure (3 per cent).
In relation to the question: Are you satisfied with food shopping provision in Skye? 3 said yes (3 per cent) and 100 (97 per cent) said no they were not.
Zander Planning said the main points to emerge from the consultation events were that people were very keen to have a new Tesco store and to know how quickly this could happen.
They also wanted a larger store than the one proposed.
Alex Mitchell, director of Zander Planning said: “This is operator-led and we have relayed this information back to Tesco.
“People also want to have more clothing in the store as it is severely limited on the island at present. This was also relayed back to Tesco, and they have made changes to make a more enlarged floor area for clothing/associated items – which I hope will be good news.”
Tesco plans to develop the new supermarket on a site off Drovers Way, with a planning application expected to be lodged with Highland Council before the end of the year.
It will comprise a 32,000sq ft supermarket together with an unmanned petrol filling station, customer car parking, EV charging points and service yard.
There will also be a dotcom operation at the store to enable deliveries throughout Skye.
Tesco says the development will create 100 full and part-time jobs and it hopes to have the new supermarket open by the latter part of 2027.