Dumfries town centre Next store move turned down

Councillors have rejected a bid by retail giant Next to move its Dumfries town centre store out of town.

The company said turnover had fallen by 40% since it opened in the Loreburne Centre and wanted to switch to the Cuckoo Bridge retail park.

Traders had expressed concern it could lead to a "mass exodus" of stores if it was allowed to proceed.

Dumfries and Galloway Council rejected the move saying it had not been proven there was no viable town centre site.

Following the planning committee's decision, Next said it would review its options.

Property firm NewRiver, which submitted the application for the move, said the Loreburne Centre unit no longer suited the Next business model.

It said there had been a "change in focus" from primarily fashion to one that included a range of both fashion and home goods.

'Dangerous precedent'

It added that more floor space was required and it had found no preferable locations in the town centre.

The proposed move to Cuckoo Bridge would also have created about 40 new jobs.

The plan was opposed by Dumfries Retailers Association, the Loreburne Centre and a group which recently bought the nearby Southergate Centre.

They argued that approval of the application would have represented a "major change in the planning strategy" and set an "extremely dangerous precedent, which could herald a mass exodus of retailers from the town".

They said the "irreversible economic downturn" that the town centre would suffer if approval was given could not be ignored.

Planning committee councillors agreed with official advice and turned down the application for the unit at the Cuckoo Bridge site to be developed to allow Next to move in.