So they have started to actually construct the new Lidl store and no doubt it will be completed very quickly since it does not take long to bolt the girders together etc. It will be interesting to see how Somerfield and Tesco react to the competition, though it seems that nothing is happening at Aldi currently.

yes, I came home last night to discover the horrendous construction! All the residents of Imrie Place were told that it would be dug down and all we would see would be a bit of the roof! however, the construction is the same height as the houses in the street and I now face a warehouse with no view or light!

well, I and all the residents of Imrie Place have apparently inundated the Council with complaints today about the size of the building. Apparently the architect they had has been sacked, the builders have not touched the construction all day and it is apparently in the hands of Lidl lawyers now as the architect etc are Irish and were unaware of Scottish Planning Regulations and have not bothered to follow the plans so it looks like all those Lidl lovers may have to wait a bit longer

All work on site has now been suspended until Tuesday.

I was going to say that you must have been mistaken - the cooncil would never tell any stories like that, but your later updates show that somebody has made a major cockup of the whole situation.
It will be interesting to see what happens next.

somewhere along the line somebody has got it wrong. Lidl have now apparently brought in their own architects which are based in Glasgow and there is to be a meeting with them and Midlothian Council before any work can resume. We also have an MSP on board to make sure it is done correctly. This building does not fit in at all with the conservation area.

To say the residents of the street are outraged is an understatement.

An MSP on board, eh? One can only hope that the "outraged" of Penicuik haven't enlisted the help of a certain MSP whose main claim to fame is jumping on every passing bandwagon. The only help said MSP is likely to provide is for their own publicity-seeking purposes - they're known for even turning up at the opening of an envelope if they think it'll get their face in the papers!

LOL!!! I know exactly who you mean, they swan about Penicuik think there wonderful but its not them.

I have since heard back from the council now saying that the architect has not been dismissed from the project but the council are looking into the planning side of things. Someone somewhere has changed their story as this what we were told last week or maybe it was the fact that the email I copied the council into was going to the press as I did seem to get a very swift reply from them .

Thanks for the update Gonzo. That sounds pretty standard with the ever-changing-stories as they try to figure out a decent excuse for making a total mess of the project.
I am now just waiting for the first big crash at the roundabout - already seen a few near misses as people stop half way round since they don't realise that it is a roundabout so they have the right of way. A few signs would help along with correct markings on the road, but what else can we expect from our good friends at the cooncil!

well, we have another update from the council. They did find that they had breached the terms of the planning and that the roof is 600mm too high but not enough to warrant taking further action and they are now continuing on with the eyesore. The person from the council also advised in her email that over 124 people objected to the project when plans were submitted in 2007 but that obviously accounted for nothing. I am amazed that with so many objections this project even got off the ground - only two words that sum it all up 'MONEY TALKS!!!'

Since the cooncil are a bit skint now
(see this week's Advertiser and the article at:
http://www.midlothianadvertiser.co.uk/news/Midlothian-Council-agrees-new-round.4946203.jp
I imagine they will have accepted a "financial settlement" to cover the breach of planning laws.
2 feet of a difference in the height is certainly going to have a big effect on the residents of Imrie Place, especially as it will probably be one of those steel clad buildings you normally see on industrial estates.
The number of objections to the plan would only encourage the cooncil to pass it - they seem to enjoy passing things which have many people opposed to them (eg. houses in Penicuik, A701 dual carriageway) just for the fun of it. Maybe we should try importing some councillors from abroad who would be cheaper and certainly not do such a bad job as the current shower!

I took a wander down to the centre & to be honest wondered what the fuss was about - Until I noticed the roof line and the houses at the back of it, so no wonder there is a bit of concern. Usual story though, I know of someone who has just thrown up a house extension without any of the neighbours getting wind of it, up until workmen asked for access to the garden of the house next door to pull the fence down, the planning permission went in a couple of days later and no doubt will be passed.
I know we all want life to be injected back into the town centre, but should the developers really get away with this?

No way should they be getting away with it. First off the developers illegally removed trees from Imrie Place a couple of which were over 50 years old and they got away with a slap on the wrist and told to put semi mature trees back in its place and now they are getting away with the height of the building. In the scale of things yes, 2ft isn't much but I am sure if it was at the planning departments front door they would be the first ones to fight it all the way. When it effects so many residents there should proper notification and not just a letter posted with basic details of what might be getting built.

Well, we are stuck with it now but Lidl have managed to hack everyone off that are right on their door step and I won't be in their shop. Apparently there will be a piece in next weeks Midlothian Advertiser about it so reserve your copy at your newsagent now - oh! thats right, we don't have a newsagent now - Penicuik Patheticuik !!!

Good article in this week's Advertiser (unfortunately not on the website though) about the Lidl store. Now that they are back working again you can really see what a monstrosity it is going to be. I am sure that is is higher then Somerfield or Tesco which is totally unnecessary since the roof section will just be empty space.
As for the roundabout - when are they going to put some warning signs up and paint the lines on the road? No doubt we have to wait for a few accidents before that happens.