The plans for Lidl in Penicuik, Imrie Place etc.

I haven't seen the article yet (did look last night but noticed it wasnt on their website). Yes unfortunately they are back working, every time I come home from work the building seems to be getting bigger (how they can say this warehouse fits in with the conservation area is beyond me) and there is going to be very little car parking spaces from what space will be left. The building is higher than Somerfield as I used to be able to look across to Somerfield but when the roof of the 'warehouse' is finished I won't see anything including my lovely view I had of the Pentlands. I have lived in Imrie Place for over 25 years and to say that I am so disapointed and disheartened is an understatement, between Lidl and fighting to get my car parked because the people visiting the snooker hall seem incapable of walking too far its a nightmare. As soon as I can get my house in order my lovely house will be going on the market and I know many other residents feel the same way.

Article and pics in this week's Advertiser - not every article is online. Try buying a copy!

SueDOnym wrote:

Article and pics in this week's Advertiser - not every article is online. Try buying a copy!

But the Advertiser is so HEAVY to carry back from the shop!!!

It was heavy this week, the weight of all the steel in the photo of Imrie Place - all I can say is shocking! Absolutely discraceful whats going on there.

Hi

Although i am looking forward to this shop opening, especially as Summerfield seems to be getting worse every time i go in. I really didnt appreciate the awful blot on the landscape it would cause.

What size is it going to end up and how much parking is there going to be as there doesnt look much space left.

Is there another car park planed for the center?

The new flats/units being build in the precinct will be bringing in car users to were are they to park.

No good having shops if we cant park our cars to get to them. It is all well and good using the bus but not for weekly shop.

I don't think anyone appreciated how big this development was going to be, everyone that I have spoken to about it is absolutely appalled by it, I have even had strangers coming up to me in the street expressing their shock. As far as they plans go the frame work that is now up is the final building and the small piece of empty space to the left of that (as you face the building from the main road) will be the car parking but there won't be much, i think the orginal plan was around 50 spaces but I doubt if there will be that now. It turns out though that Lidl do not actually own this building so they have not had much to do with the building of it, they are only leasing it from the developer.

As far as a new car park goes, there won't be one, there isn't any space to put more car parking but I am sure the council took all this in to consideration when it was all passed, they must be expecting masses of people as there will be a pedestrian crossing at either side of the new roadabout at somerfield.

I drove past the structure on Friday afternoon and was shocked as how big it actually is.

As previous posters have said, there looks like no room for parking. Think of the lorries that will have to come in with goods, that will take up a whole load of space.

However, will the 'old' bus stop not be levelled out and cars to park in that site? i.e. is the wonderful roundabout just a temporary solution?

As far as I know the round-a-bout is a permanant fixture and I don't think there was anything on the plans about extending out from the old bus stop but that's probably been passed on the quiet as well.

So :-)

Why the need for the new bus stop on the corner?

Probably making this up, but I seem to remember reading somewhere this was why the othe rbus stop was being made?!? Or should I go back to sleep...

I could be wrong but I think the reason they moved the bus stop to the corner is because they probably couldn't have buses stopping on the roadabout when people are trying to get out of Lidl car park as there can be 3 or 4 buses coming into that stop within a few minutes of each other and thats not including the 15 and 141 that sit there when they are early.

Didn't know that the old bus stop was going to be the entrance and exit for the shop.

it has to be the entrance and the exit as there is no other way for you to get in. Imrie Place is completely sealed off as the building is right back to where the entrance to the car park used to be in Imrie Place.

You can read the story now at:

http://www.midlothianadvertiser.co.uk/news/39Dismay39-over-Penicuik-Lidl-store.4974226.jp

But no pictures I am afraid to say. I imagine that next time LJR apply for any building work they will get masses of objections just for the sake of it. People in Imrie Place will have the same sort of view that Ladywood residents got when the Edinburgh Crystal warehouse was put up a few years ago - look what happened to that!

I had to go along to Penicuik centre today for the first time for a while. I must admit I was somewhat surprised at how big the Lidl store is going to be. I never imagined that a building that size would occupy the space that was available The remaining car park doesn't look very big though.

When I first looked at the plans submitted by LJR they appeared very little different from the ones that had been passed in 2000 (if I've got the year right) for Dunedin. The building in Imrie Place was then intended to be a bar/restaurant (as I'm sure the local residents will remember!) but the layout was pretty much the same — roundabout, new entrance, new bus lay-by.
On that basis there seemed no point in objecting especially since the understanding was that the Lidl building would not substantially (we were led to believe) block the view from Imrie Place, at least not any more than the bar/restaurant would have done.
I also made a point of counting the number of car parking spaces on the detailed plan and while I can't remember the exact split, the changes to the layout of the two car parks did mean an increase in the total number of spaces.
The only problem, which LJR were asked to change, was the size of the lay-by considering how many more buses there were passing through the town centre than in 2000. It is now wide enough to accomodate "layovers" by the 141 and 15 as well as through services at the same time.
Like a lot of people I was pleased to see Lidl moving to Penicuik. The food shops need a shake-up and Lidl also has the reputation of drawing in other good retailers as well. Just what we need. But I was also horrified to see what was actually being built. I won't go so far as to say we were misled but there's not much doubt that this is not the building most of thought was going in there.

Apart from Imrie Place losing part of its view, Penicuik is losing its view of part of Imrie Place - one of the few remaining vaguely attractive or interesting parts of Penicuik.

I might be dead wrong about this, Pitsgate, but I've got it in mind from an earlier attempt to prevent an atrocity, that "loss of amenity" turns out to be an invalid reason for objection. The project's ugliness, the loss of a a "view" and even (except in very extreme circumstances) the loss of daylight count for nothing.

Loss of amenity can be a consideration in planning; loss of a view as such is not. I believe that under Scots law a "right to light" is not automatic (experts can correct me on that, but preferably by quoting a legal authority for their view ).
I think there are some views that ought to be maintained and the view of Imrie Place, especially with the car park access opened up from Kentigern Way, might well have been one of them.
I wonder what would have happened if the old Burgh Council or the District Council had developed Hays Park insyead of creating a pedestrian precinct. I suspect that the views from Imrie Place would have been lost an awful lot sooner and there would never have been a view of Imrie Place at all.
Difficult call.

I see that the Co-op have taken over Somerfield. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Sainsburys_expands_with_%A383m_buyout_deal&in_article_id=567654&in_page_id=34
I wonder if the one in Penicuik might become a Sainsburys though.

interesting, that would be great if it was going to be a Sainsburys but Penicuik can't be that lucky - a Lidl and a Sainsburys within a stones through from each other, I can't cope !

I've just seen the new layby that they have created for the buses. It's a very tight squeeze for buses that try to pass each other

Another source of fun at the new bus stop is when drivers don't know which stop to use and let you off at the first stop then have to stop again at the next one to pick up passengers - seems like Lothian Buses don't like to tell them about changes!

yeah, that stop is pretty tight for them, if they dont know its there they are having to break and swing out to get into the lane. Last night I was dropping off in the island between the main road and the bus stop as the 141 and 15 were sitting in the bus lane and my driver didn't have enough time to slow down and get in the lane. I am amazed there hasnt been an accident yet! between that and the roundabout that I am still seeing people use wrongly!!

It looks like they are putting zebra crossings either side of the Lidl roundabout (once they finally finish it!) which should create some fun situations since most drivers and pedestrians are not used to them. If they put one outside the post office as well then that should really cause chaos in the town - anyone heard of an opening date for the new store?

Yeah, I noticed yesterday that they were putting zebra crossings up, there is a lot of old people cross that road to get to the doctors surgery so I wonder how long it will take before someone gets knocked down. I have had help serveral old people cross this road since the the lights have been out. Very worrying!

The store was suppose to be open at the end of February but they are no where near ready yet, the inside is just a shell and the roof and external walls are still not finished yet.

Does anyone know when (or if) Lidl is going to open. At the moment, nothing seems to be happening there except for some tidying up in the completed car park.
Have they decided not to bother or is it just a delay until the official opening (no doubt with Monty in attendance to get his pic in the paper!)