Last updated 10:56, Friday, 05 September 2008

The country may be heading into a recession but Carlisle is on the verge of a massive development boom. As schemes and debates over the Renaissance project rumble on, a multi-million pound trolley dash is gathering pace.

Superstore view

The city is at the centre of a supermarket turf war.

Sainsbury may have pulled out of building a store on the old Rickerby’s site in Currock Road but it is determined to build a convenience store on Scotland Road.

A new Aldi site on London Road has been approved by city councillors, while planners are awaiting the latest move from Tesco after the giant lost its appeal to redevelop and enlarge the Upper Viaduct store.

Work on a smaller store on the Lower Viaduct was due to start this month but has been delayed.

At the end of this month, residents in the Morton area of Carlisle will meet to discuss plans for a new 700-home estate, supermarket and business park on land opposite the Pirelli tyre factory, off Dalston Road.

As well as watching over progress in their own city, Carlisle planners also have to keep one eye on developments elsewhere.

There are arguments for and against siting supermarkets in or near town and city centre areas.

But there is pressure on Carlisle to match or counter schemes in Penrith, Wigton, Workington and just over the Scottish border which could draw shoppers away.

The superstores war over Carlisle is a concern for Cumbria Chamber of Commerce chief executive Rob Johnston.

From his view on the sidelines, the decisions made by city planners could have serious and long-lasting effects on the future of the city and the development of the Renaissance project.

“The economic strategy for the city is a growth strategy,” he told The Cumberland News.

“Theoretically, there is a need for stores and more outlets but we need an understanding of how each of them supplies each part of the city and the movement effect they will have on traffic.”

While grocery stores would benefit the city, he fears those that also sell clothing and household goods would provide unwelcome competition for dedicated shops.

“In the present economic climate you could see a lot of pressure on retail and it needs to be carefully considered who comes in and where they go and how it will affect the city,” he warned.

“Supermarkets are not a bad thing if they bring people into the town and bring them closer to other shops.”

Fears for the economic health of the city are underscored by the vacant shop fronts in the centre.

But local planners do not always have the last say on who is allowed to set up shop and where.

Sometimes the final say is taken out of their hands and is made by Whitehall on appeal, leaving the authority with a bill for the decision.

Carlisle councillors recently rejected a scheme for a Sainsbury Local, another shop and nine flats on the former Gates Tyres’ site in Scotland Road and the developer is now appealing against the decision.

Councillors argued that the new store would lead to “an unacceptable increase in traffic”.

The members went against the advice of planning officers, the highways authority and their own traffic consultants hired at a cost of £3,150.

And they ignored their own head of legal services, who warned that the decision was likely to be overturned on appeal.

If appeal costs are awarded against the council, it could easily face a legal bill of £10,000 plus.

Meanwhile, Carlisle’s second Aldi store has been approved by councillors and will be on the former Cavaghan & Gray site to the south of the city at the junction of London Road and Petteril Bank Road.

Drawings show 1,545sq ft of retail floor space and parking for 100 cars.

While the big store names stake their claims in and around Carlisle, other changes are underway.

The Co-op has already spent £1.565bn on buying the 880 Somerfield local grocery stores across the UK.

Co-op bosses are waiting for final approval from the Office of Fair Trading but the deal is expected to be formally approved by the end of this month.

City council leader Mike Mitchelson said city policy makers have to perform a juggling act matching up their own planning policy with national guidelines and providing a mix of shopping for consumers.

“We don’t want to see anything happen that undermines the city centre,” he stressed.

“We want it thriving and more successful than it is now.

“We have to look at people’s access to services – and to them access to a supermarket is a service – and which area they want it in.”

Trying to knit together local needs with national directives is the biggest problem, according to councillor Mitchelson.

“The one-national size fits-all approach of national policy is not necessarily what is best for Carlisle, we need more autonomy locally,” he said.

“Carlisle is an important regional shopping capital, not just for Cumbria but also into Northumberland and over the Scottish Border and we have to make sure we have the right mix in the city centre to attract all these people.

“There are some empty units in the centre but we will do more to promote the city to potential investors.”

Mike Clarke, general manager of The Lanes shopping centre says Carlisle should not fear the supermarkets.

“People like choice,” he said simply. “When you go to a supermarket you have food, electrical goods and some clothing but not everyone wants to wear that sort of clothing or just that choice of household goods.

“The public likes choice and these stores don’t provide up to date fashions or a big range of goods.

“People like to spend a day’s shopping and the social aspect of it with a meal or a cup of coffee.

“We all have to make it enjoyable to shop in Carlisle.

“I know we are all in competition but collectively, by offering a variety, we can appeal to all range of shoppers and all age of shoppers.”

Bryan Gray, chair of the board of Carlisle Renaissance said there was only a certain amount city policy makers could do about the situation.

He said: “We have to allow the market to work out what is best.

“People want supermarkets and see their development generally as positive. The key thing is to get the balance right.”

But he admitted that he would like to see the Tesco viaduct site developed as part of the University of Cumbria campus.

He explained: “Our objective is to develop a site for the university to develop over the next 50 years.

“We are looking closely at the Caldew River site.

“We are looking at other potential developments and how they would fit in with the university but in an ideal world, Tesco would not develop that site and it would be used by the university.”

But Mr Gray is positive about the future of Carlisle, and added: “Our objective is to have a really good retail centre in the city which makes Carlisle a place that people want to come to and enjoy.

“There are empty shops but there are ways to bring things together more. Retailers need to act together and identify what we can do together to improve the retail offer.”

Mr Johnston added: “We are all for opportunity and choice but there is a position the city needs to take from a planning perspective.

“Planners can’t drive the economy but they can affect it.

“Given that the Carlisle economy has benefited from a retail boom in recent years, if we are going to continue to grow in the current economic climate, we are going to have to have careful consideration from planners about who we allow in and where they go.”