Supermarket and nursing home in store for Chesser

A SUPERMARKET, nursing home and 80 flats and houses could be built on the former Fruitmarket site at Chesser.

The proposal from developer Ediston Properties comes after plans were floated by housing association Dunedin Canmore in February to build 380 affordable homes on the site on Chesser Avenue.

That scheme was praised by the city council as a step towards increasing lower-priced housing in the capital.

However, Ediston said it had an option over the site and would move to buy it from owners BlackRock if it received planning permission.

It is now launching a consultation on its proposals, which include a 60,000 sq ft supermarket, nursing home, and around 80 homes, to be a mixture of houses and flats.

Development director Alastair Dickie said: "Our proposals will include a mixed use offer and bring prosperity for the residents of Chesser and much needed investment in the City".

He said the proposal included fewer homes than Dunedin's plan for the site because of the state of the capital's housing market but the development would bring around 300 full-time jobs to the site, with 90 construction jobs during the building phase.

However, business development director for Dunedin Canmore, Susan Napier, said the housing association still hoped to press ahead with its plans: "We're still very interested in the site, but we've put out proposals to the owner and it's up to them to decide what they want to do with it," she said.

Dunedin Canmore's 38 million scheme was due to use a new funding model where the city council would guarantee its bank loan for the development. A previous proposal for a 65m development of private homes collapsed when developer Applecross fell into administration.

A council spokesman said that if the Ediston proposal went ahead, it would want to see as much affordable housing as possible on the site: "There is an acute shortage of affordable homes in Edinburgh and one of our priorities is to work closely with potential developers to ensure more are built.

"Kick starting mothballed sites in the city provides a much-needed economic boost to the housing industry."

A public exhibition will be held on Ediston Properties' proposals at the Edgar Hall at St Aiden's Parish Church in Chesser Avenue on September 7 and 10. After a 12-week consultation period, the firm will submit its planning application to the city council.