Discount retailer B&M is to be allowed to take over the former Homebase premises at Springkerse Retail Park.
Stores operating at Springkerse are restricted to the sale of household goods with sales of food not allowed.
At a meeting of Stirling Council’s planning panel on Tuesday, councillors approved an application by B&M to vary a condition of a previous planning consent, to allow for the sale of food and non-food goods.
Homebase closed the store at the end of 2018 with the loss of 65 jobs. It has been lying vacant since then.
B&M currently have another store in the city’s Kerse Road - which they say in their latest application they would retain for at least three years once the new store opens.
Since the retail park was built around two decades ago, Stirling Council has fended off a number of attempts to alter conditions on the types of retail outlets which are allowed to operate there, in a bid to protect the viability of Stirling’s city centre.
But at Tuesday’s meeting, panel chair Councillor Alasdair Macpherson and Tory group leader Councillor Neil Benny proposed approving the application, citing that it was relevant that only 21 per cent of products would be different and that this would have a minimal impact on Stirling city centre.
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They also said a previous consent involving Argos collections was being taken into account.
Their stance was backed by all but one of the panel members.
Councillor Jim Thomson asked for his dissent to be recorded, adding: “ I believe it will have a major impact on the city centre at a time when we should be supporting it. There may be a need to review this in light of Covid etc but I don’t think we should rush into judgement on this today.”
At a previous meeting, planning officials had warned that approval could set a precedent, may be contrary to current council policy and could have implications beyond Springkerse .
B&M had said they found no evidence to suggest that their proposal would be materially harmful to the city centre, however Stirling BID (Business Improvement District), which represents traders in the city centre, had voiced concerns on behalf of their members.
Braehead and Broomridge Community Council also objected to the principle of the B&M proposal, citing the potential “devastating” effect on Stirling city centre.
