TESCO bosses say demolition of the upper car park at their Greenock store will not lead to a lengthy closure of the supermarket, according to local MP Martin McCluskey.
The company submitted a pre-application notice to Inverclyde Council planners last month outlining proposals for the Dalrymple Street site.
Mr McCluskey shared an update on social media after he met with Tesco to discuss their plans.
He said: “Some people have suggested the store would have a prolonged closure. This isn’t the case. There may be a short closure to enable the work to proceed quickly but this would be days, not months.”
He was told that work isn’t expected to start until next year and that they are likely to use the short closure to also make upgrades inside the store. The taxi rank in the car park would be maintained, though it would have to move during the construction phase.
Mr McCluskey added: “I also discussed how they could improve walking routes through the car park to better connect the waterfront to the town centre. This would complement the work that’s taking place as part of the town centre regeneration project.
“This is a welcome investment in Greenock town centre from Tesco alongside the investment from the UK Government in the [Central Greenock] regeneration project.”
Other aspects of the plan include:
— Reconfiguring and resurfacing the surface-level car park.
— Altering car park access, layout and circulation.
— Reconfiguring customer access to the store.
The existing canopy structure at the front of the store would be kept with the addition of a biodiversity roof with planters.
After the pre-application process, which includes public consultation, a planning application will be submitted.
