Mall to play for in the battle for shoppers

IT has become an all too familiar sight - sprawling retail park developments turning once-lively high streets into virtual ghost towns.

And it's not just provincial centres such as Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy that have suffered the blight of boarded-up shop fronts as out-of-town schemes threaten to kill off trade.

Over the past decade, Edinburgh too has undergone sweeping change.

Major developments such as The Gyle, Ocean Terminal and Fort Kinnaird have taken their toll on city centre retailers.

Jenners' boss Robbie Douglas Miller has blamed the growth in out-of-town shopping centres as one of the reasons behind the recent sale of the Capital's most famous department store to House of Fraser. He points to a critical reduction in footfall as consumers continue to turn their backs on Princes Street.

Yet, despite the mounting evidence that city centre stores are being harmed by big retail parks, a number of expansion plans have been drafted, and in some cases given the green light.

Last week it emerged that Craigleith retail park at Blackhall is to be expanded by more than a third, with around six new shops set to neighbour the likes of Sainsbury's, JJB Sports and Homebase.

Meanwhile, a 30 million expansion of Fort Kinnaird - already the largest outdoor retail and leisure complex in Britain - will see the amount of retail space there increase by about a quarter.

The explosive growth of peripheral retail parks and shopping malls has prompted some to call for a halt to all edge-of-town expansion plans.

That, property experts say, will not happen, nor would it be welcome amid such a dynamic marketplace. Nevertheless, change is afoot.

Shopping centre owners, retailers, developers and planners are currently awaiting new guidance from the Scottish Executive specifically on retailing. The draft Scottish Planning Policy 8 (SPP8) - updating guidelines published seven years ago - will aim to revitalise flagging economic growth, while at the same time empower local people to take a more active role in the planning process than they do at present.