STORES in Galashiels are “bound” to close if a new supermarket opens in Tweedbank, a meeting has heard.

Lidl was announced as part of the Borders Gateway development in October – with plans now filed with the council for approval.

Concerns have been raised over the supermarket proposals, with Galashiels residents fearing the project will drive customers out of the town.

Last week, Kim Steele, senior acquisitions consultant at Lidl, told a meeting of Galashiels Community Council that the impact of the store on nearby town centres would be “within reasonable levels”.

“The impact that we have assessed shows that it just draws a little bit from the different retailers,” said Ms Steele. “At the moment, within such a large catchment area you’ve only actually got one discount retailer so there’s only one direct comparable in that Aldi is in Galashiels.”

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She added: “We do find generally that they [Lidl stores] sit really well next to other stores. People use them in tandem instead of picking one store and sticking with that.”

She said the site had been chosen to serve the central Borders.

On the plans, community councillor John Birnie said that it is conceivable that Lidl “will draw a lot of money out of the town centre and the town centre will suffer because of it”.

He said: “I just fail to see how you say you won’t do any damage to the existing stores in Galashiels.

“We have at least five stores selling food and, in my opinion, all you’ll do is take the traffic and people spending money inside the town out to this new store.

“It’s bound to cause other stores in the town centre to close down.”

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Responding, Ms Steele said: “The catchment is very large so I appreciate there are concerns over Galashiels but there are also obviously a lot of other towns and settlements outside of Galashiels.

“With all the expansion that Galashiels is experiencing with residential development; Tweedbank is going to have the Lowood Estate; Melrose is expanding; Newtown St Boswells is expanding; Earlston is expanding; Lauder is expanding so there’s a lot of residential growth.

“The impact in the long run will start to reduce as the towns grow.

“We’ve got over one hundred stores up and down the country and to my knowledge us going into a town has never shut another supermarket down.”

Rick Kenney backed his fellow community councillor’s view.

He said: “We’re trying to improve Galashiels in terms of a destination. We’ve got the tapestry and the railway.

“I just think within a seven minute drive of Galashiels, it’s just another entry into the market that’s going to make it harder for existing stores in the town.”

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However, town representatives Euan Jardine and Harry Scott said the Lidl store would bring competition to the market.

“I think competition is always good,” said Mr Jardine, of the Conservatives. “That may even mean that prices in other stores may drop or there are special deals.

“I think people will still come to Gala, Gala has a lot to offer.

“It’s positive – it’s bringing jobs, it’s bringing people to the Borders to do their shopping.”

Mr Scott said: “Lidl may be a good supermarket but if I want to go and buy fresh meat I’ll go to the butchers in Melrose, Gala or Selkirk; if I want to buy fish I’ll go to Noble’s in Bank Street; if I want to go to the bakers I’ll go to Dalgetty’s; if I want flowers I’ll go to Edelweiss because the quality is there.

“That’s the other thing about competition, it drives up quality. The businesses I’ve mentioned there have seen the competition that’s there and they’ve stepped up to the plate.

“That’s where they win the business. I don’t see any danger in Lidl coming here.”