Dumfries pharmacy bid wins appeal
Plans for a pharmacy in Dumfries which had been rejected by councillors have been allowed after an appeal to the Scottish government.
The local authority turned down the bid for the site on the corner of Lockerbie Road and the Laurels earlier this year.
It had received a number of objections to the scheme and refused it due to road safety concerns.
However, a Scottish government reporter has now ruled it can proceed with a number of conditions.
The proposed scheme attracted a large number of objections - mostly concerned about traffic issues and the impact on the amenity of the area.
A reporter took the view that the development of a pharmacy and its design would be in keeping with the existing character of the Lockerbie Road.
He also found that evidence of any road safety issues was "neither substantive nor compelling".
He said that his own site inspection had found free traffic flows were possible "most of the time" although that would rely on compliance and enforcement of double yellow lines in the area.
His report concluded that the development could proceed but with a string of conditions about landscaping, off-street parking and opening hours.