MORAY Council has said it is “ready to support” businesses which have been affected by the sudden closure of a shopping centre by speeding up any future planning processes.
The St Giles Shopping Centre, in Elgin, is set to close on Monday after businesses were told they only had 12 days to fully vacate the building.
The shopping centre was home to a number of local businesses along with larger national chains including WH Smith, Waterstones, The Works, Subway, O2, EE, Vodafone and Argos among others.
It is understood that around 100 jobs are set to be lost when the building closes its doors for good on Monday after its owners reportedly ran out of money amid growing debts.
A spokesperson for Moray Council said the local authority plans on helping businesses which have been affected by the sudden closure by speeding up any planning processes for them to relocate in the city.
They said: “Moray Council will continue to work with all partners to examine the options for the centre and community as a whole and consider what it can do to assist, balancing the various duties it holds.
“Our officers and senior elected members have been involved in all Moray Chamber of Commerce and Elgin BID meetings so far, where they have confirmed the council stands ready to support businesses and developers where possible, including expediting planning processes where appropriate.
“The council agrees that there are fantastic regeneration opportunities under way across Moray just now, which gives a positive direction for Elgin in the midst of the current St Giles Centre adversity.”
Last week some owners of local firms had reportedly considered launching a last-minute legal challenge to keep the building open and to find a replacement owner.
One retailer had reportedly questioned the way the closure of the shopping centre has been handled as they believe an administration or liquidation process should have been triggered to allow for a new landlord to be found and the building's future secured.
On Sunday the SNP MSP for Moray, Richard Lochhead (above), said the closure of the St Giles centre was “incredibly difficult” and paid tribute to Moray Chamber of Commerce teams who have been “working flat out to find alternative premises” for all those affected by the closure.
He added: “We now need absolute clarity from the centre’s owners as to what happens from Monday onwards because the centre is in a prime location in the heart of the town and everyone is wondering what happens next.
“I urge the owners to urgently engage with the community representatives as a matter of priority.”
