LOCAL MP David Mundell is to meet with the owner and Chief Executive of Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Philip Day, to discuss the future of the company’s site in Moffat.
The meeting follows local concern at lack of action over the future of the derelict former Mercury Motor Inn, and the general state of the road into the company’s adjacent Woollen Mill.
The Dumfriesshire MP said that he hoped the meeting would shed light on the company’s plans for the site.
The building has lain empty since 1999 and Mr Mundell has been campaign for several years for its demolition. There have been various proposals to redevelop the site but none have come to fruition.
“This site has lain derelict for too many years and it continues to be a blot on the local landscape. The fact that this empty, run-down building is what greets visitors as they drive into Moffat causes great disquiet within the town, a feeling I share,” he said.
“I am deeply disappointed that after all these years nothing has happened on the Mercury site. It is still a blight for both locals and visitors from the southern entrance to Moffat and we seem to be no further forward in having anything done about it despite repeated attempts over the past 12 years. I know Edinburgh Woollen Mill has had various proposals for the site but so far nothing has happened and the building remains an eyesore, while the state of the entrance to the EWM site is a potholed disgrace, and is not what visitors expect of such an attraction.
“I hope my meeting with Philip Day will shed some light on his company’s proposals for the entire site, and I will also be offering my support for any redevelopment plans,” added Mr Mundell.