The retail firm applied to Aberdeenshire Council in a bid to build one of the “most attractive” new Farmfoods on the site of the former Garioch Health Centre.

The Constitution Street medical centre closed in 2018 and it was demolished in 2021. The site has been empty since.

Previous plans for a drive-thru Starbucks and four shops on the site were submitted in 2019 but failed to gain permission after residents raised traffic concerns.

The new Farmfoods store will also have 45 car parking spaces and a cycle shelter for 12 bikes.

Planners had recommended the plan be refused but the benefits the Farmfoods is hoped to bring to those struggling in the cost-of-living crisis resulted in the application being approved when it went before the Garioch area committee.

Property director of Farmfoods, Alistair Kay, told members the firm’s lease at North Street was terminated in 2020, bringing 40 years of history in the town to an end.

He said the company intended to return to Inverurie “when the right opportunity arose”.

Mr Kay added: “We wish to create an attractive, accessible and appropriate retail amenity right in the heart of Inverurie.

“Our proposal would enhance an already thriving town centre with our range complementing established local businesses nearby.”