The Tesco application was refused permission in September 2008 and by the end of the year an appeal had been lodged. The Society has been granted Rule 6 status at the public inquiry expected to take place towards the middle of the current year; this will enable us to cross-examine Tesco’s witnesses, but exposes us to cross-examination in return. We plan to challenge: on retail matters need, impact on town-centre trade and maintenance of current levels of ‘linked trips’; on traffic the appellant’s forecast of nil detriment and the assumptions leading to that; on alternative modes of transport not only the failure to improve provision but the likelihood of damaging what already exists; on architectural matters the enormity of the scheme and damage to the Conservation Area; and on ecology the loss of openness of the current site and the planting which has matured over the last twenty years.
Friday 13 March 2009
Sainsbury Planning Application - Update
Last summer Sainsbury withdrew their original application for a supermarket on the redundant part of McMullen’s brewery when planning officers recommended refusal and then resubmitted an amended scheme with a slightly smaller store. In January, ignoring the officers’ recommendation for refusal, the Development Control Committee surprisingly approved the amended scheme, despite being warned that there are no practical solutions to address the expected increased traffic congestion at Old Cross and in Cowbridge.
Since then the conditions to be attached to the approval have been agreed with the applicant and approved by the Committee. But that is not the end of the matter. Because the floor area of the development is above a specified threshold and represents a departure from the approved Local Plan, the decision has been referred to the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Government Office, East of England. The Society has supported a letter from local residents seeking an extension of the period for consideration so that more detailed evidence can be submitted challenging the planning decision. At the time of writing the DC&LG has not called in the application for decision by the Secretary of State nor issued a direction for deferral of the decision pending further examination.
If the scheme still goes ahead there could be significant benefits to the cultural life of the town if realistic leasing arrangements can be agreed for the refurbished listed buildings on the site. However, it remains the Society’s view that this last remaining large site in the town-centre could have been returned to a more rewarding use than turning most of it into a supermarket car park.
Since then the conditions to be attached to the approval have been agreed with the applicant and approved by the Committee. But that is not the end of the matter. Because the floor area of the development is above a specified threshold and represents a departure from the approved Local Plan, the decision has been referred to the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Government Office, East of England. The Society has supported a letter from local residents seeking an extension of the period for consideration so that more detailed evidence can be submitted challenging the planning decision. At the time of writing the DC&LG has not called in the application for decision by the Secretary of State nor issued a direction for deferral of the decision pending further examination.
If the scheme still goes ahead there could be significant benefits to the cultural life of the town if realistic leasing arrangements can be agreed for the refurbished listed buildings on the site. However, it remains the Society’s view that this last remaining large site in the town-centre could have been returned to a more rewarding use than turning most of it into a supermarket car park.
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