CPRE Shropshire
Protecting Shropshire
8 July 2010. Harlescott Tesco application should be rejected by planners
Selby Martin Vice Chairman of CPRE Shropshire said the store’s breach was “deplorable”.
“Tesco are describing this as an inadvertent breach but I think it is deplorable that a firm like Tesco should abuse its position and strength and push through an increase in comparison goods and sales space in conflict with the condition imposed on them and it shouldn’t be allowed.”Andy Boddington, Chairman of CPRE Shropshire said: “We are glad that Tesco has at last admitted that it built a sales area larger than allowed by planning permission. They have also confessed that they have been using more floorspace for comparison goods than permitted. This is welcome but it does not mean that this new application should just be nodded through by Council planners.
The original restrictions were imposed to protect small traders in Shrewsbury town centre and north Shropshire. We have seen these traders struggle in recent years, too many have not survived. Councils are allowed to protect town centres and small traders by imposing limits on how giants like Tesco operate. They must do so now by rejecting this application and insisting that Tesco complies with the original planning permission.
We are particularly disappointed that Shropshire Council is requiring residents to submit their objections all over again. We are now in the holiday season and some people will not be able to do so. Tesco got the sums in its application wrong and its unfair that some objections may not be heard as a result. Shropshire Council must transfer all the objections from the previous application to this current one”.
- 8 July. "Shrewsbury Tesco wants more space to sell non-food items" (Shropshire Star)
4 May 2010. Calling Time on Tesco Harlescott
A group of campaigners who have been fighting against Tesco’s ignorance of a significant planning condition on their Shrewsbury Extra store, have lashed out at Tesco for continually deferring a retrospective planning application.
When the initial approval was given by the Secretary of State for the Tesco store, a condition was placed on the approval that no more than 32% of the floor space be used for ‘comparison goods’, such as clothing, footwear and household goods. A local resident noted last year that Tesco were in breach of this condition and filed a complaint with Shropshire Council indicating Tesco had used 38% of their floor space for this purpose since opening in April 2007. In response, late in 2009, Tesco applied for retrospective planning application to approve a 300sqm increase in floor space used for comparison goods. In February, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England conducted their own assessment and found Tesco to have increased the proportion of floor space dedicated to comparison goods to 41%, 9% more than originally allowed under the Secretary of State’s condition. After the most recent planning deferral in April, the CPRE conducted another investigation to find yet another aisle had been converted from food to comparison goods, leading to a possible 43% of the store’s floor space dedicated to comparison goods. More...
10 March 2010. Tesco defers application
Following our objection of 8 March, Tesco’s advisers have written to Shropshire Council deferring their bid for retrospective planning application “while we prepare a full and accurate response to the queries raised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England”.
CPRE Shropshire Vice Chairman Andy Boddington said "We welcome this deferral. We looked at the Tesco application and looked at how the store floorspace is used, but they did not seem to agree. By our reckoning Tesco have exceeded the allowed space for comparison goods by 587sqm, not the 152sqm claimed in their current planning permission. We need to be absolutely clear what was approved under planning agreements, and what space is being used for what purpose before this retrospective application is considered by Shropshire Council."
8 March 2010. CPRE Shopshire challenges accuracy of planning application
Charles Green of CPRE Shropshire has analysed the current usage within the Tesco Extra store. Our estimates suggest that Tesco have been in breach of the original comparison goods condition by 587sqm (41%), not the 152sqm (11%) claimed in the retrospective planning application. We have written to Shropshire Council pointing out this serious breech of planning rules. The application is due to be decided by Shropshire Council on 12 March and planning officers have recommended approval.
August 2009. CPRE Shropshire objects to retrospective change of use
Photograph © Copyright John Firth (Creative Commons Licence)
CPRE Shropshire has long been concerned with the impact of the giant Tesco Extra store at Harlescott, Shrewsbury. When the Secretary of State approved the application, a condition was imposed that comparison goods (roughly equated with non-food items) should take up no more than 32% of the floor area. This was to protect shops selling clothing, electrical goods, etc. in the town centre. Tesco however increased the area used for comparison goods to 38.4% on their estimate. As a result, it has applied for retrospective planning permission to vary the Secretary of State’s planning condition.
CPRE has strongly objected to this retrospective application arguing that approval will undermine the purpose of the Secretary of State’s planning condition, protecting smaller shops.
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CPRE Shropshire, 11 Chestnut Grove, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1TJ
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