Tesco pre-planning consultation a sham, says Bridgwater Forward

Thursday November 10, 2011 14:01

by fw

Campaign group Bridgwater Forward says the recent consultation carried out by Tesco over their proposed development at Northgate, Bridgwater did not provide sufficient accurate information to allow people to make an informed judgement about the development.

“None of the Tesco representatives at the consultation seemed to know the height of the building, for instance” said Chair Sally Jones. “Our members were given answers ranging from 6 metres ( 20 feet ) to 11 metres (39 feet). This is crucial information, particularly for those living in the docks area”.

On asking what the proposed store’s opening hours would be, one woman was told: “It’s too early to say”! A reply to concerns about the level of noise was: “We will be as quiet as possible”! This level of response is inadequate at this crucial stage

There were no plans showing the existing layout in relation to the proposed layout, the effect on views across the site between docks and town centre, elevations of existing and proposed buildings to show the respective heights, or identification of trees to be felled or retained.

No retail, environmental or traffic impact assessments were available to enable people to assess the impact of the development on the environment and the local economy. It is meaningless to say that Tesco will introduce jobs, unless we can assess how many jobs are likely to go when existing outlets are forced to close.

One representative said the Brewery Field would be handed back to Sedgemoor DC after construction of the store, another said Tesco plc would retain ownership and maintenance.

By providing conflicting, misleading and insufficient information, Tesco’s pre-application consultation has failed to meet the standards required for a major planning application. Bridgwater Forward has expressed these concerns to Tesco plc* and asked the Town Council to organise a public meeting with Tesco, so that these concerns can be fully discussed.

* full text of the letter at http://bridgwaterforward.blogspot.com/2011/11/bridgwater-forward-throws-down-gauntlet.html