Protect Sunninghill

Plans for Tesco Convenience Store Refused

From the RBWM Web Site:- 13/06/2008

Borough's unanimous 'no' to Tesco store in Sunninghill

A controversial proposal for a new Tesco store at High Street, Sunninghill, has been turned down unanimously by the Royal Borough after hearing ‘compelling evidence’ that it could result in danger to road users and pedestrians in the area.

Last night (Wednesday June 11) members of Windsor development control (DC) panel heard how more than 600 objections had been received by the council’s planning department, along with a detailed objection from Sunninghill and Ascot Parish Council. There were two submissions in support for the application.

Windsor’s Guildhall was packed to overflowing by local residents, concerned about traffic and parking issues, the detrimental effect the proposed new store would have on existing shops and the additional noise, pollution and litter which they said it would cause.

After detailed consideration, panel members turned down the application because:

• the proposed new access off School Road, to be used by delivery vehicles, would be detrimental to vehicular and pedestrian safety and to the free flow of traffic

• insufficient on-site parking would result in increased demand for parking spaces in surrounding streets, where spaces are already limited

• the new delivery and service yard would be unneighbourly

• it would result in loss of amenity to local residents

• Tesco had not entered into a Section 106 agreement that would secure the contributions necessary to meet the additional needs of the community if the development went ahead.

Cllr Alison Knight, panel chairman, extended speaking times to allow panel members to hear submissions from both the applicant and objectors before taking their decision.

She said:  “There has been overwhelming public interest in this application and we were very conscious of our responsibility to ensure that it met the necessary planning requirements.

“We went to great lengths to consider every aspect of the proposal and we heard compelling evidence that if the store went ahead there would be serious and highly dangerous implications for road users and pedestrians. The panel’s unequivocal view was that the application failed in a number of critical areas and that refusal was the only option.”

Refusal of the application, as recommended by council planning officers, was proposed by Cllr Lynda Yong, Sunninghill and South Ascot ward councillor, and seconded by Cllr Knight.

Notes:
1. This is Tesco’s second application for a convenience store on the site, the first having been refused by the Royal Borough (under delegated powers) in July 2007. 
2. The application was called in for panel decision by Cllr Alison Knight because of the high level of public interest.

The article below was recently published in the Ascot News....

VILLAGERS have been urged to take action if they want to halt plans for an unpopular new supermarket.

Grocery giant Tesco was thwarted last year when its application to build a convenience store in Sunninghill’s High Street was turned down, but now bosses at Britain’s biggest supermarket chain have submitted new proposals for a shop in the village.

The last application was refused because it failed to provide enough on-site parking or space for delivery lorries and there was not sufficient street parking to support the new store.

But now Tesco has acquired land in adjacent School Road which would give it a dedicated servicing and car parking area – sparking outrage from villagers opposed to the plan.

Peter Standley, of the Society for the Protection of Ascot & Environs (SPAE), said: “Although SPAE and the parish objected to the original application on the grounds of parking, the impact the shop would have on local streets and the building of a new shop front, the Royal Borough only chose to turn down the application on parking and road access.

“If they are now able to satisfy the borough on these two issues there is a possibility the borough may not oppose the matter again and the impact a Tesco would have on the village would be disastrous.”

Tempers rose at the annual assembly of the Parish of Sunninghill and Ascot on Tuesday evening when people realised that not only had the supermarket chain upped efforts to move into the village but that villagers would have to submit new objections to the scheme.

Nigel Clarke, who has lived in the village for 25 years, said: “All of our letters and objections that we sent in last year are effectively null and void as this is a brand new application – we’ve got to go through it all over again.”

Andrew Beresford said: “I’ve lived in the village for 20 years and I’ve come to regard many of the shopkeepers as friends. Some of them will be able to change their business model to cope with Tesco, but I fear many of them will not.”

The Tesco application will be further discussed at a Sunninghill and South Ascot Parish Council planning meeting on Tuesday at 7pm at the Chandler Centre, Bagshot Road, Sunninghill, and the Royal Borough is expected to make a decision on the application by early June.

To view the application visit www.rbwm.gov.uk and search for application number 08/01012 on the planning application search facility.

By Lucy Crossley

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