The 'TESCO' Application
Over 100 people attended the opening morning of the Public Planning Inquiry into the proposed extension to former Stock Exchange building (pictured below), 1 –3 Sunninghill High Street, to accommodate a Tesco Express.
The Planning Appeal, in respect of the 'Tesco' planning application 08/02350 , for the reconfiguration of ground floor retail floorspace with rear and side extensions, along with reconfiguration of the first floor office space with extension and creation of a dedicated parking and servicing area, ran at Ascot Racecourse from February 10 - 13. A decision is awaited.
Tesco counsel’s opening statement claimed that a Tesco Express would be a modest extension to an ‘unremarkable building’, would enhance local facilities, would be of an appropriate scale, would prevent them being forced to open a less acceptable One Stop Shop, would have no unacceptable impact and would accords with planning policy. Mr Philpott expressed surprise that the plans had generated such a lot of local opposition and the reasons for refusal were not well founded.
Counsel for the Royal Borough, Mr Josef Cannon's opening shot was to describe the plans for a Tesco Express as ‘an attempt to shoe-horn an inappropriate activity into this small site’. He said the ‘classic hallmarks’ of this are the exceptional level of local concern, insufficient levels of parking ( actually constituting a net loss) disturbance of neighbours by noise and reliance on a ‘notional fall back position of a lawful A1 use, wheeled out as a threat, if the application is refused’.
Peter Standley, speaking for SPAE, the Society for the Protection of Ascot’s Environment, said SPAE objected to the Tesco Express because of the loss of parking, the cramped site, damage to the School Road street scene and loss of amenity to neighbours. He said that the appellants were ignoring the loss of on- street parking and the large number of nearby houses which don’t have their own off street parking. He pointed out that a previous Appeal Inspector in the 80's, attached importance to the parking spaces (which will be lost), to permit extension to the offices at 3 High Street. “The Society is surprised by the claim that the Tesco employees will walk to Ascot Station, summer and winter, sometimes before 6am and after 11pm.”. He also said they were concerned about potential congestion at the School Road junction, the likely delays while lorries are manoeuvring into the service bay and the likelihood of being impeded by parked cars on the street. Mr Standley contended that the service and parking areas would generate noise and that, while the appeal site is in the commercial area of Sunninghill Village, the family home at 1 School Road is not, and that this development would cause an intrusion by the commercial area into the residential area.
He added that the proposal, was ‘unsustainable’, in that it is poorly served by public transport, no convincing evidence had been provided that it would cut car use, or that it would extend the range of local facilities.
Speaking for the Sunninghill Community Action Group, Andrew Beresford, said that over 800 people had written to the Borough after the first application (one of the largest responses ever received by them) and that the Action Group was in full agreement with the Borough on the impact of deliveries, danger to pedestrian safety, noise disturbance and general impact on the prominent and attractive corner of the village. “Although not physically large, the large service vehicles, and long opening hours, create a scale of development which is out of keeping,” he said. He also said there were 80 dwellings in the vicinity which don’t have their own parking.
Applications refs 08/2350, 08/2353, 08/2354, 08/2355 08/2356
Visit www.rbwm.gov.uk to follow the process
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