Published: Friday, 9th May, 2008 14:00
Villagers gear up for Tesco battle
By Lucy Crossley
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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 Thursday, June 19.
To view the application visit www.rbwm.gov.uk and search for application number 08/01012 on the planning application search facility.
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