Complete the ‘Planning Application Comments online’
form which can be found in the planning section at
www.babergh.gov.uk
or
Please also send copies of your objections to your
local Babergh Councillor.
Retail need |
If the proposed Tesco store would supply the
missing capacity for convenience goods, Morrisons at nearly twice
the size certainly does. |
Traffic |
With Morrisons in Calais Street and the Tesco
entrance in Bridge Street the north end of the High Street and
Bridge Street Calais Street corner will not be able to cope with the
traffic causing massive backlogs on all three roads. Almost every
route into Hadleigh is effectively single lane |
Vehicle access and Safety |
Difficult access to Tesco on a bend on the
Bridge, particularly for HGV’s |
Pollution: noise and light |
Increased noise levels and pollution from
increased traffic drawn into the town. |
The present High Street |
Vitality and viability of existing traders
and small shops in the High Street that sell a fine selection of
locally grown produce. |
Local employment |
Loss of jobs and small businesses in Hadleigh.
These are not replaced by the work offered at Tesco. |
The Town |
The overall character of this unique town
including the historic conservation area with St Mary's, The
Deanery, The Guildhall, Church Close. |
River and Nature Reserve |
Riverside wildlife will be harmed and the
tranquillity of the Riverside Walk will be spoilt. |
Public opinion |
73% of the town voted against a supermarket
on the Brett Work Site in the Electoral Reform Society Referendum
involving every household in Hadleigh. This has been backed up
by the thousands of signatures on three petitions and the hundreds
of individual letters sent to Babergh over the fourteen years that
Tesco have been trying to build on that site. |
Despite the wishes of residents being clearly known,
the battle against developers to protect this unique riverside site has
being going on for over 20 years. For the last thirteen of them it has also
been a battle against the District Council’s planning officers.
A number of properties in the High St have been
affected by "planning blight" as potential purchasers lose interest as soon
as they hear about the Tesco and planning department’s proposals.
Since 1998 there have been a number of petitions and
card polls, a Town Council referendum, hundreds of letters against the
development. The Town Council refuses to sell its lands for development and
the District Council have voted to pursue a Compulsory Purchase Order to
acquire the Town Council land for Tesco.
Councillors at the 2011 planning meeting admitted
that over 90% of residents did not want the development on that site but
stated that they did not count!
Date |
Event |
June
1984 |
Developer proposes building a supermarket on
the riverside site but did not pursue after planning consent refused
in 1987 on environmental grounds. |
|
Babergh commission an independent report by
Donaldson that recommended that Hadleigh could only support an
increase of 650 sq metres of convenience shopping by 1996. |
1992 |
Proposal by District Council to allocate the
riverside site in Local Plan for supermarket of 2325 sq metres with
pedestrian access from High St but vehicular access from Bridge
Street. Proposal rejected by Inspector on the grounds that there was
no need for a store of the proposed size, its environmental damage
and adverse effect on the High Street. |
1998 |
A large extension to a Tesco store on the
edge of Ipswich (about 10 miles away) is approved by the District
Council and Tesco provide £50,000 for improvements to Hadleigh’s
shopping area in order to compensate for the effects on Hadleigh’s
shops of the extended Tesco store. |
|
Local Co-op obtain planning consent to double
their store size. (making it about the same size as the future
applications) |
April
1999 |
Tesco team meet with the Hadleigh Society’s
committee to "sell" their proposals, with all access being from the
High St. |
April
1999 |
Tesco mount public exhibition to obtain
support for plans that are not yet been registered and is therefore
not available to view. |
|
Plans registered as exhibition closes.
(planning application and application to demolish a building in the
Conservation Area) |
Summer
1999 |
A resident starts a "Tesco Supporters Group"
membership of 300 claimed but believed to be more like 30. |
Summer
1999 |
Hadleigh Society poll of every household
shows little support for proposals with 76.8% opposed to a
supermarket on the riverside site. |
Sept
1999 |
QD Stores register an application for similar
size supermarket on another site. |
Summer/ Autumn 1999 |
Hadleigh Society collects a petition of 1650
names plus over 200 individual letters opposing the Tesco
application. |
Autumn
1999 |
Survey of shops based on Lady Cranbrook’s
survey shows a number of shops likely to close if Tesco proposal
goes ahead. |
Oct
1999 |
Town Council poll shows 75% want a
supermarket but only 40% were supportive of it on the riverside site
whilst 73% would support the Buyright (QD) site. |
|
Planning officers produce a very biased
report supporting Tesco application & rejecting QD Stores. |
|
Tesco submit a duplicate proposal. (In order
to claim a non-determination) and modify their original application. |
March
2000 |
District Councillors reject Tesco proposal
but approve QD stores. |
April
2000 |
Tesco appeal & QD application called in. |
Oct
2000 |
A joint Inquiry on the two applications with
the Co-op also fielding a legal team opposing both applications. |
Nov
2000 |
After three weeks the Inspector adjourns the
Inquiry as it has overrun the allocated time. |
March
2001 |
The Inquiry resumes for another 2 weeks. |
Sept
2001 |
The Minister rejects the appeal on the
grounds that the building’s design is unsuitable, the entrance would
damage the Conservation Area and on the loss of amenity to nearby
residents. The QD application was refused on the grounds that it was
too far from the High St shops (about 800yds) and would damage the
vitality and viability of the High St. |
Dec
2001 |
Approaches have been made, on Tesco’s behalf,
to acquire options on properties in Bridge St to enable a new
application based on an entrance from Bridge St (as in the 1992
attempt by Babergh to allocate the site in the Local Plan for a
supermarket) |
Jan
2002 |
Planning officers tell Councillors that the
Inspector recognised that the town could support a supermarket with
the loss of only a few shops and that it was only the design of the
building and the problems of the entrance that concerned her.
The officers consider that the proposed Tesco
site should be designated in the revised Local Plan as suitable for
a supermarket. We understand that this would make it possible in the
future for Babergh to compulsorily purchase land on Tesco’s behalf
in order to gain access to the site, possibly via Babergh’s car park
and some Town Council allotments. The entrance would still be in the
Conservation Area and would require the demolition of a building. |
Jan
2002 |
Although the Hadleigh Society has obtained
copies of the planning Green Paper for all our committee members,
the District Councillors have not yet seen a copy. A planning
officer is preparing a summary but admits he has not read it. The
planning department take the view that the consultation process is
only with planning authorities, not with lower authorities or
individuals. |
2004 |
District Councillors decide to put the
Buyright site into the District Plan. Officers object to this and
inform councillors, in public, that they must put in the Brett Works
site, quoting PPS 6. Disputed at the District Plan inquiry but
upheld by the Inspector. |
Dec
2004 |
3.30pm Christmas Eve. Tesco submit
application with access onto Bridge Street. This requires the
purchase of 7 & 9 Bridge Street or part of the Town Council
allotments. Notice sent to the owners of 9 Bridge Street
informing them of their application and requirement for their home.
(7 Bridge Street previously purchased by Tesco). 17 Bridge
Street now owned by Co-op, 9 Bridge Street have an agreement only to
sell to Co-op. |
2005 |
Tesco hold public exhibition of their new
application whilst previous application still stands, not
determined. Tesco team meet Councillors and others, plus the public.
They show artists' impressions and a model but there is no plan of
the access on to Bridge Street, nor are there measurements of the
building or contour lines.
The Town Council refuse to meet with Tesco to
discuss the sale of their land and vote not to discuss the sale of
their land until the plans have been formally submitted, and they
can view the real plans as opposed to artists' impressions.
Babergh District Council attempt to ‘blackmail’ the Town Council
into selling their land and putting the money into the swimming pool
funds, i.e. no sale, no new pool, also inferring that the Town
Council will be neglectful if they force Babergh to compulsory
purchase the land. |
Nov
2005 |
Application still not submitted.
Babergh's blackmail of the Town Council continued. |
Feb
2008 |
Another full application submitted, the
access to be through the Town Council allotments and Babergh car
park. Bridge House to be pulled down. |
June
2008 to Dec 2010 |
Various submissions and re-submissions. |
July
2011 |
Planning meeting eventually held in July.
Three parts to application: a. The development of the supermarket
and access,
b. the demolition and re-positioning of
Bridge House and removal of part of the bridge wall.
Items b and c were taken first and both
passed. Item a was defeated by one vote, but although councillors
wanted to cite access and retail as reasons for refusal, the
planning officer and solicitor would only permit building design to
be cited as a reason for refusal. |