Accusations fly as Newport supermarket plans scrapped

The ruling Labour group and the opposition Conservatives both blamed each other over the three-year battle to build a Sainsbury's on green fields outside the town centre.

The council stood to make as much as £21 million from land sales had the Sainsbury's store – first mooted in 2011 – gone ahead at Station Road.

But after opposition from Newport residents and the Secretary of State's decision to call-in the scheme, the supermarket became bogged down in costly legal wrangles.

The decision to abandon the project – a joint effort between the council, developers St Modwen and Sainsbury's – was rubber stamped last night – a move that has cost the council more than £460,000.

It is now likely that the site will be developed for housing.

But with questions surrounding how much money has been spent in total, Labour and Conservative councillors both pointed the finger at each other during last night's stormy meeting at AFC Telford.

Councillor Bill McClements, Cabinet member for finance and enterprise, accused Councillor Andrew Eade's party of entering into an agreement with St Modwen to sell the land shortly before elections in 2011.

He accused Councillor Eade, the head of the borough's Conservatives, of hiding this from the public.

Hitting back, Councillor Eade called members of the Labour administration "liars".

He told the meeting that council leader Kuldip Sahota should "reconsider" his position as council leader, saying the authority had spent £1.4 million on the failed project.

Councillor Eade said the leaders of Telford & Wrekin Council had acted with "arrogance" in their failed efforts to build the supermarket in Newport and should learn from their mistakes.

He said the authority should consult with the town over its plans to instead build 120 homes on the fields at Station Road.

Councillor Eade was speaking last night during a Cabinet meeting at AFC Telford where members had gathered to officially pull the plug on the supermarket project. The authority says ending the scheme has cost it more than £460,000 – although the opposition group claims the figure is at least £1.2 million.

"I really hope that lessons are being learned and that this time there is proper consultation," said Councillor Eade during an often stormy meeting.

He said he wanted the site to remain a public amenity – such as a village green – but would be "delighted" to discuss its future with the ruling Labour group.

"If you are going to impose (homes) the way you did before then you will be faced with quite a determined opposition," he said.

"For once try and do something with the local community rather than the arrogant way you have been doing it."

But Labour Councillor Shaun Davies hit back, saying the Conservatives "dodged democracy" when they ran the administration in 2011. He said the Conservatives had entered into an agreement with St Modwen to develop the land.

"Plans for this site did not appear in any Conservative party leaflet," he said. "You did not talk to the people of Newport."

Councillor Bill McClements, cabinet member for economics and enterprise, said: "We have had a fairly heated debate. Councillor Eade is one of the best fiction writers. Being honest and open is very important to tell the truth and this administration tells the truth.

"This council is run well since they (the Conservatives) went out of power."

After the meeting he said next step for the Station Road site was for St Modwen to start preparing a planning application for homes.

He said: "It will be put forward for December or January time and there will be consultation."

He said the council was prepared for more opposition when the homes plan is put forward.

"I have never seen a big development where nobody opposes it. Housing is a big issue and the reality is the Government is telling us we have to build 18,600 houses over the next 16 years."

He said money from the development would be used to pay off capital debts, leading to more money to spend on services.