Tesco continuing to breach conditions - claim
Supermarket Tesco has increased the amount of space it uses for non-food products at its Shrewsbury superstore for a second time despite already being in breach of planning conditions, campaigners claimed today.
Supermarket Tesco has increased the amount of space it uses for non-food products at its Shrewsbury superstore for a second time despite already being in breach of planning conditions, campaigners claimed today.
The Harlescott store was initially approved with the condition that it used no more than 32 per cent of its floor space be used for so-called "comparison goods", such as clothing, footwear and household goods.
But a Shrewsbury resident reported last year that Tesco was in breach of this condition and filed a complaint with Shropshire Council. Late last year the store applied for retrospective permission for a 300sq metre increase in floor space used for comparison goods.
In February, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England conducted its own assessment and found Tesco to have increased the proportion of floor space dedicated to comparison goods to 41 per cent - nine per cent more than originally allowed under the Secretary of State's condition.
After the most recent planning deferral in April, the CPRE found another aisle had been converted to comparison goods - a possible 43 per cent.
Dr Alan Shrank, of Shrewsbury Town Centre Residents' Association, said: "It is disgraceful that ever since Tesco Extra opened in April 2007 it has blatantly ignored the planning condition at the expense of other traders."
Selby Martin, vice-president of Shropshire CPRE, said: "We believe that Tesco's should abide strictly by the conditions imposed by the Secretary of State."
Dr Maxwell Winchester, councillor for the Quarry and Coton Hill ward, said he was disappointed in Tesco.
But Tony Fletcher, spokesman for Tesco, said the way the space for comparison goods was calculated by the supermarket chain was very different to the method used by the CPRE.
He said: "Tesco continues to hold discussions with Shropshire Council about the way the calculations have been made and as far as we are concerned there are always going to be some seasonal degree of variations but the discussions continue."
