Telford Asda bid appeal quashed by judge

A legal bid against plans for a new Asda superstore on the site of Telford & Wrekin Council's current civic office site has been thrown out by a High Court judge – paving the way for the sale to be completed.

The owners of the town's shopping centre Hark Apollo claimed Asda's plans would take shoppers away from the town centre.

But yesterday at the Court of Appeal in London, judge Lord Justice Richards backed Telford & Wrekin Council's decision, ruling its reasons for the decision had been adequate.

Justice Richards said: "It seemed to me, I hope not unfairly, that the (town centre) trustees' contention that a fuller summary was needed had a slightly disingenuous ring to it.

"What added to that impression was that it became plain during argument that the trustees' objective was not to be given a fuller statement of the reasons for the decision already taken but to secure a reconsideration of the planning application, in the hope that the members of the committee, faced with the need to give fuller reasons, might reach a different decision."

Hark had secured planning permission for a store, which bosses hoped would be Asda, to be built on the Red Oak car park in the centre. Chiefs had hoped to persuade the Court of Appeal to quash the permission granted for the civic offices.