Tesco planning refusal a "pragmatic step" says Chamber of Commerce
Date Posted: 08/Jul/2010 10:30
By: John Gregory
THE Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has said it supports the planning inspector's views regarding the refusal of Tesco's plans to expand its Douglas store.
Tesco's proposals included a mezzanine and bulk store extension, temporary store, decked car park and alterations to existing roads at their Lake Road site.
A statement from Chamber of Commerce chief executive Mike Hennessy said: "Chamber of Commerce see the ultimate decision to refuse the Tesco planning application as a pragmatic step.
"The inspector's report is both comprehensive and professional and drew from not only his increased knowledge of the Island, but also wider considerations.
"We support his views in each of the three key areas. It should be noted that the Council of Ministers decision was based upon one particular recommendation related to traffic.
"It is clear that the Council of Ministers feel more time and consideration is needed with regard to the retail aspects. This would appear to dovetail with the future production of the Eastern Area Plan.
"We fully endorse any efforts to become more strategic in our outlook for Douglas - indeed, we hope that all area plans will not only pursue this aim but also seek to protect the vitality and long term prospects of our villages and towns."
It was announced yesterday that the Council of Ministers has agreed with the independent planning inspector that the proposed extension to the Lake Road store should be refused because of traffic issues.
The council accepted inspector David Bushby’s conclusion that Tesco had failed to demonstrate that traffic generated by the development could be satisfactorily and safely accommodated on local roads.
However, the Council of Ministers did not agree with two other reasons for refusal put forward by the inspector concerning the location and scale of the proposed extension.
In his conclusions, Mr Busby has said the proposal was contrary to development plan retail policies dealing with the location of retail development.
He said: "To allow major additions of retail development on a site some 800m from the main shopping area of Douglas would set a damaging precedent for future shopping policy and retail investment on the Island."
His report added that the plan was contrary with development plan retail policy dealing with the scale of retail development and should therefore be refused.
"As this proposal is not in Douglas town centre the scale of the Tesco proposal is inappropriate."
However the Council of Ministers concluded that refusal on these grounds would be premature pending clarification of Douglas town centre and retail area in the forthcoming Eastern Area Plan, and that the inspector had given insufficient weight to the established retail use of the existing Tesco site.
A copy of the letter to parties explaining the Council of Ministers’ decision, a summary of the inspector’s conclusions, and his full report can all be found on the Isle of Man Government website at www.gov.im/cso/ministers.