Supermarket plan will be ‘the acid test’ for local planning

A community organisation that opposes proposals for a supermarket on the outskirts of Thame, is anxious that the planning application may go through, despite being against the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, the district council’s Core Strategy, and flying in the face of mounting evidence that it would threaten the viability of the town centre.

A group of local people demonstrate in the rain, their opposition to an edge-of-town supermarket in Thame

Thame Centre First believes that, despite the success of other local campaigns in overturning Tesco’s plans, including those in Market Harborough, Huddersfield, New Haw, Lowestoft, Grimsby, Plymouth and others, Thame’s will be a real test of the weight that Neighbourhood Plans carry with local authorities and maybe ultimately, with the Secretary of State, if it goes to appeal.

Spokesperson for Thame Centre First, Andy Slater, told Thame.Net: “Our MP John Howell, is now the Government’s flag carrier for Neighbourhood Plans, and several independent reports have concluded that such a development would be detrimental to the viability of the town centre. Also, Several recent reports and research studies point towards shifts in shopping habits, away from the large weekly shop towards smaller, convenience shopping trips.

“As one of the very first Neighbourhood Plans ever, the decision regarding this supermarket proposal will be ‘the acid test’ for the whole concept of local planning.”

Tesco has cancelled many of its development plans in recent months – 14 sites were sold in October to property investment firm Meyer Bergman. This follows the closure of 43 stores in January and the abandonment of plans for 49 large supermarkets.

“Could the proposed Tesco superstore development proposal for Thame be the last one standing?” suggested Andy. “SODC’s planning officer recently commented, in reply to a phone enquiry from a member of the public, that ‘Thame is a very special case, with so many small, independent shops’ and confirmed that the independent consultant it had commissioned was not satisfied with data submitted by Tesco.”

A date for South Oxfordshire District Council’s Planning Committee to consider the Tesco planning application has yet to be announced.

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