Housing plan due for empty Tesco site
Monday 1st March 2010, 7:59PM GMT.
The former Tesco store in Harlescott. It was demolished three years ago and the site has been empty ever since
Fresh plans will be submitted for a major housing development at Shrewsbury’s former Tesco site, which has been lying empty for three years.
Shropshire Council said it will lodge plans for the £6 million site it owns in Arlington Way within a few months.
The site already has planning permission for 101 homes, with hopes for about 35 affordable units.
It has been empty since Tesco left the area in spring 2007 to move to a £15 million Tesco Extra store in Harlescott.
Simon Alton, a spokesman for the council, said no decision had yet been taken on how many homes the new application would include.
He said: “The council will be submitting a planning application for housing on the former site of Tesco in Arlington Way.
“There are no details on the number of homes at this stage, and the scheme will be openly marketed for developers to express interest.”
Two developers have pulled out of multi-million pound deals to buy the land in the past but housing chiefs are hopeful that with the recovery in the country’s economy many will be keen to take on the site.
The council took ownership of the land following a land swop deal between the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council and Tesco in 2007.
The former supermarket was razed to the ground in August 2008, more than a year after it closed its doors to the public.
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My god Shrewsbury you really do reach for the bottom rung of the ladder at times. 35 affordable units not houses. Any cheaper and you might as well give them away with a happy meal. Divide £6m by 101 and you will have a pretty good idea as to what your neighbours are going to be like before you start. The same type that burnt the last place to the ground. The term “purpose built slum” springs to mind. If the number 101 isn’t a sign then you are on your own.
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Mark – am i right in thinking that you have a problem with new houses being too cheap? would you like only 50 houses on there? Perhaps with a big fence around it and a remote controlled gate at the entrance to keep out the ‘type’ that you refer to who might not be on the yearly wage you are?
With a site of this size, i would expect an assessment of the housing need would form part of a planning application, this would dictate the housing mix on such a scheme.
So are they more likely to get the right mix, or is your anecdotal remark more reliable?
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danno : Increased proximity is unlikely to alleviate social depravation and as a rule of thumb I have usually found that you get what you pay for. Are they more likely to get the right mix? Who knows? My guess is that like will find like. No, I have never had the need or desire to live in a gated community. I do miss my concierge though.
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