Calls for action to be taken against Tesco for planning breach

Calls were today made for action to be taken against supermarket giant Tesco for breaching its planning consent for a store in Shrewsbury for the past three years.

The calls come after councillors this month rejected retrospective plans by the supermarket to increase the amount of space it uses for non-grocery goods at its Shrewsbury Extra store.

Tesco submitted the plans for its Battlefield store after admitting it had "inadvertently" breached its planning consent at the site since it was built in 2007.

It has been using an additional 624 sq m over the permitted figure.

The store was applying for a condition to be amended to allow it to have 4,789 sq m of sales floorspace including 2,071 for non-grocery goods.

Today Dr Maxwell Winchester, a Shropshire councillor, called for Shropshire Council to take enforcement action against Tesco and has written to officers asking what steps will be taken.

Councillor Winchester said: "This company has been breaching a planning condition for three years with no action ever taken.

"While a planning application was being considered we kept getting told that the enforcement couldn't happen because the application was being considered.

"Now a decision has been made, enforcement action should be taken."

But Stuart Thomas, Shropshire Council's central area manager, said although the central planning committee had given its decision, no decision on any possible action could be made until the application had been considered by the authority's strategic planning committee.

Tesco was unavailable for comment on the application today.