Newport supermarket bid challenge launched
Controversial plans to build a supermarket in Newport will be taken to the High Court, it was confirmed today.
Telford & Wrekin Council has submitted a legal challenge following a decision by a planning inspector to give the go-ahead for a 33,000 sq ft supermarket in Audley Avenue.
The application, made by Indigo Planning, was passed at a public inquiry in May after Telford & Wrekin Council took too long to make a decision.
But in a statement released today the authority said the plans were not in the best interests of the town and said a proposal for a 50,000 sq ft Sainsbury's supermarket on green land next to Station Road was 'preferable'.
Michael Barker, Telford & Wrekin Council's assistant director for planning, said: "We believe the planning inspectorate's grounds for allowing the appeal are flawed and consequently we are challenging the decision using the legal avenues open to us.
"Our duty as a planning authority is to make the best decisions for the future of the borough."
