After nine years of owing land in Maidstone, Tesco has given up on plans to build a supermarket and sold the land to property developers, according to the Maidstone Weald Bandolier (perhaps the best name for a local paper we've come across!).
We've made the point in the past to Tesco's Michael Kissman that this would be the best outcome for the site in St Albans. Given the turmoil in Tesco's planning department, the recent increase in house prices in St Albans due to increased Thameslink funding, local opposition, and the negative view of the council's Issues and Options document towards a supermarket to the south of St Albans, surely Tesco can see the commercial benefits of selling on the land?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
There may be two forces at work on the Eversheds site - Tesco itself and, more surprisingly, SADC (St Albans District Council for non-local readers). Why would the local authority favour a very large food and household store over a housing development and, possibly, a new junior school? First, SADC is not responsible for education, so there is nothing (i.e. no votes) in it for them. Second, SADC has probably already sketched out its planning obligations wish list, cost to be met by the developer - snazzy new road junctions, lots of new yellow paint, techno bus stops, bike parks, flashing signage, donation to the new sports centre, etc. Third, occupiers of the twice discredited Civic Centre towerblock housing scheme with integral entertainment complex would need somewhere nearby for food and household shopping - so roll out new plans for the cinema piggybacking on a new Tesco store.
Remember the election pledges, tick all those boxes - housing on both sites, targets met, deals done. It's very plausible.
Interesting thoughts, sisyphus! I think though that your analysis implies that voters think deeply about the different roles of Herts CC and SADC. I think a party that lets Tesco through will do badly at the next election (and in the case of the Lib Dems that's the majority gone!).
Alternatively, if they go for school & housing they can claim to have done their best to facilitate a new school, and even if Herts CC cock it up they're in the clear.
I read what you say but you assume it's the LibDem councillors who run the council. Well, they think they do, but actually it's the officers in charge, the members turn up every now and then for curly sandwiches and then vote for this, that or the other.
In this case, the officers may say an application by Tesco will fit the council's 'emerging' new retail policy and will then sit down with the lawyers to work out the freebies on offer, known quaintly as 'planning gain'.
The LibDems must know by now that they will not be running SADC in three years time - they will get the blame/credit (sometimes it's one and ther same) for the Tesco site, the Civic Centre fiasco, the much hyped Westminster Lodge sports centre redevelopment fudge, the Helioslough railfreight depot (regardless of the outcome), collapse of the City Centre retail infrastructure, and probably a couple of cock-ups still to emerge.
Short-termism rules ok!
Post a Comment