Planning inspectors on Wednesday overturned the decision of Denbighshire Planning Committee on Tesco. Tesco is now free effectively to double its size.
In October 2006, Denbighshire’s councillors voted 18-1 against Tesco’s expansion plans, with two abstentions. At the time of the committee, councillors were concerned to learn that in Tesco’s first nine weeks in Rhuthun that town centre trade was down by 15-20 per cent. At the time, Cllr Morfudd Jones stated, “Smaller businesses in Rhuthun are withering. If you go from shop to shop, the story is the same. I think we in Rhuthun can see what a shop like [Tesco’s] can do to small businesses in the town.”
The inspector’s decision raises questions about who makes planning decisions, especially as we have a locally accountable and democratically elected planning committee.
But the result was inevitable, because council officers in October had recommended that the expansion plans should go ahead.
In October 2006, Denbighshire’s councillors voted 18-1 against Tesco’s expansion plans, with two abstentions. At the time of the committee, councillors were concerned to learn that in Tesco’s first nine weeks in Rhuthun that town centre trade was down by 15-20 per cent. At the time, Cllr Morfudd Jones stated, “Smaller businesses in Rhuthun are withering. If you go from shop to shop, the story is the same. I think we in Rhuthun can see what a shop like [Tesco’s] can do to small businesses in the town.”
The inspector’s decision raises questions about who makes planning decisions, especially as we have a locally accountable and democratically elected planning committee.
But the result was inevitable, because council officers in October had recommended that the expansion plans should go ahead.
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