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We think the planning application should be called in by the Secretary of State, and to make this happen we need to write to the Planning Director at the North West Government Office and also our local MP’s to ask them to get it called-in. The below explains the criteria for ‘Calling-In’ an application, and why we feel this application meets these criteria.
When does the Secretary of State decide to 'call in' a planning application?
The Secretary of State’s policy is that normally s/he will only call in an application if s/he thinks that there are planning issues of more than local importance. Examples of these are:
- development that may conflict with national planning policy on important matters;
We believe this development contravenes Planning Policy Statement 6 in that it threatens the viability of Stretford, Chorlton, and other surrounding centres. Furthermore, as an out-of-centre supermarket nowhere near an existing centre, developers do not appear to have followed the sequential approach for site selection.
- development that could have wide effects beyond its immediate locality;
The damage caused to smaller shops and existing centres by a store of this size will extend for several miles from the proposed site. Tesco states it aims to draw customers from within a 10 minute drive away – with transport links as they are, this covers Stretford, Chorlton, Sale, Whalley Range, Urmston, Salford, the city centre, and possibly Altrincham too. Several of these centres of already struggling and could suffer further if this store goes ahead.
- development where there is significant regional or national controversy.
Local opposition has been made clear, with a 40-strong demo outside Trafford Town Hall on October 15th, and a recent poll (1/10/09) in local newspaper the Stretford Messenger* showing public opposition of 61%. There are also currently almost 200 local campaign groups fighting Tesco stores in cities and towns all over the UK, demonstrating similar opposition to this type of development nationally.
Letters to:
Planning Director, Government Office for the North West, City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4BE
Your constituency MP – to find their details go to www.theyworkforyou.com
Download this infomration as a Word document - click here
*Messenger Newspapers, 11 October 2009, Public vote no to Tesco plans in Messenger poll
AN online Messenger poll on Tesco’s plans for a massive new store in Stretford have shown an overwhelming number of people dissagree with the proposals. In total 680 people voted in the poll which asked whether they agree with the plans (19 per cent), dissagree with them (61 per cent), or agree that development would benefit the area (20 per cent). The vote ran on the Messenger website for eight days. |
