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Oakwood Tesco store plan gets go-ahead
A controversial proposal for a Tesco in Oakwood has been pushed through by planning chiefs by the narrowest of margins.
The blueprint to knock down the existing 24-hour supermarket on Roundhay Road, and the neighbouring Homebase DIY store and rebuild a Tesco Extra twice its current size has divided the community.
More than 600 letters objecting to the plan were received by Leeds City Council, with 70 detailed objections presented in the planning officers' final report.
However the proposal also received more than 400 letters of support after the supermarket giant polled its customers.
Opponents say the expansion will put a nail in the coffin of local businesses in Oakwood town centre. Supporters say it will revitalise the local economy.
At a packed meeting of Leeds City Council's plans panel east yesterday, residents voiced their disapproval throughout proceedings as councillors pushed through the plan.
Of the eight decision-making panel members at the meeting, three voted for the megastore, three against and two abstained. Committee chairman Coun Graham Latty used his casting vote to approve the project.
After the meeting, one Oakwood resident, who has campaigned against the project from the beginning, vowed to carry on fighting saying: "It's not the end of the game."
However she said it was "shocking" that such a major development could be approved when only three members of the panel had actually voted for it.
Earlier, as computer graphics of the blueprint were flashed up, one resident sitting in the gallery said: "God help us".
Coun Robert Finnigan (Morley Borough Independents, Morley), one of those voting against the expansion, said he feared it would kill the local economy and become a "trojan horse".
"I have significant concerns," he said.
"They will probably apply for a mezzanine floor in a year or 18 months, at that stage they will be able to sell just about everything.
"If this isn't signing a death knell for the Oakwood Centre then what
is?"
However Coun Donald Wilson (Lib Dem, Rothwell) said a similar plan for a larger replacement Morrisons at Rothwell District Centre had been equally "agonising" for locals in the beginning but the store – which opened a year ago – had ended up being just the boost the area needed.
"Contrary to opinion at that time, we now have five new shops," he said.
He said 75 per cent of local residents now claimed to shop in their local area, compared to 40 per cent before the opening of the larger store.
The planned new Oakwood store – with a retail space of 7,000 square feet – would be bigger than both the existing Tesco and Homebase buildings put together. As part of the deal, Tesco will be asked to ensure the car park is a community car park and not just for supermarket shoppers.
The YEP reported earlier this year that an investigation had been launched after a letter of support for the megastore plan was discovered to be a fake.
However after a major investigation, it was found to be a one-off.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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