Opposition over plans to extend Tesco car park in Warwick

[dutchman]

Plans to extend the car park at the Tesco supermarket in Warwick have been met with numerous objections from local residents.



Earlier this year Tesco submitted a planning application to Warwick District Council for the variation of conditions previously put upon them, limiting further extensions to the car park, and they are set to go in front the planning committee on Tuesday.

They hope to be allowed to remove the lagoon and replace it with a porous car park solution.

However, the area in Emscote Road has long been the subject of a flood risk and there are concerns that this will exacerbate the problem and increase the risk of flooding. Several objections have also been made by local residents unhappy with the current level of traffic generated by people visiting the supermarket, and they are worried this will only get worse with the increase in parking spaces.

In her written objection Linda Bromley of the Emscote Gardens Residents Association said: “We object to the removal of the lagoon because this was identified as necessary in the flood risk assessment.

“The area in question lies in extreme flood risk zones and the lagoon would provide water storage capacity in the event of high rainfall or flooding, which is a regular event in the area which is frequently seen under water at high river levels.

“We consider the construction of car parking on this area to be crass, even if it is of porous material.

“There is ample car parking at the Tesco site. It has never been utilised anywhere near to its capacity, even at Christmas time and, despite some extra customer parking when the extension is built, there is absolutely no necessity for extra parking on this environmentally valuable site.”

However, no objections to the amended plans were made by British Waterways or Warwickshire County Council Ecology, and Tesco said the porous car park is “a more feasible solution” than the lagoon as a flood risk management measure.

One resident of nearby Austin Edwards Drive objected, calling the expansion “unnecessary”.

She added: “For the size and location of the current store the size is more than sufficient.

“At the moment the traffic noise is significant and encouraging more shoppers will only increase the problem.

“Most mornings and evenings on the way to and from work I have trouble getting past the store with customers queuing to get in and out blocking the road. At weekends it is not even worth trying to go that way. I also agree with my neighbours concerning the increasing noise and frequency of delivery trucks entering and leaving the site.”