Plans to expand Tesco car park approved despite objections

[dutchman]

New car park works at a Warwick supermarket will prevent the risk of flooding rather than increase it according to Warwick District Council.



At a meeting of the district council planning committee on Tuesday members voted in favour of the application from the Emscote Road Tesco supermarket to extend the car park.

Earlier this year Tesco submitted the application to for the variation of conditions previously put upon them, to build a lagoon and limiting further extensions to the car park.

But after claiming that a lagoon is impractical due to the underground cables and piping they now requested permission to build a porous car park on the land which backs onto the river.

Tesco said the porous car park was “a more feasible solution” than a lagoon as a flood risk management measure.

There had been several objections lodged, largely from local residents, on the grounds that this would exacerbate the high flood risk in the area, and also with the increased level of traffic that will be generated from an increase in parking spaces.

In her written objection Linda Bromley of the Emscote Gardens Residents Association had called the construction of car parking on the areas to be “crass” and questioned whether there was a need to extend the car park.

But despite the objections the application was passed, with the support of the Environment Agency for the porous car park solution proving pivotal. British Waterways and Warwickshire County Council had also raised no objections.

At the meeting Cllr Ann Blacklock (Lib, Kenilworth Abbey) said: “I’m convinced by the statements for support from the experts in the reports.

“I think the objectors are confused and this will bring extra protection because of greater water storage. There are no losses at all.”

Cllr Michael Kinson (Con, Warwick West) said: “The increase in flood storage will impact on flooding downstream but the environmental agency will monitor this.”

The planning committee was unanimous in voting in favour of the application.

[dutchman]

As my late housekeeper used to say: "Money talks!"