FOCUS OF ATTENTION: Midland Road car park in North Walsham.
Developers in talks with Tesco at North Walsham interested in buying North Norfolk District Council land
By Alex Hurrell , Reporter
Thursday, February 23, 2012
7:00 AM
Developers in talks with Tesco are interested in a council car park as part of the site for a potential second new supermarket in North Walsham.
The two firms behind the venture are known to be trying to piece together enough land for a supermarket on the edge-of-town Midland Road site and have been in discussion with a number of businesses in the area, where the North Norfolk District Council-run car park is located.
The free 50-space car park is already under the microscope as the council seeks to plug a hole in its budget with a controversial district-wide overhaul of parking charges which will see fees introduced there from April.
A district council spokesman said: “We recently received an initial approach from the developers regarding the NNDC land at Midland Road, which we will consider in due course.”
The revelation has again sparked concerns over NNDC’s dual role as a landowner courted by developers, and as the authority which would decide any application for a supermarket.
But the council spokesman added; “As is proper, this approach will be treated completely separately from any associated or forthcoming planning applications.”
Joint developers Petros and Hartfield declared their interest in North Walsham shortly after Waitrose announced its hopes of converting the town’s former Focus DIY outlet, on Cromer Road, into a food store, creating 150 jobs. A Waitrose spokesman this week said they hoped to submit a planning application within days.
The potential conflict of interests for NNDC came to the fore six years ago during long-running supermarket wars at Sheringham which ended in victory for Tesco in 2010.
In 2006 it emerged that planning officers, no longer working for the authority, had reached a “secret deal” with Tesco in 2003 to sell the supermarket giant NNDC land on Cromer Road, and not to promote for development its car park land at Sheringham station, where rival firm Budgens had already been granted planning permission.
The council was later cleared of any impropriety by a legal expert who concluded that there had been an “adequate separation of interests”.
Richard Hewitt, a Sheringham town councillor and an accredited planning lawyer who followed the saga closely, said the matter had caused considerable disquiet at the time.
He added: “It’s always been one of those things that’s difficult to square. In theory these powers are separate but obviously, at a practical level, all decisions take place within the same building.”
Keith Johnson, NNDC cabinet member with responsibility for planning policy, pledged: “The Sheringham situation will never, ever occur again. There are safeguards in place.
“Everything will be dealt with in the open and transparently as far as possible, bearing in mind the need for commercial confidentiality.”
Mr Johnson said two council officers had met Petros/Hartfield representatives who outlined their plans for the Midland Road site and the officers had suggested they make a formal application.
The council was putting a lot of effort into North Walsham and would not want to lose any parking spaces.
He added: “Quite clearly that would be taken into consideration with any application.” NNDC owns about half of Midland Road car park and leases the rest from Norfolk County Council.
A spokesman for the developers said they hoped to go out to wider public consultation in April.
She added: “We are in active discussions with Tesco; we hope to be able to confirm them as our contracted retail partner shortly.
“We believe our plans offer a very positive development for jobs, investment and shopping choice in North Walsham.”
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7 comments
A Tesco at North Walsham could make a challenge for the title of "Worst Tesco Branch in the World". Currently held by Stalham.
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Mad Brewer
Sunday, February 26, 2012
North Walsham has plenty of unused buildings and areas for commercial buildings, which is why Waitrose moving into the old Focus building makes sense. North Walsham does not need more houses at all, again we have lots of empty houses that need renovating. North Walsham is a market town, we do not need to make it into a large town, let's appreciate what we have and spend time, money and thought on improving what we have!
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OM
Friday, February 24, 2012
Are we to presume that if this plot of land is sold that the NNDC would then use this windfall to reduce parking charges in other North Norfolk towns Don't hold your breath there must be a catch somewhere just like the Sheringham saga
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Claire Voyant
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wouldn't we better with a free car park (once the council stops interfering) than yet another ........yawn.................Tesco
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Ian
Thursday, February 23, 2012
what about the exclusion zone re gas terminal norwich road, does not this area come into this? or if it is council land it does not matter and how did holburn tyres application for building flats on norwich road get turned down because of exclusion zone, money talks
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derek royall
Thursday, February 23, 2012
We also need jobs in the town. Please bring a Tesco and a Waitrose. Give us the choice where to shop. It would probably bring more people into North Walsham instead of going to Cromer, Norwich or Stalham, that can only be a good thing! The car park is used by workers and students of the college, any one wanting a free space after 9am can forget it, there aren't any. I know, I've tried. So for those shopping in the town have to pay for a space any way.
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NWtownie
Thursday, February 23, 2012
District and County councils are selling off land for supermarkets when they desperately needshouses and homes for people, in towns like North Walsham. Once again, they are lying to us about choice, which will be greatly diminished, small shops will shut, a fact, so why these tales of 'shopping choice'. If North walsham, looked at charging for this car park, then the Tesco car park should also be charged for. lease the land to them, don't sell it. If they don't like a lease and want to own the land, tell them to go away there are plenty of others wanting to sell locally produced food stuffs.
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ingo wagenknecht
Thursday, February 23, 2012