"Tesco has one motive - to make money" (From Watford Observer)

"Tesco has one motive - to make money"

9:00am Wednesday 13th May 2009 in

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Loud jeers of opposition echoed around a packed village hall last night as residents attacked plans to build a Tesco and flats in Bovingdon.

Around 150 people flocked to a public meeting organised by Bovingdon Parish Council to give their views on the controversial proposal which could see an Express store plus eight residential flats built on a former car showroom where the High Street meets Chesham Road.

The crowd heckled as it heard that the retail giant and Dacorum Borough Council’s planning department had both declined an invitation by the parish council to attend the meeting.

Nevertheless the meeting went ahead and residents raised worries about traffic, pollution, the size and look of the development and the effect it would have on the village. Local businesses spoke against the impact the site would have on the High Street.

“Tesco says ‘every little helps’ but I say every little hurts. It will hurt the community; it will hurt all of us.”

St Lawrence’s church Vicar Tim Marshall

Bovingdon vicar Tim Marshall of St Lawrence’s Church in Vicarage Lane spoke out against the scheme. His comments were greeted with rapturous applause from the audience.

Rev Marshall said: “We are very fortunate to have a good collection of shops in the High Street. Many are old family businesses. These are Bovingdon shops which create the Bovingdon feeling.

“If Tesco Express comes to Bovingdon we will lose the shops. Tesco does not want to come here to make friends they want to come to make money. They are armed to destroy other businesses and drive them out.

“Tesco says ‘every little helps’ but I say every little hurts. It will hurt the community; it will hurt all of us.”

Jane Povey, who lives near the site, said she was "shocked" at the store’s "massive" operating hours, the height of the "horrific" construction and worried about parking.

Mrs Povey said: “I wanted to move into a quiet village. Soon it will turn into Chesham, then Hemel Hempstead and soon Watford.”

Only one positive comment was made in the site's favour throughout the meeting.

The plans are almost identical to those proposed for sites in Watford Road, Croxley Green, and in Mill End, Rickmansworth, which the Observer has been following.

In Rickmansworth Tesco submitted revised plans only two weeks ago to build an Express store and seven apartments at the site of the old Happy Man Pub, in Berry Lane – seven months after a near identical application was rejected by councillors.

In Croxley Green the company has been fighting since 2006 to build an Express convenience store and flats in Watford Road – plans which have twice been refused.

In its most recent ruling in February, Three Rivers District Council rejected the application; Tesco however has refused to accept this decision and has announced its intention to appeal to the Secretary of State.

Bovingdon residents said they feared the same battle was heading to their village.

Chairman of the parish council Tony Trigg concluded: “With planning applications it is the number of replies that has an impact. It is down to the actions of the people. If we do something about it things will happen.”

Dacorum Borough Council must receive villagers’ comments by Thursday, May 21. The council’s development control committee will consider the proposal on Thursday, June 11. The meeting starts at 7pm.