Councillors say NO to Tesco...again (From Watford Observer)

Councillors say NO to Tesco...again

10:54am Friday 19th June 2009 in

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Traders in Mill End are celebrating after a controversial application to build a Tesco convenience store was rejected by councillors for a second time.

The company wants to build seven flats and an Express store on the site of the derelict Happy Man pub, in Berry Lane – just metres away from a thriving shopping parade.

Three Rivers District Council, however, which rejected a near identical application in November, ruled against the proposals for a second time at a meeting last night.

Members of its Development Control Committee – to the relief of local traders who claim the application would destroy their businesses – unanimously agreed the development would simply be too big for the site.

Councillor Chris Hayward, who represents the Conservative Party on the committee, told the Watford Observer: “This is the second application they’ve put before us and again it’s a case of over development. They will have to come back with something better.”

Tesco announced its plans to develop the burned-out site in June, with a near identical scheme to one planned just a few miles up road in Croxley Green (Watford Road).

More than 2,000 residents later signed a Traders’ Association petition in opposition to the plans and even held a public meeting to discuss objections to it.

That application for eight flats and the store – rejected unanimously – is the subject of an ongoing appeal by the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which is expected to make a ruling later in the year.

Paresh Patel, of the Tudor Parade Traders’ Association, said: “We are very pleased with the decision but it was not a surprise to us because this application was really no different to their last one. Really it was a waste of everybody’s time.

“Now we will concentrate on fighting their appeal.”

The future of the site has been keenly debated ever since it was first gutted by fire in 2005.

Two applications to refurbish and reopen the now derelict pub were refused by the council in 2006.