Sainsbury’s scheme gets backing
STAPLEHURST Parish Council has given an emphatic thumbs- up to the proposed Sainsbury’s supermarket in the village. Every member of the full council present for an extraor- dinary planning committee meeting supported the applica- tion, following submissions from the supermarket and mem- bers of the public. The proposal is for a 19,000 sq
ft supermarket to be erected on land bounded by Station Ap- proach and Lodge Road. The scheme would see the demoli- tion of a building owned by di- amond manufacturer DK Holdings, who would gain a new and larger 28,000 sq ft fac- tory elsewhere on the site. Members requested that the application is heard by the planning committee, as well as a number of conditions. They are: The store should not be in- creased or reduced in size. It was felt the proposed size, though 6,000 sq ft smaller than the Maidstone branch, is ideal to serve the community. The supermarket should be primarily for foodwith no phar- macy, to safeguard the other shops in the village. No mezzanine should be built inside the building. No signage advertising Sains- bury’s should placed above roof
Store size criticised THE parish council’s decision to request a cap on the size of the supermarket was criticised by one member of public. Ted Sergison, of Corner Farm
Computer-generated image of the proposed Sainsbury’s store
line of the building. Councillors felt this was necessary to aid road safety for vehicles travel- ling along the A229 from the north, and to retain the village feel so the name Sainsbury’s is not the first thing seen as peo- ple enter Staplehurst. The proposed bus stop next to the store to have a lay-by to pre- vent traffic congestion. Moving the proposed pedes-
trian crossing on the A229 fur- ther from Fishers Road. The creation of yellow box junctions where the A229 meets Market Street and Fish- ers Road. Increasing staff parking spaces from the current proposal of 10, through utilising an access road, was considered impor- tant. Sainsbury’s representative, Rob Pearson, admitted
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Sainsbury’s tight-lipped on Tesco TESCO is expected to submit a planning application imminently for a new 28,000 sq ft supermarket on the other side of Station Approach. The company recently made a public presentation of a scheme
that would see the store built on an old goods yard directly south of the train station. The current train station car park would be transferred into
the use of the supermarket for its customers, with a new car park built off George Street, north of the station, for railway users. A Sainsbury’s representative refused to comment when asked if both supermarkets could co-exist in Staplehurst.
Road, said: “They say they don’t want it larger but there are another 500 homes being built in Staplehurst over the next few years. The parish council does not want it to have a chemist, but lots of people complain about the one we have in the village because it can’t cope with the demand. As a result, I use the one in Head- corn. “A lot of people are against Sainsbury’s as it is too small, while the Tesco scheme is for a larger store that will sell clothes, which you can’t buy in Staplehurst. Out of the two, I would prefer Tesco as it is larger.”
Online support from
debate chamber USERS of Staplehust Parish Council’s online debate cham- ber have come out in favour of the Sainsbury’s scheme. In a poll on Staplehurst Forum, 45% (88 votes) were in favour of Sainsbury’s, with 26% (52 votes) opting for Tesco. A total of 29% (57 votes) wanted no supermarket to be built.
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