Chester Road Tesco Campaign
Since 1998, planning permission has been held for a 3,700 sq m store to be built on playing fields in Trafford, near Manchester United football ground. Tesco bought the site and were refused permission by Trafford Borough Council for a 7,500 sq m store. In 2006 Tesco reapplied for permission for a store of over 8,000 sq m. The extra space would mainly be non-food goods.
Originally a car park, the site was turned into a green space in response to residents' calls for recreational area and to reduce congestion, and is currently playing fields used by residents and wildlife.
Local businesses and residents were clear that the proposal by Tesco would damage the existing town centres, increase traffic, and remove an important community resource and green space. To balance this Tesco would re-position a couple of bus stops on one road. Manchester Friends of the Earth has been working with other groups to oppose the application, delivering 50 letters of objection, including from MPs and councillors, and compared to just 5 objection letters to last year's application.
The application went to a Public Inquiry, however the council planning committee voted that if it was able to decide the matter then it would have refused the application. The committee instructed the council officers to work towards opposing the application at the Public Inquiry. At that committee meeting, Tesco's agents suggested amendments to the council officer's report on the application, and two councillors said that they thought that it was rude and offensive for an applicant to suggest an alteration to the reports of council officers - one said they had never seen it done in 17 years.
The Public Inquiry began on the 27th June 2006, but was adjourned due to new retail evidence, and eventually took place opening on 26th September 2006. The campaign sent in letters of objection to the application to the Inquiry. 2,070 signatures were handed in opposing the development. A local councillor and a representative of Unicorn grocery attended to speak to the Inquiry. The campaigners encouraged as many people as possible to attend the Inquiry, including the MP for Chorlton, John Leech. Campaigners also encouraged residents of nearby borough council areas Manchester and Salford to write to their planning departments, both of which wrote objecting to the scheme. Read our letters to Manchester City Council and Salford Borough Council, asking them to attend and present their objections in person.
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In November 2006, the application was refused by the Planning Inspectorate.
In reaching the decision, the Inspector acknowledged a key role played by the local campaigners, using the survey they had carried out in nearby Burnage (read our report) and submitted to the Inquiry as evidence of the possible impact the store could have on existing shops. According to the Inspector, the evidence is "persuasive." He says that "although the study is not a rigorous or comprehensive piece of research, it does provide what I accept as worthwhile empirical evidence of the effects on small neighbourhood shops on the opening of the superstore." For further information, read a summary of the Inspector's decision.
Campaigners have been delighted with the result of the Inquiry. According to Paul D'Ambra of Manchester Friends of the Earth:
"The planning system can seem confusing and difficult to understand so fighting a company as big as Tesco really brought home the feeeling of David against Goliath and we all thought that we were making a gesture rather than having a real effect. So this result shows just how important it is that people stand up for themselves and their communities and what an effect they can have."
And according to a local retailer, Debbie Clarke from the Unicorn Grocery:
"Contrary to how we often feel, there is a real opportunity to make our voices heard in these cases. I feel we have been listened to and we have made a difference and it's a process definitely worth getting involved with, even though it does seem a bit daunting."
We will continue working with the community to oppose this development.