Exclusive: Huge blow as Tesco drops out of Brid revamp

PLANS for the multi-million-pound redevelopment of one of Yorkshire’s most deprived seaside towns may have been dealt a fatal blow by a collapse in profits at the UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco.
South Marine Drive, BridlingtonSouth Marine Drive, Bridlington
South Marine Drive, Bridlington

The supermarket giant was set to play a key role in the long-awaited £200m revamp of Bridlington by moving a store to a neighbouring site in Hilderthorpe Road, freeing up its existing base for a landmark retail development vital to the delivery of the Bridlington Area Action Plan (AAP).

But the Yorkshire Post can reveal that Tesco has pulled out of the scheme as part of a restructuring of the business following its first fall in profits for 20 years.

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The loss of the site punches a massive hole in a development blueprint which East Riding Council had always insisted must be delivered in its entirety.

A six-week consultation was due to begin today on the next stage of the Bridlington Town Centre and Marina Supplementary Planning Document, which sets out guidelines for the redevelopment of the town centre.

Councillors say they will be looking for a way to salvage the AAP scheme and carry the plans forward, but critics questioned the authority’s approach and whether the scheme can be salvaged.

A Tesco spokesman confirmed: “Following careful consideration, we have decided not to build a replacement for our existing store.

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“We understand some local people will be disappointed and wanted to see the replacement Tesco store come forward. Our store in Bridlington remains exceptionally popular with local customers and we remain proud to serve the local community.”

Development of the Tesco site would have formed the centrepiece of Burlington Parade, the working name of a major mixed-use retail, housing, and small business development, with the other main objective being a £60m, 320-berth marina.

The plan says regenerating the town centre is key to delivering economic growth, and describes the site of the current Tesco store as “optimal” in terms of location, capacity, and layout needed to establish a second retail anchor.

Following an 18-month public inquiry last year, a Government inspector approved the plans but removed one element at the west end of the harbour following concerns it would harm the town’s lucrative shellfishing industry.

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Former East Riding councillor Geoff Pickering, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said: “The new shopping centre was going to go on the site where Tesco is and Tesco was going to move to the car park.

“If Tesco is staying put it means the authority now has to compulsorily purchase the Tesco site and bring in another anchor store and you can imagine what the legal fees would be; that’s not going to happen. Or they are stymied, because the whole plan was based on the development of one bit and the inspector took out the harbour top, so what they are left with is a footpath.

“The knee-bone is connected to the leg bone – one thing falls apart and the whole thing collapses.”

He added: “Fifteen years we have been going to get this far, spending money that if they had spent supporting local businesses, the local businesses would have done most of the regeneration themselves.

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“This is what happens when you get council officers playing at developers; if they were any good they would be out there in the private sector doing it.”

Town mayor Councillor Michael Charlesworth said he was pleased Tesco had pulled out as a large superstore would have damaged other shops but without it, the plans were in disarray. “We are told there is no plan B – they have not publicised one. It was said there were three essential anchor points for this (development) and two have now been lost, so the scheme is adrift and they are up the creek without a paddle.”

Alan Menzies, the authority’s director of planning and economic regeneration, said: “We are disappointed that Tesco has made the decision not to go ahead with their plans in Bridlington. We respect their decision and we will now look at ways of how we can move the plans forward.”

Last week Tesco ditched plans to open more than 100 major new stores after announcing a pre-tax profit slump of 51.5 per cent, to £1.96bn in the year to February 23.