New Tesco supermarket would drive away trade, say objectors

A spokesman for the company said that submission of the finalised plans had come after months of consultation, adding that, if approved, the supermarket in Market Street, Hoyland, would create about 140 new jobs.

Tesco spokesman Deborah Hayeems said: “We have put local people at the heart of this exciting scheme.

“We have worked closely with the community, listened to their views, and adapted our plans to create a store that benefits as many people as possible.”

But Suki Walker from Walker’s newsagents in Hoyland, which has a petition against the supermarket plans, said the new store could be to the detriment of the town.

She added: “Tesco say this will help Hoyland town centre, but it won’t because the supermarket site isn’t even in the town centre.

“Tesco is being greedy. People are going to drive on to Tesco and then go straight home rather than going into Hoyland. It’s a fair distance away, not just around the corner. We are all worried for the town centre.”

Following a public consultation, Tesco and developer Litton Properties have made a number of changes to their final plans for the supermarket.

These include adding a roundabout at the junction of Market Street and Wombwell Road to try and improve the flow of traffic, putting in a barrier at the access to the site to prevent anti-social behaviour when the store is closed and also improving road markings around the site.

A spokesman for Tesco said: “The store, at the former site of the Hoyland Market Street Primary School, would bring supermarket shopping to Hoyland, with a range of high quality food and non-food goods on offer at affordable prices.

“Independent research has shown that 90 per cent of people currently travel outside of Hoyland to do their weekly shopping.”

Ms Hayeems said the public consultation indicated locals in Hoyland are behind the plans, adding: “The proposals have been extremely popular with local people who want a wide range of affordable goods on their doorstep.

“The store would encourage more people to shop locally and provide a boost to Hoyland.”

Mark Rothery, head of retail development at Litton Properties, described the plans as an “important development for Hoyland.”

He said: “This would regenerate a derelict site and create 140 jobs for local people.

“The community has been involved in the proposals from a very early stage.

“Now that we have submitted our plans we will continue to engage with local people to answer any questions they may have about the site.”

About 175 people attended a two-day exhibition on the plans for the new supermarket and, according to Tesco, more than 85 per cent of those who filled in comment cards said they were in favour of the store being built.

Barnsley Council will now hold its own public consultation before the application is determined by councillors..

In neighbouring Sheffield, Tesco’s most recent application to build a new supermarket was turned down. The company, again together with Litton Properties, had applied to build a supermarket in Halfway.

It was claimed that the supermarket in Oxclose Park Road would have provided up to 450 new jobs for locals, with the potential to inject more than £5.5m in wages into the local economy.

However, councillors voted in accordance with the city planners’ recommendation to refuse permission for the new store, on the ground that new housing should be built on the greenfield site instead.

More than 150 people had written letters of objection to the supermarket plans.