Out-of-town store plan clears first hurdle

The plans, submitted by the owners of the First Point business park to the south of the town, suggest that more than 500 jobs could be created on the site.

At present, the plot of land has consent for a warehouse building and not retail use, but owners the Catesby Property Group said it was unlikely that developers would come forward with this type of plan.

Instead, the firm asked for full permission for a “managed workspace” building and park-and-ride facility for 255 cars and has submitted outline plans for the superstore which will be worked up later with an unnamed operator.

Tesco, which has a store on the edge of the nearby Woodfield Plantation housing estate, had objected to the new store, raising concerns over the location.

But members of Doncaster’s planning committee followed the guidance of officers, who said the retail development was likely to create more jobs more quickly.

Addressing the committee, Catesby spokesman Mark Stitch said: “Overall this will create 532 permanent jobs. The proposal if it is fully accepted will increase the size of Doncaster’s economy by £10.3m a year.

“It is important to have competition and choice. It is a development in a key location and it is providing a key infrastructure and transport benefits for Doncaster.”

According to the report, the supermarket element of the proposal, which will include 616 car parking spaces and a petrol station, will create 352 jobs, but no specific retailer is named as being interested in the site. It is thought that the managed workspace part of the proposal would provide an extra 178 jobs, which ties in with the authority’s regeneration aspirations for the site and the surrounding communities.