Tesco cash sparks row over spa town store

Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce has criticised Tesco over its offer of money for town-centre improvements as part of its application for a superstore in the spa town – the last postcode area in mainland Britain without one.

Speaking ahead of a Harrogate Council Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday, where the proposals for the 24-hour site are recommended for approval, chief executive Brian Dunsby said his members felt the local authority has caved in with the inclusion of £1.57m in Section 106 money by the supermarket giant.

He said the result would be to titillate the pavements and the street lights in the town centre and put up a fountain.

“We have supported the council in objecting to developments before but we have never had to go to these lengths.

“The present plans will cause damage not just to Harrogate retail trade and its unique shopping environment but also the trade in market towns across the district.

“They will all suffer because this will bring Harrogate’s traffic to a standstill.

“Tesco talks about creating 300 jobs but there will be more gone than that.”

The Chamber has already registered its formal objection to the plans on the site of the former gasworks at New Park, based on traffic congestion, road safety, gas safety and trade impact.

Mr Dunsby says at its peak there would be 14,000 car movements from the site on a daily basis.

Tesco corporate affairs manager Matt Magee, who maintains the scheme has the support of 70 per cent of the public in the area, said the recommendation was proof the supermarket giant had got the application “absolutely right” and the town was backing the store.

“The section 106 agreement has been drawn up with the agreement of the council and is directly mitigating the store within the planning regulations as we are keen to compete with Waitrose and Asda which are town centre stores,” he said.