Special meeting on controversial Sainsbury's plan for Malmesbury (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Special meeting on controversial Sainsbury's plan for Malmesbury

9:50am Friday 27th January 2012 in North Wilts news By Tina Robins

TOWNSPEOPLE are expected to turn up in force to a special meeting in Malmesbury where councillors will decide whether to back controversial plans by Sainsbury’s for a new superstore.

Two sessions are being held on Tuesday to allow as many residents of both Malmesbury and St Pauls Without to make their views known.

Members of the town’s planning committee will then decide whether to support or object to the scheme for a store, employment units and filling station on the site of Malmesbury Garden Centre.

The town and the parish council have set up a joint working party to examine the planning application closely before the meeting in the town hall.

The main issues will then be put before both councils.

“We are giving Malmesbury an opportunity to make their comment,” said town planning committee chairman Patrick Goldstone. “We need to hear from everybody.”

St Paul’s Without was expected to debate the application last week, but agreed to defer a decision.

“All the applications that are coming in at the moment will fundamentally change the character and nature of our town,” said Cllr Roger Budgen. “We owe it to the community to hear their views.”

Residents at the parish council’s meeting complained about the plans for a roundabout, access, traffic and the potential impact on the high street.

Justin Davis said: “I think it will probably kill the town.”

Mark Brown suggested the Co-op in Gloucester Road would be closed, denying competition.

“The town centre is the heart of Malmesbury,” said John Hurst. “When people think of towns they think of the centre. If people think of a place which is dead or dying that must have an effect on potentially lucrative areas like tourism."

Sainsbury’s would shift the heart of the town to the garden centre site.

Simon Grafftey-Smith suggested the town would grow towards the site in the future.

Malmesbury Chamber of Commerce has already indicated it will object to both Sainsbury’s and Waitrose plans.

At the Malmesbury area board meeting last Wednesday member Aimee Frankham also pressed for a retail impact assessment, detailing residents’ shopping habits, to be carried out on the town rather than relying on a county-wide survey.

The residents association has also objected to the Sainsbury's application, dubbing it premature in the light of Malmesbury’s position as one of the first areas in the country to be developing a neighbourhood plan under the Localism Act.

It also noted a 2011 town centre retail study carried out in Wiltshire for the unitary authority that concluded there was no need for further out of town development in the county .

“We believe that Malmesbury’s historic and traditional High Street is one of the key factors giving it strength of community cohesion, and making the town such an attractive place to live. As such we oppose developments which threaten these community strengths,” a statement from the association said this week.

The first meeting on Tuesday starts at 6.30 in the Wesleyan Room, with the second session following at 8pm.