No cash for Tesco town study

PEOPLE protesting against a supermarket development in Derbyshire say they will look for other ways to pay for a feasibility study, after the town council refused to foot the bill.

Belper Town Council told pressure group Belper Against Tesco (Bats) it would not pay for the independent report to assess the need for a large supermarket in the town.

Mike Beavis, from Bats, said he had received a quote from a firm called Planning Aid saying the study would cost £3,500.

But the council said it would not consider paying for the report because it needed quotes from three separate companies for any project where more than £1,000 of public money is spent.

Mr Beavis, 50, of Spencer Road, Belper, said he felt there was not time to get two more quotes.

He said: "The town council essentially caught us out with a technicality.

"Amber Valley Borough Council has not paid for an independent assessment so we got the costs together and asked the town council if they would pay instead.

"£3,500 is a fair bit of money but in the context of the future of the town of Belper, it's not that unreasonable.

"We will now explore other avenues and try and raise the money needed to pay for the report."

Tesco has unveiled plans for the project, in the Meadows Edge area of the town, which include a new store, homes, a sports quarter, library, relief road and a new ground for Belper Town FC.

A formal planning application is expected to be submitted in the next few months and the development could create 400 jobs.

But Bats believes it would be too big and would have a negative impact on smaller shops in the town.

Mr Beavis said: "It could be as big as 80,000 sq ft, which is three times the size of the Morrisons store in the town.

"We believe it would suck the lifeblood out of the town and kill it."

Speaking at a special meeting, held this week in Belper, town councillor Peter Arnold said it was not the job of the town council to pay for the independent assessment.

He said: "Spending taxpayers' money on this is something we cannot do."

But town and borough councillor Debbie Biss said she felt the study was important.

She said: "I think an appraisal is necessary.

"It certainly is appropriate for the future of Belper."

According to a Bats survey of 534 people, only 31% were in favour of the development, with 51% against and 18% undecided.

But in a separate survey, where 400 people completed feedback forms following a public exhibition, Tesco said 56% approved of the plans, 30% of people had concerns about the development and 14% were undecided.