Sheffield City Council have granted permission for the commercial property, which was formally a factory to be demolished to make way for a new Asda store on Beighton Road East, in Sheffield.
Asda originally submitted the application on 21 December 2010, but it was only approved three days ago. The proposed plans for the commercial property in Sheffield include; 8612 sq m food outlet, a petrol filling station, 450 car parking spaces which comprise of 24 for disabled users and also 20 cycle spaces.
It is believed that Asda will help Home Decor Innovations, who currently occupy the factory to relocate to new premises. However, many local residents are angered by the new plans as there is already a 24 hour Asda superstore less than three miles away from the Beighton Road East location. Once resident expressed, “We have a Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and an existing Asda supermarket within a short distance of the proposal.” Another local resident explained, “The profits from a company such as Asda, which is owned by the American giant Wal-Mart usually go abroad and are not spent locally as would be the case for small business owners. So in the end the local economy, which is already struggling, will get worse.”
Sheffield Friends of the Earth have also expressed there obligations towards the plans of knocking down a perfectly good working building, “The green credentials of the building are dubious in view of the fact it will involve the demolition of a perfectly good manufacturing workshop.”
Sigma planning services, on behalf of Tesco Stores Ltd also objected the plans for the new commercial property by detailing Sheffield city Council’s core strategy plans. The council has numerous plans and strategies for the city, which Sigma planning services have commented on:
“An ongoing business use of the site is appropriate and the use of the site for retail would therefore be contrary to this policy.”
“If the Home Decor Innovations site is to be redeveloped for an alternative use then housing should be the priority alternative use.”
“It is of a scale that would not comply with the limited development that conforms with the policy and therefore conflicts with this saved UDP policy.”
However, it seems that Asda isn’t bothered if they upset their competitors, as Phil Bartram, Communications Manager at Asda put across, “Sainsbury’s will be taking the hit from us. People will go into Crystal Peaks as well. We’ll be working to take trade away from the other supermarkets.”
So it looks like it doesn’t matter how many people object a proposed plan, as the big dogs will more than likely win. So the resident of Sheffield will just have to get use to the new Asda coming in 2013.
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