Residents left with 'path to nowhere' after Tesco refuses extension to store

Residents of a new housing estate have been left with a ‘path to nowhere’ after Tesco refused to allow it to be extended to their neighbouring store.

Developers Dandara were expected to create the link between its new North Berwick housing estate and the supermarket as a condition of building the new homes.

However a meeting of East Lothian Council’s planning committee this week heard the path now came to a dead end after Tesco said it had not agreed to the access route.

Committee members were told Tesco had concerns about health and safety, the cost of constructing and maintaining the route and said there were enough alternative access points for pedestrians in their car park.

Despite the path coming to an abrupt fenced-in end at the edge of the land controlled by Dandara, East Lothian Council’s head of planning, Keith Dingwall, confirmed the local authority had adopted it as part of the path network in the estate.

Speaking as councillors were asked to allow the condition imposed nearly ten years ago on developers to create a through route to Tesco to be removed from planning permission, Mr Dingwall said he had held discussions with the supermarket chain’s planners, who had made it clear they were not in favour of it.

He said: “Tesco has been consulted in regards to this planning application. The Town and Country planner advises Tesco is concerned that constructing a route would require a pedestrian crossing on the main route for vehicles into and out of their site, which they say could have health and safety implications.

“They note that there could be insurance implications and note there could be significant costs involved in the construction of the route and maintenance.

“In addition, Tesco is of the view that there are already adequate pedestrian routes on the site, and for these reasons, Tesco has confirmed they are not in favour of this pedestrian link being established.

“As Tesco are not in favour there is no realistic chance of this link being established.”

Councillors vented frustration at being asked to remove the condition, with councillor Andy Forrest calling for developers to provide evidence they can deliver on their promises.

He said: “This seems to be a common occurrence where developers have put in applications promising to do x, y and z and then come back to this committee asking for those conditions to be removed.

“We should have had a letter confirming Tesco had agreed to this path instead we have a path to nowhere.”

Planning convenor Norman Hampshire agreed saying: “We need to have an agreement where a path can physically operate, we have ended up with a path which is not physically possible to complete, because they had no agreement with Tesco. They should have had that at the time of planning consent.“

However Councillor Hampshire said he would ‘reluctantly’ agree to the condition being removed as the applicant could appeal if they refused warning rejecting the application would be ‘a folly’.

Councillor Shona McIntosh, said: “I find this really frustrating, it makes a mockery of the sustainable transport policy.

“The fact that what is clearly designed for a whole estate to get into Tesco and do their shopping without a car is being stopped, shows we need better powers to ensure when we put new housing in we can link them up to get around without a car.”

“I an going to abstain because I think it is ridiculous we cannot get a path.

And Councillor Jeremy Findlay said: “I will be voting against this as I feel conditions should remain in place and we should try and work with Tesco again however unlikely that may be.”

The condition to complete the path was removed by eight votes to three, with one abstention from Councillor McIntosh.

Councillors Norman Hampshire, Liz Allen, Donna Collins, Andy Forrest, Colin McGinn, John McMillan, and Colin Yorkston voted for the removal. Jeremy Findlay, Cher Cassini, and Neil Gilbert voted against.

Tesco has been approached for comment.