The multiples are continuing to weather a storm of protests as campaigners fight against the opening of new stores.
Campaigners in Epsom, Surrey, have renewed their protests after developer Helical Bar displayed its new plans for a supermarket in the town centre at a public exhibition.
The site, which has received interest from Tesco and Asda, was earmarked for a 78,988 sq ft two-storey supermarket with a three-storey car park above for 521 vehicles. Residents are still unhappy despite plans to lower the height of the building.
In Elmers End, Kent, Tesco’s plans to expand its store from 54,530 sq
ft to 80,902 sq ft have prompted fears that nearby Beckenham High Street could turn into a ghost town.
A leaked Tesco document estimates that £1.81m in trade would be drawn from the area. The document calculates that Tesco would gain £1m a year from a nearby Sainsbury, £480,000 a year from Waitrose and the rest from local shops.
Meanwhile, in Rye, East Sussex, the Campaign of Residents Opposing a Second Supermarket has been formed to fight plans for a Tesco on the edge of the town.
In Clacton-on-Sea, rumours that Asda is planning to open a store have led local councillors and retailers to claim that the development could kill off the town centre.
However, a spokeswoman for Asda said that the rumours were “nothing but speculation”.
Separately, the Royal Town Planning Institute has dismissed claims of conflict of interest relating to a Tesco in Castle Douglas, Scotland.
Protesters had claimed that the application should be scrapped after advisers employed by Tesco also produced reports for the local authority on the need for a new supermarket.
Beth Brooks
Campaigners in Epsom, Surrey, have renewed their protests after developer Helical Bar displayed its new plans for a supermarket in the town centre at a public exhibition.
The site, which has received interest from Tesco and Asda, was earmarked for a 78,988 sq ft two-storey supermarket with a three-storey car park above for 521 vehicles. Residents are still unhappy despite plans to lower the height of the building.
In Elmers End, Kent, Tesco’s plans to expand its store from 54,530 sq
ft to 80,902 sq ft have prompted fears that nearby Beckenham High Street could turn into a ghost town.
A leaked Tesco document estimates that £1.81m in trade would be drawn from the area. The document calculates that Tesco would gain £1m a year from a nearby Sainsbury, £480,000 a year from Waitrose and the rest from local shops.
Meanwhile, in Rye, East Sussex, the Campaign of Residents Opposing a Second Supermarket has been formed to fight plans for a Tesco on the edge of the town.
In Clacton-on-Sea, rumours that Asda is planning to open a store have led local councillors and retailers to claim that the development could kill off the town centre.
However, a spokeswoman for Asda said that the rumours were “nothing but speculation”.
Separately, the Royal Town Planning Institute has dismissed claims of conflict of interest relating to a Tesco in Castle Douglas, Scotland.
Protesters had claimed that the application should be scrapped after advisers employed by Tesco also produced reports for the local authority on the need for a new supermarket.
Beth Brooks
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