Tesco development at Tolworth - To the Editor

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Letters to the Editor Letters To the Editor Tesco development at Tolworth

12/11/2007 13:14

	TROD
1 posts

Tesco development at Tolworth

Catherine’s description of how Tesco’s ‘working party’ is being conducted is worrying.

But how much importance can one attach to this exercise?

After all, Tesco’s consultation was based on the premise that a superstore would be a ‘prominent feature of the scheme’ (from a letter it sent to local residents in February 2007).

Not much of a consultation when the conclusion has already been predetermined.

And this conclusion has been made in the face of consistently widespread opposition from the local community to a scheme with a superstore in it.

This is evidenced in the public reaction at the two consultation meetings held in the autumn of 2006, the correspondence in the local press, and from the strong opposition by the local MP, Ed Davey.

In this context, Tesco continues not to listen to the local community which clearly fears with good reasons the damaging affects a superstore will have on Tolworth.

It is inconceivable that traffic congestion and air quality will not significantly worsen.

And in any case, Tesco’s own figures (from its withdrawn planning application submitted in the autumn of 2006) state that there will be a loss of trade on Tolworth Broadway by as much as 16.5%.