Council accused of ‘rolling over’ to Sainsbury’s

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Elgood has accused Brighton and Hove City Coucil of failing to stand up to big corporate firms after Sainsbury’s opened on Western Road without planning permission.

The proposed opening of the Sainsbury’s store has been controversial due to it close proximity to a Tesco’s store on a road that is well equipped with convenience stores. Local residents have also complained at the potential of more delivery lorries unloading on the road.

The store has not received the planning permission required for its shopfront and cashpoint, but is now open to business. However, Cllr Elgood has revealed that the Environment Department is to contact both supermarket chains to discuss road management issues.

Elgood, who is Lib Dem councillor for Brunswick and Adelaide, said on this blog: “Officers tell me that they have a right for retrospective planning permission, but it just seems to me that once again the council is failing to stand up to the big corporates.”

“Having said that I met with senior officers in the Environment Department to discuss the road management issues, and they are to contact both Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s to discuss the problems the illegal unloading will cause there. This at least presents a glimmer of hope.”

Read more on this topic on Paul Elgood’s blog.

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Posted by Joseph Lewis on March 11, 2010. Filed under Brighton and Hove News,Council News,Paul Elgood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry