A SUPERMARKET chain must wait to hear if it can double the size of its Harrow store in the face of opposition.
Harrow Council’s planning committee has deferred a decision on the mixed retail and housing scheme proposed by Tesco in Station Road until January so it can make a site visit.
Helen Webster, chairwoman of Harrow Civic Residents’ Association and a resident of Rosslyn Crescent, said: “As much as Tesco tries to make amendments, they can’t change the Hindes Road/Station Road junction, which is still a problem and causes traffic jams along Station Road.
“The site is quite open, but having a multi-storey car park, flats, and shops would close off the junction and make it very crowded.”
The grocery chain applied for a two-storey extension to the front and rear of the store, a deck over the car park to provide 66 more spaces and a four-storey complex of four shops and 14 flats.
Two petitions of objection have been submitted, one with 191 signatures the other with 50, while concerns were also voiced by the adjacent Buckingham College School and Campaign for a Better Harrow Environment.
Greenhill ward councillor Ben Wealthy (Labour) said: “For many residents living near Tesco, these plans have led to real concerns about traffic congestion, community safety, quality of life and the demise of local traders.
“To be an economic success story, Harrow needs an ambitious and diverse mix of retailers and businesses that are committed to the community.
“It is right to ask whether the continuing Tesco takeover hinders or helps economic and social renewal in our shopping centres.”
Tony Fletcher, corporate affairs manager for the Tesco chain, said: “We hope a site visit will help to make clear the changes we have made and the way we have responded to the public’s views on the development.
“We are looking forward to the planning committee being reconvened in the new year as early as possible.”
