Morrisons planning application

Morrisons has applied for planning permission for a supermarket on the Hithercroft Industrial Estate. Sustainable Wallingford objects to this proposal on the following grounds.

1. Out-of-town-centre supermarkets have been shown to have a negative impact on town centres and to encourage car usage. Morrisons’ proposals for an out-of-town-centre development is counter to SODC’s new Core Strategy. Policy CST1 (Town centres and shopping) states: “.... the Council looks for proposals for main town centre uses to be sited within defined town centres.” The Policy defines the town centre boundaries as the area within a town where retail development and leisure uses are concentrated; by this definition the proposed Morrisons development is more than 600m from the closest part of the town centre.
2. SODC has recently given Planning Consent for redevelopment of the old Waitrose site, to include a supermarket. This is clearly within the defined town centre, so any bid for an out-of-town supermarket at this stage should be rejected.

What can you do if you oppose this application? Attend the SODC Planning Committee Meeting when the application is considered: we will publish the date on our website when it is known.

We are a grassroots, community-led and volunteer run organisation that works in the local community in and around Wallingford, Oxfordshire, to raise awareness and activity in sustainable living through:

• More efficient use of ENERGY. 

• Reduction, recycling and reuse of produce to minimise WASTE.
• LOCAL SOURCING of food and other products.
• Adoption of less carbon intensive TRANSPORT and BIODIVERSITY .

You can find out more about our activities on this website. If this inspires you to get involved, please contact us.