'Free parking at Sainsbury's should stay 3 hours' - town council

The town council’s planning committee unanimously objected to plans lodged with West Berkshire Council and said that it would inconvenience shoppers, affect traffic levels and breach an agreement Sainsbury’s entered into four years ago.
With little information available as to its reasons and no representative present at the town council’s planning meeting last week, Sainsbury’s snub to the town council was also criticised.
The retailer built the 529-space car park in 2008 when it was granted permission to extend its superstore, and the expansion was offset with a £500,000 mitigation payment related to the car park.
Town councillor Jeff Beck (Con, Clay Hill) said: “When the original Sainsbury’s application was granted, it was for three hours, it was part of the agreement. It is a very widely used car park and I feel that if we were to grant this, what is to stop them coming back next year and saying, ‘We want one-hour free parking’?
He added: “And they don’t have the courtesy to send a representative – it sends a message.”
His points were backed up by fellow Conservative councillors, Adrian Edwards (Falkland), David Goff (Clay Hill) and Anthony Pick (St Johns).
Mr Goff said: “They have entered into an S106 agreement and it did say three hours. There are no notes or figures on the application to back up what they are asking for. They are not here tonight to explain either. On the basis that they signed an S106 agreement, if they want to change it, then they need to renegotiate it.”
Julian Swift-Hook (Lib Dem, Pyle Hill) said that the lack of explanation as to why the supermarket wanted to make the change was unhelpful, and that it should explain itself before making “a demand”.
It was felt that the car park helped businesses in the town, as shoppers had time to use the store and also pop into Newbury.
The chairman of the planning committee, Phil Barnett (Lib Dem, Pyle Hill), said that Sainsbury’s could be shooting itself in the foot by reducing free parking as people would simply look elsewhere in the town to park and shop.
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s, Michelle Dix, said: “We are disappointed that we weren’t advised the application was to be discussed at the meeting as we would have welcomed the opportunity to attend to discuss the council’s concerns and provide the detailed information requested.
“We are now in discussions with the town council, with the aim of speaking to members at the next town council meeting in early June.”
West Berkshire Council is to make the final decision on the application.
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