MP Davey calls on Kingston Council to buy back Tolworth Tesco land
Kingston Council should force Tesco to hand over the land on which it hoped to build a supermarket, hotel, and flats, Kingston and Surbiton MP Edward Davey has said.
Mr Davey said the council should use powers under government legislation to compulsorily purchase the land, near Tolworth roundabout, after the supermarket giant withdrew its plans for the third time yesterday. Tesco bought the site, next to Charrington Bowl, in 2002.
Tesco said it had scrapped its plans as they stand, and will now consider its options regarding the land.
Roberto Munoz, Tesco's head of corporate affairs for London, said the company will continue to consult on plans for the site which work "for the community". Kingston Council officers had recommended the plans be refused at a development control meeting, now cancelled, which was set for Friday night. The development would have meant the creation of 250 jobs, of which a third would have gone to people who had been unemployed for more than six months.
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Comments
What does Ed think should be built instead that would not create more traffic?
The land is an eyesore and needs something built on it, nobody is going to build unless it attracts people, which means more traffic, get over it for goodness sake, do you enjoy looking at that barren wasteland for another 12 years!
Yes build something, house, flats, community use or schools but not a 24 hour superstore which will increase the horrendous traffic jams on the roundabout. For those of us living on the main roads we have had enough of traffic at a standstill from 3pm-7pm weekdays since the Greenway opened
He is grandstanding
1) A compulsory purchase is not something that can be done willy nilly. Such an attempt would further aggetate Tesco who would put up a costly fight in the courts.
2) How on earth would the council fund the purchase given its stretched budget.
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