Residents fed up with bad neighbour Tesco

11.37.18am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 14th Jul 2008

Southdown residents and local Councillors Paul Crossley and Dine Romero are criticising Tesco for the delays in opening the new store on Englishcombe Lane, saying the building site is an eyesore.

At the end of 2007 Tesco won planning permission to convert the petrol station and shop on Englishcombe Road into a new Tesco Express store. This was welcomed by residents of the Kingsway area of Bath who had lost three local shops over the previous years. Work started before Christmas with an expected completion date of mid-March 2008.

Tesco applied for a very long alcohol licence for the store in January. Many residents thought a 17 hour 7 day licence was not appropriate and at the Council Licensing committee this was reduced to 15 hours a day. At that meeting Tesco said they wanted to be a good neighbour.

However, when asked about the building schedule - as no-one was working on site - Tesco admitted that there was a four month delay and it would not be completed until mid-July.

Since the Licensing committee hearing work has stopped and the site has remained derelict and an eyesore. This is annoying local residents who feel it is running the area down. Local Councillors have tried twice without success to meet with Tesco and are trying for a third time.

Cllr Paul Crossley (Liberal Democrat, Southdown) commented, "Tesco are simply failing to live up to their pledge to be a good neighbour. Residents had been looking forward to the new facility the store would provide, but now they are fed up with the way Tesco is treating the area. Tesco needs to deliver on their pledge, get this store completed and start providing a service to residents in the Kingsway area."

Cllr Dine Romero (Liberal Democrat, Southdown) added, "Many residents keep asking me when the store is going to be finished and what are Tesco playing at. We have tried to speak to them but we kept being told staff changes are happening or people are on holiday. They should come to Southdown and tell the people here why they are leaving this eyesore with us."