DEAR EDITOR - Action for Droitwich is extremely concerned over the tactics of Wychavon District Council in pushing through the planning application for the Waitrose Store.
They have brought the issue before the public of Droitwich in August when most people are away on holiday and have provided such a short window for comment that they are guaranteed to get little response. Further more they have named only the Worcestershire Hotel and the Market Hall as items of concern to the local plan, when the Waitrose store is the real issue (this must be misleading).
We urge the people of Droitwich who are not on holiday to consider the matter very carefully and please put your comments forward even at the risk of delivery being after the closing date, by writing directly to Mr J Hegerty - head of planning at Wychavon District Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 1PT.
The issues are :-
1. Kwik Save cannot operate without adequate parking and will be at the service end of the new store. They will have no alternative but to close with the loss of the only affordable store in the town.
2. The new store will require 250 parking spaces plus a further 50 for the 240 staff (quoted). A further 294spaces are presently available and being used, this before we consider the parking that will be required for the canal (300000 visitors a year quoted).
3. The design of the store is not in keeping with the architecture of Droitwich, a spa town, and is more akin to a modern cattle market.
4. A report by consultants Judd and Company, on behalf of Safeway, concluded that Droitwich would gridlock on Saturdays if the store went ahead.
5. This would create serious risk to the mobility of the fire station and the traffic junction on the A38 Hanbury Road.
We beg the people of Droitwich to have their say before it is too late. You can attend the town council meeting on August 12 at 6.45pm at St Richard's House, Victoria Square, Droitwich and make representations in writing before noon the same day. You have been denied a public meeting over this issue. Use every avenue available to you to have your say!
John Yardley,
Action for Droitwich.
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