Tesco wants to open a new superstore in York – but a businessman fears it would lead to major traffic congestion in the area.
The supermarket giant has set out its ambition to move onto the site on Hull Road occupied by B&Q.
Under its proposal, B&Q would stay open but on a reduced footprint, and Tesco would share the site.
There would be extensions to allow for the food store.
A pre-application document says the work would include: “Alteration, sub-division and extensions, including new canopies to the existing B&Q unit to create an additional retail unit (food retailing), reconfigured car parking, reconfigured service and builders’ yards and associated works”.
The document is not a planning application but a submission of intent. In effect, it’s an outline of a proposed Tesco development submitted to City of York Council for its feedback.
It says B&Q’s interior would be reduced from about 11,635 sq m to 7,396 sq m, with the new Tesco store occupying about 4,844 sq m (52,000 sq ft) after a 1,673 sq m extension.
And there would be a reduction in parking spaces at the site, from 542 to approximately 430. The new store would create an estimated 57 new jobs
Groups of people have been seen around B&Q in recent weeks, measuring up the site, which is found on the corner of Osbaldwick Link Road and Hull Road.
The information came to light thanks to a Freedom of Information request by Osbaldwick and Derwent Cllr Mark Warters.
Consultation launched
Owners of the site Legal and General have launched a consultation about bringing a supermarket to the site, without naming Tesco.
It says: “B&Q have been operating from this site for about 25 years. They have been reviewing the space they need to better meet the needs of their customers.
“To keep B&Q at this location, they will be provided with a store that is the right size for them. The existing entrance will be kept, as will the greenhouse building, which will form part of a reconfigured garden centre and builder’s yard.”
The remaining floor space would be converted into the food store.
The nearest supermarket is more than 1.5 miles away at Foss Island. The consultation says: “On the east side of the city, there are approximately 27,000 residents with limited access to a large grocery store, in addition to the thousands of students and staff at the nearby York University campus and the people who will live in the new housing developments proposed nearby.”
It adds: “The access will remain unchanged, coming off Osbaldwick Link Road. A full Transport Assessment will be submitted with the planning application, which will consider the impact on local roads.”
You can take part in the consultation here.
‘Screw up the road’
Graham Kennedy runs Inner Space Stations on Hull Road. He is highly critical of Tesco’s proposal.
Back in 2016, Sainsbury’s abandoned its own attempt to convert B&Q on the site into a 60,000 sq ft supermarket even though it won planning permission.
A planning inspector ruled that the noise and disruption caused by overnight deliveries to the supermarket, and the increase in traffic around the site, meant more restrictions should be imposed. Sainsbury’s then walked away.
Graham believes the increase in traffic caused by a new Tesco would be untenable.
“The amount of traffic it would generate would just screw up the road. It would be like Fulford Road, totally awful,” he told YorkMix.
“You’ve got houses being built opposite, which will create traffic. The road is so busy at teatime – so you get a supermarket in there, you block the road right back to the roundabout and create accidents, because people can’t get round the roundabout.”
Graham added: “They’re already talking about putting a pedestrian crossing 100 yards up from our site exit, which will screw up the road anyway. It’s totally stupid.”
He also feared for people’s jobs. “It’s kind of an unwritten rule, for every job that a supermarket creates, they take three away from local businesses.
“Not only are the people in B&Q worried about their jobs, all the shops in the whole area would be affected. The Co-op would be affected.
“And if we see a deterioration in sales in our shop, we would have to alter staffing accordingly, like everybody.”
He had a simple message for city councillors. “It should be refused before it even starts. It should be obvious that this isn’t good for either traders in the area or for the city centre – it’s another nail in the coffin for the city centre.”
If Tesco decides to progress this development, it would need to submit a full planning application. At this stage there would assessments for the traffic and noise likely to be generated, and local people and businesses could have their say.
