Tesco is awaiting the start of a government planning inquiry next month into a giant £94m mixed-use development in Dartford - the supermarket’s most ambitious to date with plans for up to 490 flats on top of a 110,000 sq ft Extra store.
The application details a market square, a medical or community centre, a children’s play area, as well as a range of shops and cafes. The development is a joint project with St James’s Investments.
However, in May the scheme was called in by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which will review the case next month. A spokeswoman for Tesco said the development met all the criteria for a Thames Gateway scheme. “It’s on a brownfield site, it’s sustainable, it’s regenerating a run-down town centre, and it’s promoting a 24-hour cafe culture,” she said.
Dartford Borough Council has approved the application in August, but it was called in by John Prescott due to an element that involves building a new road through the park.
If approved, work would start next summer at the earliest. Tesco has said that it wants to build up to 4,000 new homes by 2008.
The application details a market square, a medical or community centre, a children’s play area, as well as a range of shops and cafes. The development is a joint project with St James’s Investments.
However, in May the scheme was called in by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which will review the case next month. A spokeswoman for Tesco said the development met all the criteria for a Thames Gateway scheme. “It’s on a brownfield site, it’s sustainable, it’s regenerating a run-down town centre, and it’s promoting a 24-hour cafe culture,” she said.
Dartford Borough Council has approved the application in August, but it was called in by John Prescott due to an element that involves building a new road through the park.
If approved, work would start next summer at the earliest. Tesco has said that it wants to build up to 4,000 new homes by 2008.
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