Sainsbury’s sets Ottery start date as town cashes in

WORK on an Ottery Sainsbury’s will start early in the New Year after planning chiefs secured a �320,000 cash bonanza to benefit the town.

The supermarket giant aims to open its Hind Street store in the Autumn of 2011, and will ‘be good’ to its new neighbours by forking for town-centre improvements and boosting a pedestrian safety link.

Ottery’s long-awaited footbridge and cycleway over the River Otter bid received a �200,000 cash injection when planning permission for the 20,000sq ft outlet was rubber-stamped by East Devon District Council (EDDC) last week.

It is anticipated work on that project, linking the Land of Canaan to The King’s School, will begin next year.

Under the terms of planning consent, Sainsbury’s has also agreed to spend:

- �90,000 on improving Ottery bus services ;

- �20,000 on improvements to the town-centre and tourist information signs;

- �10,000 on a Hind Street pedestrian crossing;

- �10,000 towards planting orchard trees and public art at the supermarket site.

“The developers can now proceed at their own pace – so long as a start is made within three years,” said an EDDC spokesperson.

The authority will lease its Hind Street car park to the supermarket.

Bruno Moore, Sainsbury’s regional town planning manager, said he was pleased work is scheduled to start early next year, and hoped the new store would open in autumn 2011.