TESCO and Sainsbury s will reignite their battle for Ottery s shoppers in the coming weeks as plans which could overhaul the face of the town are set to be revealed.
TESCO and Sainsbury's will reignite their battle for Ottery's shoppers in the coming weeks as plans which could overhaul the face of the town are set to be revealed.
Both supermarket heavyweights want to set up shop in the town and Tesco looks poised to be the first to submit a planning application after the Herald learnt proposals to transform the town's vacant factory site into a 10,000 sq ft store are "pretty much ready to go".
Sainsbury's wants to offer shoppers a facility double the size in Hind Street, however, representatives have forecast that plans will not be submitted to East Devon District Council (EDDC) for months.
A Tesco spokesman said its' plans, to be submitted in partnership with developer Churchill Properties with which it co-owns the remainder of the factory site, are only a matter of weeks away from completion.
If its proposals make it through EDDC's development control process they would see the "1930's" part of the town's derelict factory demolished and the site transformed to accommodate an "eco-convenience" store and car-park with 103 spaces.
In December Churchill Properties told the Herald it plans to:
- Convert the Town Mill with a view to offering its ground floor as a "community facility".
- Convert Mill House and its outbuilding into 31 residential apartments.
- Develop "30 units of accommodation" for the elderly on land near the Tumbling Wier Hotel.
- Build 35 residential apartments on land off Victoria Terrace and Mill Street.
As the Herald went to press yesterday, nobody from the developer was willing to comment on the status of its planning application.
Sainsbury's Hind Street plans include taking over an EDDC owned car-park to provide residents with free, town-centre parking. In January EDDC delayed any decision over the site for six months.
A Sainsbury's spokeswoman told the Herald that "feedback" from Ottery residents during a public consultation earlier this year was still being discussed with planners and an application will be submitted in "a couple of months".
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