Ilkley Tesco store wars D-Day (From Ilkley Gazette)

Ilkley Tesco store wars D-Day

2:51pm Friday 14th September 2012 in Local news By Jonathan Redhead

Construction work on a controversial supermarket could move a step closer next week after agents representing the firm claimed they have done enough to get a planning condition discharged.

Tesco received permission in 2010 to demolish the old Spooner factory in Mayfield Road, Ilkley, and build a new store, to replace its current premises in Springs Lane.

Little work has been carried out on the site since the factory, which included a landmark Victorian brewery building, was demolished in December, as Tesco works through a raft of planning cond-itions imposed after a public enquiry.

Among them is an issue relating to site drainage, but despite concerns from a Bradford Council expert, DPP, acting on behalf of Tesco, says it should be discharged even though a blockage has been located in a drain.

But the council’s principle drainage engineer, Tony Poole, says the condition has not been satisfied after the blockage was discovered.

In a memo to the local authority’s planning department, Mr Poole said the blockage could cause flooding problems further away from the Tesco site.

He added: “The developer has been unable to prove the hydraulic and struc-tural adequacy, which passes through an area of dense residential and commercial properties.”

But Emma Gomersall, from DPP, said although the blockage was discovered in a CCTV survey in drains near Woods Place, it is not Tesco’s responsibility to clear it.

She added: “As this is a private system, carrying out further investigative work would require the excavation of a private residential cul-de-sac, which is in the ownership of several parties; this is simply not possible.

“Furthermore, any works required to make good any faults found during excavation would be the responsibility of all upstream users, not the sole resp-onsibility of our client, and we cannot be held responsible for such works.”

She also says the firm has done enough to satisfy the condition, and argues the level of detail requested by the council is “excessive and unnecessary”.

The council has set itself a deadline of Wednesday to determine whether the condition should be discharged.