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In a lengthy statement in its latest newsletter, the group says it is committed to remaining neutral over the plans for Forest Court.
Its chairman previously said the group had no mandate to oppose the plan and said it is one residents can “probably live with”.
The newsletter said the plans were “viewed more favourably” than a larger scheme rejected by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in 2010.
It says while the DDRA has campaigned for the redevelopment of Forest Court “we always took the view that any proposals should be subject to extensive debate and scrutiny”.
It adds: “We also thought that a clear consensus was unlikely and this proved to be clear from the outset.
“At an early stage we described our stance as neutral, as we did not feel we could side with any one viewpoint, since to do so would be to support one group of residents against another.”
The statement weighs up argument for and against without coming down on either. Click here to read the newsletter (Pdf, 5MB).
Yet it said it is “concerned” about traffic and parking and questioned the planned 173 spaces.
It said: “Sainsbury’s say this is adequate but they need to be sure of this, as if people cannot park they will stop coming and use other stores in our area with the result that the store becomes less viable. It is in the company’s interests to get this right.”
It said rail, council and Sainsbury’s bosses should work together and look at putting in an extra storey of parking at the car park at the back of the Total garage off Grange Road.
The statement said: “Traffic volumes are hard to predict but Sainsbury’s consultants have maintained throughout that the road system is adequate for both deliveries and shoppers.
“We saw flaws in the original analysis and we indicated these to the council’s highways engineers.
“We are looking into this again in relation to the smaller store size and may well seek our own expert views.”
Yet it said: “Our overall impression is that people are increasingly concerned that nothing is happening in Forest Court, and that Sainsbury’s revised proposals are viewed more favourably than the original ones.”
Association chairman Ian Spencer told the group’s AGM in March said he had “no mandate to oppose” the plan.
He said: “Although the scheme isn’t necessarily what we want, I believe with careful constructive criticism around its implementation, it represents a scheme that we can probably live with.”
The Silhillian reported this week that the DDRA apologised over incorrect store size figures in the newsletter.
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