SAINSBURY’S has said it is looking to improve the appearance
of boarded-up Forest Court
in Dorridge after delaying plans for a superstore there.
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The firm is “fully aware of the frustrations felt by
residents” over the delay, CEO Justin King said in a letter to a residents’leader.
Sainsbury’s said it has put the plan – given Solihull
Metropolitan Borough Council permission in November 2011 – on hold because of
the downturn in the econony.
Mr King said: “The decisions we make about our development
programme do consider the impact on local communities in addition to the purely
financial considerations.
“However the issues of the scheme shall remain and in the
time taken to achieve consent has bought us into a much tougher economic
climate as a whole, and as a company we have a duty to consider all our capital
investments carefully.”
Yet he pointed to work to refurbish Station Approach and
works on the closed Total petrol station in Grange
Road – which Sainsbury’s aims to re-open by June –
as “a public display of our commitment to Dorridge”.
It is “looking at ways to improve the appearance of the site
in the meantime” Mr King told Dorridge & District Residents Association
chairman Ian Spencer.
In another letter to residents behind an online-petition
calling on work to start, Mr King said Sainsbury’s “will provide an update to
the community at the end of April”.
The DDRA letter:
Dear Mr Spencer,
Thank you for your email on behalf of the Dorridge and
District Residents Association sent last month, I apologise for the delay in
responding.
We are very grateful for the support we have received from
residents in Dorridge as we worked through the planning process. We also value
the contribution of the residents association in developing our proposals over
the last four years. I am pleased that you felt a trusting relationship was
established with our development team during this time.
Given the relationship we have established with the
community we are fully aware of the frustrations felt by residents, both individually
and collectively. The decisions we make about our development programme do
consider the impact on local communities in addition to the purely financial
considerations. However the issues of the scheme shall remain and in the time
taken to achieve consent has bought us into a much tougher economic climate as
a whole, and as a company we have a duty to consider all our capital
investments carefully.
I hope that the on-going work to refurbish Station Approach,
the rehousing of previous tenants of Forest Court
and the current works to reopen the petrol station are a public display of our
commitment to Dorridge. Behind the scenes the team is also continuing to work
on design detail with the Doctors Surgery, liaise with local councillors and
look to fulfil the various planning conditions which need to be signed off
before any work could start on Forest Court .
We are also looking at ways to improve the appearance of the site in the
meantime.
We will be looking to update you again around the end of April,
when I suggest a meeting is set up with yourselves and Ben Littman, the
Regional Development Manager, who will be able to update you on our current
plans. I will ask Ben to do this, but if you have any queries in the meantime
you can contact Ben on [phone number removed].
Yours sincerely
Justin King
The letter to the campaign group:
Dear Dorridge-Village Campaign Team,
Thank you for your email. Please be assured that we are
aware of the frustrations felt by residents, both individually and collectively.
Our development team recently met with the council regarding
the site. We do not yet have a confirmed timeframe but we will provide an
update to the community at the end of April.
As you will now be aware, Sainsbury’s has received full
planning permission for the petrol station works on Grange
Road and I am happy to confirm that our contractor
commenced work on Monday 8th April.
The work will take approximately 8 weeks and we hope to open
the petrol station early this June.
If you have any further questions, please contact
Sainsbury’s Regional Development Manager, Ben Littman, at
ben.littman@sainsburys.co.uk or you can write to him at Sainsbury’s Dorridge,
Freepost BM 8409, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire , B61
7BR
Yours sincerely
Justin King
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