Delay for Portishead's new Sainsbury's store?

THE opening of Portishead's new £15 million Sainsbury's supermarket could be delayed by up to two years - after a rival supermarket launched a legal challenge against the scheme.

North Somerset Council gave permission for Sainsbury's to open a 30,000 sq ft store at Serbert Way in the town last autumn.

But rival supermarket the Co-operative has now launched a legal challenge against the store plan and is calling for a judicial review into the decision.

Bosses at the Co-operative, which has a store at Wyndham Way, are challenging the decision by North Somerset Council to grant planning permission, claiming it was not lawful.

Sainsbury's was due to start building the new store in the next few weeks and say the challenge by the Co-op could cause significant delays - possibly holding up the opening of the new store by two years

However Sainsbury's is now preparing to submit a fresh application for its store to incorporate a number of new features, including charging points for electric vehicles and a biomass boiler to heat the store.

Sainsbury's was preparing to submit the planning application when Co-op lodged its legal challenge against North Somerset.

If the authority approves the new planning application it means delays to the store project could be reduced to a matter of months, as the legal challenge is only against the initial application.

Sainsbury's regional development executive, Ben Littman, said: "We've been making good progress with pre-construction surveys and site investigations and we were scheduled to start building the store in the coming weeks.

"However, the legal challenge by Co-op will cause a significant delay.

"We've had enormous support from local residents and we have absolute confidence that the councillors of North Somerset Council's planning committee made the right decision in previously approving our proposal.

"Given the level of interest in the store from among the local community, we suspect the delays that the legal action will cause will be as frustrating for residents as it is for Sainsbury's.

"Competition in supermarket shopping will remain limited, and, at a time when the cost of fuel is prohibitive, residents could be facing long journeys out of town for the foreseeable future.

"Sainsbury's is extremely disappointed but we would like to reassure residents that we remain committed to our plans for a new store in Portishead and that the new application presents the opportunity to start building the store again within months."

The Co-operative Group said it would consider mounting a legal challenge against the authority if it gave the go ahead for the new store, based on information contained in the retail assessment submitted as part of the application.

Co-operative chiefs also said the supermarket plan was contrary to North Somerset's own Local Plan and Core Strategy Document.

North Somerset Council appointed consultants to carry out an independent evaluation of the retail assessment put forward by Sainsbury's who said that the arrival of Sainsbury's would have 'no significant adverse impact on the town and that the High Street would benefit from an increased footfall as a result of the new store'.

Experts also said the new supermarket would prevent people going out of town to do their weekly shopping.

Planning chiefs at The Co-operative said they were unhappy with the decision and claimed the new store could lead to the closure of their Wyndham Way supermarket and the loss of dozens of jobs.

The town's Co-operative store, has an annual turnover of £11 million and claimed this will be halved when Sainsbury's opens.

A spokesperson for The Co-operative said: "We can confirm that our application for a judicial review in relation to a decision to grant permission for a Sainsbury's development outside of Portishead town centre was submitted on 17th May 2011, as we do not consider the decision to be lawful.

"Having made strong and consistent representations throughout the planning process to highlight the inadequacies of the proposals, we are extremely disappointed that the council has made such a perverse decision. 

"If allowed, this would be seriously detrimental to the vitality and viability of Portishead town centre.

"The Co-operative Group is a mutual organisation. It seeks to behave with the utmost responsibility and integrity in everything it does.

"It does not enter into challenges lightly or frequently."

The new Sainsbury's store would create 270 full and part-time jobs.

It would feature an in-store bakery, a customer restaurant and a 338-space shopper car park.

There will also be a cycle store, a recycling centre and a number of fresh food counters.

The fresh application includes the introduction of 'sun-optics' in the ceiling windows that reduce the need for artificial light, charging points in the car park for electric cars and changes to the internal layout to the store.

There are also plans to open a new petrol station once a site has been identified and a planning application expected in the near future.