Morrisons back again

Morrisons withdrew their previous application to relax the planning restrictions on their site (the reference number for the previous application is 2014/0484).

Now Morrisons has applied again to reduce the conditions imposed at the time of the original planning permission.  Their proposal last time is contained in this letter.

Morrisons' current application is 2014/1892 and their letter explains their new proposal. The differences, as far I can see, is as follows:

Night time delivery The first application requested that deliveries be allowed all night as long as they were governed by the quiet delivery system.  This time they are not extending the deliveries overnight but they want to abolish the quiet delivery system in the evening.

Sunday, public and bank holiday deliveries The first application requested deliveries at all times.  This time Morrisons is requesting deliveries from 9:00 to 16:00 without operating the quiet delivery system.

Plant Noise I can see no difference between their two requests to the loosening of the noise restrictions.

It is interesting to note that Morrisons initial planning application for a store was refused and then they applied again with a modified proposal which was permitted.  This time their initial request for the removal of conditions was withdrawn and the new application is reduced in scale.

Many local people objected to such a large supermarket in the town centre.  Others, who supported the development, did so with the proviso that a number of concerns were met with the appropriate conditions. One of those concerns was the increase in noise and the other the possible increase in movement of lorries during the night.

Morrison wants to remove these conditions because it feels that they are unnecessary and unduly onerous.  Many people have told me that Morrisons should have raised this matter during its original application - it accepted it then and should do so now. Make sure your views are known by emailing tplan@elmbridge.gov.uk, quoting reference 2014/1892, before 20 June 2014. Please remember that I am a member of the West Area Planning Sub-committee and the Planning Committee (the committees to which these types of applications are sent) and it is my duty to examine all planning applications on their merits. Elmbridge's staff will have already examined the application and I, like them, must only apply planning law. In a similar fashion, any comments you make will only be considered valid if they are based on planning law.  I can point you to the relevant parts of the law or you can seek help from the Weybridge Society which is very knowledgeable on planning law.