Members advised to reject Tesco extension plans

A supermarket giant’s pleas for more time to extend one of its stores have been recommended for refusal by council officers.

Breckland Council’s planning experts have told members they should scupper Tesco’s hopes of extending the time limit on its plans to expand their superstore in Thetford as it would have a negative impact on surrounding roads.

Tesco’s plans for the store, which is at the north of the town on Kilverstone Lane, include an extra 1,500sqm of floor space and another 114 car parking spaces.

In return, the chain is offering to help build two new roundabouts - one at the junction between Norwich Road and Kilverstone Lane, and one at the store’s entrance.

Despite the scheme being approved for planning permission in 2009, council officers are now telling members that they should reject it at a meeting on Monday.

Norfolk County Council’s Highways, a consultee on the plans, told officers that the previous plans were based on traffic data from 2003.

It now says that information is out of date and that a new survey should be carried out before plans can be approved.

Tesco - which has been criticised in the past for creating “land banks”, whereby it stockpiled land to restrict growth from competitors - is yet to set a date for building to begin on the site.