Asda will NOT be appealing against the refusal to build a supermarket in Marple – to the delight of the town’s campaigners.
Proposals to build a £13million Asda on the Hibbert Lane were thrown out by town hall chiefs in March, who said building the megastore would cause traffic congestion and threaten local shops.
Even with the decision by councillors, members of Marple in Action believed that Asda bosses may try to appeal against the decision and have campaigned to ensure their appeals would be rejected.
Protestors received the good news on Saturday afternoon, as Marple Sixth Form College released a statement confirming that no further action to build the store would take place.
The statement said: “Following the refusal of planning permission at the planning and highways committee, both the College and Asda have been carefully considering their position and contractual obligations.
“Both parties have been in discussions with each other and their respective boards about their appetite to proceed and the prospect of an appeal. Both parties have indicated a preference to withdraw from the contract by mutual consent and have instructed solicitors to draft an agreement in this respect.”
Plans for the store has divided the town for several months with councillor Philip Harding, the only person to pledge his support, arguing that the store would open up 250 jobs and give the town a million-pound cash injection.
The project would also have seen an improvement on the college with an investment going towards regenerating the institute.
However protestors from Marple in Action, insisted that an Asda would devastate the town and rallied together to keep the local stores and small businesses out of threat.
A spokesman said: “We would like to say a big ‘Thank You’ and congratulations to the people of Marple who supported us in this campaign to prevent a supermarket on Hibbert Lane ruining our town.”
Picture courtesy of Wendy ClarkQT, with thanks.
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