New superstore agreed for Leamington’s derelict Ford foundry site

Warwick District Council’s planning committee voted by a majority of nine to one to grant permission for the proposals for the former Ford Foundry site in Princes Drive.

The amended scheme asked for full planning permission for the supermarket, including a 500-space car park, and landscaping and also outline permission for offices, industrial buildings and parkland.

Amendments include a hotel of up to 120 bedrooms near Leamington station, redesigned road junction and cycle routes and revised landscaping.

Residents had made 41 representations in support of the application but Deeley Properties and Waitrose, who are hoping to build a supermarket on the current Leamington fire station site and a new fire station off Queensway, made a joint objection.

Speaking on behalf of Waitrose at the meeting, property consultant Bill Wareing said: “If Morrisons is granted this application Waitrose will not be able to commit to the fire station site as there is insufficient retail need for both stores.

“If Waitrose buys the fire station site it will provide funds for the construction of a new fire station at no cost to the public, while other use will not.

“A food store on the fire station site is better in Leamington town centre, which is under commercial pressure.”

Weighing up the pros and cons of the plans, Cllr Bertie MacKay (Ind, Stoneleigh), said: “It is reasonable to refuse this application in order that somebody might at a future date have something they think is more viable and fitting?

“I would suggest we have something here that we can decide on now, that we ought to decide on now, which is a scheme in front of us for Leamington to improve over the years to come.”

Cllr Ann Blacklock (Lib Dem, Kenilworth Abbey) said she was pleased with elements of the plans including the hotel and its location, the ‘eco area’ and the highways proposals, but expressed her disappointment at the size of the Morrison’s store and suggested the land could be better used in regard to providing employment.

Cllr Roger Copping (Lib Dem, Leamington Manor) said the plans were on the “wrong side of Leamington” and that more stores are needed to the north of town, but he would take a pragmatic approach and vote to grant the application.

He added: “We could be left with an industrial eyesore for the next 15 or 20 years.

“This committee is in between a rock and a hard place, none of us want a Morrisons but we all want this site cleaning up.”

Describing the plans as “good proposals and good investment in Leamington”, Cllr Bob Dhillon said: “We can’t stand still. We need to modernise and compete with the outside world.”

Permission was granted subject to several conditions including developer Trilogy Developments having to pay £50,000 towards a new bus interchange, a £15,000 contribution towards a trafic regulation order consultation and £52,000 to set up a group to manage a sustainable community woodland on the triangle of land north of the bisecting railway line.

Decontamination work will start on the site before a programme of archaeological work begins.

When approached by the Courier on Wednesday, Mr Wareing was unable to comment as to whether Waitrose would now withdraw its interest in the Leamington fire station site.