Waitrose application will not be ‘called in’

Council issues supermarket permission

The detailed planning permission for a new Waitrose supermarket on the cricket ground in the centre of Wimborne Minster has been issued by EDDC.

The 1,834 square metre proposal with associated car parking for 215 vehicles and a two-acre plot of new public open space, has been issued after a legal agreement between the applicants and the land owners.

The granting of the permission follows the government office for the South West announcing that it has no intention of 'calling in' the decision, made by the Planning Committee.

The committee resolved to grant the application in principle, at a special meeting in September 2008. A further report on a number of detailed matters was brought to the committee in January 2009. The application was then forwarded to the government office for the South West to see if it wished to hold an inquiry into the scheme.

Leader of East Dorset District Council, Cllr Spencer Flower, said: “The Waitrose application has proved to be a very emotive subject. However, now the permission has been issued, the focus should shift on to the positive impact that the store will have on Wimborne.

"There is a need to revitalise Wimborne and the new Waitrose store will give the town the anchor store it so desperately needs. It will attract shoppers to the town and provide a huge boost to the local economy. It will provide jobs to the local community and assist in improving the vibrancy of the town centre. The good links from the new store into Wimborne will compliment the town, rather than take anything away from it."