Troubled supermarket giant Tesco has today announced that it is abandoning plans for a new store on Bexleyheath Broadway on the site of the former Council offices, offering the prospect of a reprieve for an important row of trees. Given the danger that contractors might simply carry on razing the site regardless, Bexley Natural Environment Forum has written to Council Officers asking them to request that these trees are now left, in order that when a new development application inevitably comes forward, there is at least the prospect of being able to argue for their retention in any new scheme for the area.
In a follow-up telephone conversation with the Council Officer who has taken over responsibility for trees in the Borough, BNEF Vice-chair Chris Rose was told that Officers would now look into whether the trees can be saved, at least for the time being.
Bexley Natural Environment Forum is seeking a reprieve for this row of semi-mature London Plane trees on the Broadway, Bexleyheath, now that the plug has been pulled on the Tesco store plan. (Photo: Chris Rose) .
With another supermarket planned for the car showroom land opposite the Marriott Hotel/abandoned Tesco site, and tall ‘modernist’ buildings at the west end of the road, the Tesco scheme would have turned this thoroughfare into a bleak grey chasm with little or no greenery or shade. BNEF will therefore be arguing for long-term retention of the trees if they are indeed saved from the chop.
Positive news from the council this afternoon: ‘ [an Officer] has spoken to the Case officer [on the original Tesco development application] who has agreed that the trees should be retained, and retained hopefully in any new scheme – although this can’t be guaranteed. Planning will contact the site agent and ask for the trees to be retained and not removed as part of the current site clearance operation. He will do this in the coming days [which hopefully ] will be in time.’
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