Published at 16:46, Friday, 04 January 2013

AN out-of-town Sainsbury’s supermarket should be rejected because plans for a store at the Robinson’s Brewery site in Ulverston are preferable, planners have been told.

Cumbria County Council members have thrown their weight behind the Robinson’s plans and voted to object to the application to build a Sainsbury’s at the Beehive site, off the A590.

And they have urged their planning counterparts on South Lakeland District Council to reject the Sainsbury’s scheme when it comes up for decision.

At a meeting of the county council’s development control and regulation committee in Kendal yesterday, councillors were told only one of the sites could be approved – and in the county’s opinion the brewery plans were “sequentially preferable”.

Paul Feehily, assistant director for planning and sustainability, told members the Robinson’s plans should be given preference over any out-of-town site.

He said allowing the Beehive sites to be used primarily for retail purposes might undermine SLDC’s Land Allocations plan, the subject of a public hearing.

The plan earmarks the site for light industrial use and campaigners have argued going against that decision could be detrimental to the town.

Questions were raised at the meeting over the county council’s recommendation as applications are judged on their individual merits, not on the availability of operable alternatives.

Mr Feehily’s report, the recommendations of which were adopted by county councillors, states the Sainsbury’s application has “some merit” and should be considered in the event no town centre developments are found to be suitable. Robinson’s recently withdrew its controversial planning application from 2011 and it is understood a revised application, based on plans unveiled in November, will be submitted by the end of the month.

County councillor for Ulverston East, Peter Hornby, raised concerns over diverted rainwater causing flooding in southern parts of the town, close to where the Robinson’s site is situated.

He said: “My district is suffering from flooding and this is going to put more pressure on.

“It needs more looking at.”

The county council is a consultee on the application, which will be determined by district councillors on SLDC’s planning committee. Ulverston town councillors have registered their objection to the Sainsbury’s plans.

The plans were to be discussed by SLDC at the end of last year but delays caused by concerns over the impact of the store on the A590 held up the process.

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