Parking fears remain despite Marlow Sainsbury's plan approval (From Bucks Free Press)

Parking fears remain despite Marlow Sainsbury's plan approval

11:50am Saturday 30th January 2010 in Marlow By James Nadal

MARLOW'S supermarket landscape is set for a dramatic shift this year, following Sainsbury's successful application, but fears remain it will cause parking chaos.

Shoppers have buying their food from Waitrose in West Street for 37 years but now Sainsbury's logo will adorn the store instead.

Sainsbury's has been told it can go ahead with its plan to redevelop the West Street store – subject to conditions being met.

Waitrose will remain in the town thanks to its own successful application to build a shop in the vacant Chapel House offices in Liston Road.

And it looks set to steal a march on its rival by moving into its own new shop long before Sainsburys is ready to open.

It could move to the new store in Spring or early Summer, while Sainsbury's redevelopment is likely to take up to a year.

However, when the new Sainsbury's shop opens in West Street, Waitrose will be up against two of its stores.

Sainsbury's confirmed its 'local store' on the High Street will remain where it is – even after the West Street project has been completed.

Wycombe District Councillors voted to give the head planning officer authority to grant conditional permission on Wednesday.

Cllr Alex Collingwood said at the planning meeting he supported the idea in principal but parking was a major worry.

Fourteen customer spaces and 30 staff places will be lost.

He said many more townsfolk would be looking for spaces to park as “most people in Marlow are wedded to their cars”.

Cllr Collingwood said: “My concern is the impact it will have on the town and the environment and neighbours as a whole.

“I terms of the increase in floor space it will have a major impact on the town.”

If both Waitrose and Sainsburys developments go ahead it will increase the floor space from 12,000 sq/ft to 30,000 sq/ft, Cllr Collingwood noted.

Cllr Hugh McCarthy said the car park had been “utterly chaotic” when he inspected it on the site visit while Cllr Simon Bazley said the spaces were “really quite critical”.

Marlow Chamber of Trade told officers, compiling the planning report, the parking requirement had been underestimated, adding a decked central car park should be provided.

Vice-president Annie Mulady said: “Our biggest concern is around the car park and we trust that that will be addressed when final permission is granted.”

Sainsbury’s spokesman Paul Vicary said: "Sainsbury's has committed to provide an environmental upgrade and reconfiguration of the Central Car Park, which includes a compound area owned by Waitrose.

"This would create an additional 46 parking spaces, bring the total spaces in the Central Car Park to 200, in addition to improved surfacing and landscaping."

He said Sainsbury's was “delighted with the decision”.

He said:“We hope to receive formal planning permission shortly following the completion of the necessary legal agreements.

“Once this is finalised we would anticipate starting works later this year following the vacation of the premises by Waitrose.”

He confirmed the existing 'Local store' in the High Street will continue to trade even after the new store is built.

He said: “It caters for customers doing a ‘top-up’ shop, rather than have the full offer a main store will provide.”

Waitrose spokesman James Armstrong said: “We will now agree a date at which we will vacate West Street to move into Chapel House.”