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Bosses at supermarket giant Sainsbury’s say they are “extremely disappointed” that their plans for a new store in a Nottinghamshire town have been recommended to be rejected. The company wants to build a Sainsbury’s store on Nottingham Road, Southwell.

But the Newark and Sherwood District Council has recommended that the retailer’s planning request be rejected when it is considered at a meeting on March 16. Sainsbury’s said the multi-billion dollar development would create 40 new jobs.

However, the district council said the proposed store location was “not environmentally appropriate”. Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of acquisitions and properties, said: “We are extremely disappointed in this recommendation and disagree with the reasons listed.

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“Our application was submitted in September 2021 and since then we have worked incredibly hard to proactively mitigate any reservations with our proposals at the district and county level. This has included making a number of amendments to the scheme to address areas of concern.

“The people of Southwell have made it clear that a new grocery store is a much-needed addition to the town and a significant majority have indicated they would support Sainsbury’s in fulfilling this role.” In recommending the planning application for rejection, the district council documents said: “The socio-economic benefits of the scheme weighing in its favor have been considered.

“However, the proposal would result in the complete removal of identified important landscape vegetation to the north of the site and the partial removal and disruption of the western boundary of important vegetation.

“This, together with the development of a large commercial unit set amongst a large expanse of uninterrupted car parking, associated development including a signaling and lighting wall, and taking into account the road interventions necessary to make the scheme safe, it would irreparably alter the rural character of the countryside through its urbanization, impairing the transition from the countryside and visually eroding the entrance to this sensitive landscape environment of the city and its sense of place.

“This damage cannot be mitigated. Although the localized impacts are considered significant and exceed the benefits of the scheme.

“This location is considered not to be environmentally appropriate for such development and therefore represents unsustainable development.” A Sainsbury’s spokesperson added: “The majority of local people support the idea of ​​a new Sainsbury’s store, with over 65% of comments on the planning app currently expressing their support.

“Over 72% of respondents to Sainsbury’s 2021 community consultation indicated their support for improving shopping options in Southwell. If approved, the neighborhood center store format would see Sainsbury’s invest millions of pounds in Southwell, creating around 40 new jobs for the local population and providing a new place for customers to complete a weekly purchase without traveling miles outside of Southwell by car to neighboring cities such as Mansfield, Newark or Netherfield.

“Sainsbury’s believes that the justification for recommending rejection is incorrect. The recommendation focuses significantly on the suitability of the proposed store location, despite the fact that the parties also agreed that there are no suitable alternative locations in the city that could accommodate a new shop.

“The recommendation also cites ecological concerns in its rationale, but as part of this, it incorrectly refers to a draft policy from a draft Southwell Neighborhood Plan, rather than the final policy that was published in the adopted Plan. has demonstrated through the green policy report commissioned as part of the Sainsbury’s proposals that the proposed location of the new store does not constitute a site of significant ecological value.”

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