The Wimborne Informer
Readers may be amused to read this unofficial Wimborne magazine, poking fun at the great and the good alike. - Download HERE >>

Is the Waitrose Store Bigger than Permitted?
Many people have commented on how much larger the new store seems to be than was indicated in the public presentation and the 'artists impressions'. On 26 April, we wrote to the Head of Planning and Building Control at East Dorset District Council to complain that the size and scale of the new Waitrose store currently under construction at Rowland's Hill appears to be considerably larger in height and extent to that which was presented to the public presentation, and as originally proposed and approved at the Planning Committee meeting on 23 February 2009.

Referring to the artist's impression (right) we noted that the roofline of the store lies beneath the tree line of Colehill in the background, from this perspective. Furthermore, the store appears to occupy a fairly minor proportion of the Cricket Field.

EDDC Planning Department have responded by launching an investigation by their Planning Enforcement Team. If they find that the agreed dimensions of the development have been exceeded, we fully expect that an ENFORCEMENT order be served on Waitrose.

How Supermarkets Destroy Jobs:
Waitrose and other supermarkets are never slow to emphasise how many 'new' jobs their proposed stores will create. In the case of the Wimborne store, Waitrose are boasting that they received over 850 applications for 200 positions. But are they local employees, are they 'new' jobs and what about the jobs that they are destroying? READ MORE

Signs, Banners & Posters:
At the East Dorset Distict Council Planning Committee on 27th April, to consider an application by Waitrose to erect up to 45 signs in the Waitrose Wimborne site, some of them illuminated, both John Baxendale and Philip Atlay spoke passionately against the application. Despite their objections, the plans were accepted by a majority vote. Councillor Peter Holden was the only member to object to this application in a Conservation Area.

'Hanham's Ground is two hectares of open green land used as a cricket field since 1793, adjacent to the River Allen, and close to the centre of the historic Dorset Minster Town of Wimborne. For several years, Waitrose have been trying to acquire the site in order to build a Waitrose supermarket.

Despite strong local opposition demonstrated by several Wimborne petitions, East Dorset District Council (EDDC) perversely granted planning permission in February 2009 and construction on the site commenced during January 2010.

The land is adjacent to the River Allen, a chalk stream and Biodiversity Action Plan Habitat, home to otters, the threatened white-clawed crayfish, water voles, freshwater fish, wildfowl and other wildlife. There are grounds for believing that measures taken by the developer are inadequate to protect the water from harmful pollution. A significant proportion of the development site lies within a flood plain.

Hanham's Ground lies within a Conservation Area and the developer has failed to demonstrate that the supermarket will harmonize with existing town centre buildings, in accordance with the district council's own Planning Guidance. The change of use from an open green playing field to a supermarket and two-level car park, will irreversibly damage the character of the town centre.

The site lies close to a busy Wimborne road that is already congested at peak times. The provision of an additional 215 parking spaces is estimated to increase traffic by 2000 vehicles per day.

All is not quite lost - yet!

Philip Atlay, chairman of 'Keep Wimborne Town Green' had the foresight to register Hanham's Ground as a Town or Village Green with Dorset County Council, on 24th September 2009. Disgracefully, DCC notified Waitrose of the Application on 2 October 2009 yet did not publish the Application until 5th February 2010, a delay of 19 weeks. We have complained to the Local Government Ombudsman about this delay, which has allowed the developer time to commence construction.

We therefore only had two weeks in which to organise this web site and an Online Petition. Even in this short space of time, we managed to collect 409 electronic signatures and to deliver them by hand to County Hall before the deadline. On the other hand, Waitrose's expensive QC had over 24 weeks in which to put together an objection to the Town Green Application - how grossly unfair! It now remains for us to be vigilent and ensure that the Application is adjudicated openly and fairly, without any vested interests and without the fact of Waitrose having chosen to proceed with their building work, having any bearing on the decision-making process.

Is it really possible that Waitrose might be forced to stop all development on the Town Green and have to remove all steelwork, concrete and other installations, fully restoring the Green? Well, yes, of course it could! Waitrose were notified of the Town Green Application by Dorset County Council on 2 October 2009 BEFORE any construction started on the site. They are therefore proceeding with construction at their own risk, and with the knowledge that they may be required by law to reinstate the land to its former state. They are clearly attempting to complete the actual construction before the Town Green Application is decided, clearly in order to predjudice the Application. The cost implications or this possibility, not to mention the 200 new employees who will be out of a job, are a risk that is borne entirely by Waitrose.

We are advised by DEFRA that, "The fact that the land in question is subject to an application to register it as a Green does not, in itself, prevent it from being developed. However, in DEFRA's view, if the land is subsequently registered as a Green, a Court may rule that any unlawful development carried out prior to registration be removed." DEFRA envisages that such unlawful development could then be subject to an order for its removal and the reinstatement of the site.