Artist’s impression of the store from spring 2012
By Lucy Morgan
Fri, 14 December 2012 8:20PM
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ASDA has today (Friday) confirmed that it has submitted a planning application for its first store on the Isle of Wight.
If approved by the Isle of Wight Council, the 45,000 sq ft store on St George’s Way, Newport will include a petrol station and café, as well as ‘green’ technology and a landscaping plan.
The proposed store is expected to create up to 450 local jobs and it is hoped more will be created during the construction process.
Consultation process
ASDA says in drawing up the plans two public consultation events and a series of meetings with local groups resulted in “many useful ideas for improvements to the store”.
The two public consultation events were held in September 2011 and March 2012. Around 600 people attended ASDA’s exhibitions and of the 281 feedback cards that were returned, 93% supported the proposal, according to ASDA.
Following those meetings, ASDA has ammended its plans to include enhanced landscaping, including more trees and an ivy bank (replacing fencing at the front of the site, visible from St George’s Way); the retention of existing trees and hedgerows (where possible) plus new hedging; and solar thermal panels on the roof of the building and wind cowls to provide natural ventilation into the food hall.
If the plans get the go ahead there will also be electric charging points for cars and bicycles, described by the supermarket giant as a first for the Island.
The firm says it will continue to engage with the community throughout the planning process, until a decision is made by the Isle of Wight Council.
“Great deal of support”
Oliver Jones, Senior Property Communications Manager, ASDA said, “We are delighted to confirm that we have now submitted our planning application for the St George’s Way site. The proposal had a great deal of support from the local community at our exhibitions and we have had hundreds of enquiries since from local people eager to know how the planning application was progressing.
“ASDA has been looking to invest in the Island for a number of years and the St George’s Way site offers an excellent opportunity to develop a good sized store that will bring more supermarket choice to local shoppers as well as up to 450 new jobs for the growing community in Newport.
“We have spent a great deal of time putting together a proposal which we hope meets local expectations and I urge residents that support the store to visit our website to find out how they can actively support it before a decision is made.”
You can find out more here.
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