Supermarket Wars

---

Tesco versus Waitrose in King Street

Hammersmith and Fulham Council is gearing up to do battle with Tesco after the supermarket giant submitted a planning application to build a retail outlet which could compete with the council’s plans for King Street.  

St James Development and Tesco Ltd own the Cineworld cinema on King Street. 

Now St James has applied to Hammersmith and Fulham Council to create a large supermarket on the cinema site and at 2, 5 and 6 Nigel Playfair Avenue.  

The plans could clash with the local authority’s vision for King Street, consisting of a development by Grainger/Helical Bar which is currently in a period of consultation.  

The council is in the process of meeting with people such as representatives from the Thomas Pocklington Trust and the Quaker Meeting House in Nigel Playfair Avenue to discuss how it can acquire land close to King Street.  

Once it has completed a consultation, the council hopes to submit its own planning application later in the year to create a public piazza, retail outlet, restaurants, shops, homes, offices and civic buildings in King Street.  

The council’s scheme also includes a Waitrose supermarket, although the council says its supermarket plans for the area are a seventh of the size of the proposed Tesco.

Councillor Mark Loveday, Cabinet Member for Strategy at Hammersmith and Fulham Council said the council would not hesitate to use its powers of compulsory purchase orders if the Tesco development threatened its planned redevelopment of the area.  

He said: “The council is eager to see a wide range of regeneration objectives for the whole of King Street. We have recently started discussions with the various landowners involved to assemble the site and we are hopeful of achieving a deal that suits everyone.

"However, we have always said that, if this is not possible we will not hesitate to use our compulsory purchase powers."

As yet no date has been set for the St James planning application to be heard.

May 7, 2008