Green Party

Green Party Councillors have been key figures in the four-year struggle to stop Tesco from building a store on Unthank Road, Norwich, a store that they believe will create road safety problems in the area and threaten existing local businesses. Today, the news has broken that this struggle has been lost.

Councillor Adrian Ramsay, local ward Councillor and Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Norwich South, said: "I'm extremely disappointed by this decision and by a planning process that allows a remote planning inspector from outside the area to overturn the democratic decision of local councillors and the wishes of the hundreds of local residents who have consistently written in to object to Tesco applications for this site. Local campaigners have managed to delay this Tesco by four years by getting the Council to repeatedly turn it down but it is very frustrating that it has now been given the go-ahead.

"I hope we use the strong feeling against a Tesco store to ensure that the local shops in the area are still supported but I'm concerned about the tricks Tesco often uses to undermine competitors. I'm also very concerned that this decision means more delivery lorries will be brought to an already busy and congested street."

Councillor Rupert Read, Green Party Prospective MEP for Eastern Region, added: "This dreadful decision goes to show how urgent it is to get Greens into Westminster, so that we can get the planning laws changed that at present allow Tesco to prevail over what are very clearly the wishes of local residents."

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