Liberal Democrat Hale End and Highams Park councillors have moved to set the record straight after the defferal of Tesco’s planning application to build in the area.

And despite claims of a ‘victory’ for residents, the local Lib Dem team fear that the decision may actually lead to councillors – and residents – losing control over the outcome of the Tesco proposal.

The application was deferred after committee members voted by 5-4 to ask for more information on the proposal.  No councillor voted outright for or against the plans.

In their latest Focus leaflet, the Hale and Higham team – Jane Morgan, Sheila Smith-Pryor and Nick Bason – say:

“This deferral actually means that the decision on the planning application may be taken away from Waltham Forest Planning Committee. Tesco have the right to appeal on the grounds of ‘non-determination’, which means the council have not made a decision on the application in a timely fashion. The application could now be decided by another body unconnected with Waltham Forest.

“The Planning Committee did not get a chance to discuss resident concerns on the impact of the Tesco application on traffic congestion in Highams Park and access to education and healthcare in the area.

“We are also very concerned that the decision may now be taken out of the local council’s hands.”

See the latest issue of Focus (below) for the full story: