Fears surround huge Plymouth Asda superstore plan

A new multi-million pound supermarket could be built in Plymouth within the next four years - but residents have concerns about increased traffic and parking. Cornwall-based Walker Developments wants to knock down the existing Weston Mill Oak Villa sports and social club and build an enormous Asda supermarket with a 349-space car park on playing pitches in a development said to cost tens of millions of pounds.

A new social club with its own parking would be built as part of the proposed deal, along with a filling station, a new access road from St Budeaux bypass, and three new sports pitches. The proposal has been described as “win, win” by Asda and welcomed by the Weston Mill Oak Villa Sports and Community Association, which currently leases the land from owner Plymouth City Council.

But at a one-day public consultation some neighbouring residents had concerns about increased traffic and the effect the development would have on parking. Some people complained that the current social club car park was being used by workers from Devonport dockyard and they could be displaced to already busy nearby streets.

Ian Lott, who lives in Drummond Close, said: “It will be disgusting for traffic. Parking is already a problem. Cars park here for the dockyard and when they lose this they will be parking outside our doors.”

Another resident said: “It will put pressure on traffic. Parking from the yard is already horrendous. Where are they going to go?

Brian Beer, a Weston Mill Oak Villa Sports and Community Association member, said: “The membership think it is brilliant - a new club. But although this is a private car park, and people have three hours, dockyard workers use it and stay here all day.”

The site is owned by Plymouth City Council but the club house and car park land is leased to Weston Mill Oak Villa Sports and Community Association, with about nine years left on the lease. The association maintains the sports pitches under a licence. The proposal is to build a 36,000sq ft Asda supermarket and the car park on the site of the existing club house, car park and one of the football pitches.

A new social club would be built with two football pitches and a rugby pitch, with developers putting in a new drainage system to solve a flooding problem that plagues the pitches currently.

Mark Scoot, a consultant working with Walker Developments, said it is hoped a planning application can be submitted to the council within the next four months. He said the overall timescale is fluid but the overall development could be completed in three to four years.

He said: “There will be a new access on the parkway which would take journeys away from Ferndale Road.”

He stressed the land was allocated for sports pitches and a supermarket in the Plymouth and South West Devon Local Plan.and had been subject of a previous move to build an Asda supermarket on the land in 1998.

Derek Rickard, chair of the Weston Mill Oak Villa Sports and Community Association said the majority of the association's 100-plus members were in favour of the proposed development. He said the social club, which has about 250 members and is operated by a tenant, had been struggling recently and added: “The situation at the moment is the toughest we have known it. Social clubs are not what they were.”

An Asda spokesperson described the proposal as “win, win” and would cost "multiple tens of millions of pounds”. He said it would create 250 jobs and would be “a massive investment” but there were no plans to close the city’s existing Asda superstore, in Estover. He said: “That will stay. We are committed to Estover.”

People can comment on the proposal until December 9 by emailing info@wmov.co.uk .or visiting www.wmov.co.uk

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