Noise complaint over Tesco 'open all hours' plan

The city's planning and conservation committee is pressing the district council to turn down an application from the retailing giant for variation of a planning condition imposed when consent for the store was originally granted.

The change would allow 24-hour trading at the store, in Fishbourne Road East, but excluding Sundays.

The city committee resolved the change would be likely to cause an 'unacceptable level of noise and nuisance' to nearby homes, because of the disturbance associated with cars visiting the store between 10pm and 8am from Mondays to Saturdays.

A committee report said it appeared Tesco had never implemented measures to restrict access to the car park by the general public out of hours.

As a result, some adjoining residents claimed people accessed the site out of hours.

Residents living next to the car park were subjected to a 'multitude of noise and disturbance' throughout the night.

This included people racing their cars and scooters round the car park, loud music from car stereos, and slamming of car doors.

"Residents also claim they have been woken in the night by all kinds of anti-social behaviour by visitors to the premises," the report added.

Committee chairman Cllr Richard Plowman said members believed the reasons for the times originally imposed had not changed.

They would also like to see the car park closed overnight, to stop the anti-social behaviour.

In its submission to the district council, Tesco said it had carried out a noise risk assessment and the results showed noise from car parking would not exceed 'existing ambient noise levels'.

For properties closest to the store, the noise would be below levels set by the World Health Organisation and 'ambient and peak night-time guidance' noise levels.

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