Malmesbury supermarket plans put on hold (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Malmesbury supermarket plans put on hold

2:35pm Saturday 1st September 2012 in News By Victoria Ashford

The decision on plans by two rival supermarkets to build a new store in Malmesbury has been shelved until next spring at least.

Wiltshire Council's planning area team leader Tracy Smith has written to both Waitrose and Sainsbury's telling them that their planning applications will not be decided until Malmesbury has completed its area plan.

This means the council will not make a decision until May 2013 at the earliest.

Simon Killane, the town's Wiltshire Council representative, said: "This decision clearly demonstrates the importance that council planning experts associate with our neighbourhood planning initiative.

"The old developer-led way of doing things is dead in Malmesbury and a new community-led era of development can now shape what is best for our neighbourhood."