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Much to my amazement at about 6.00pm last night I found that a third party had lodged a legal opinion over issues relating to the decision of the Council of March 25 and that the item on the agenda for last night had been deferred whilst EHDC take legal advice.

With breath bated I watched the webcast and that was all that the Chairman said. For once in my life I do not have a clue what is going on but I suppose the book is open on who the third party might be - my own favourites being Wrenbridge or Asda who wrote a last minute letter of objection.

In the meantime Waitrose are still trading in Hertford but only just. The clock is ticking. Tick tock.

If the Hertfordshire Mercury is correct Asda .............

The letter is available online ...

http://online.eastherts.gov.uk/rkyvport ... dex=764873

so it seems Waitrose has withdrawn it's application.... BOOOOOOO

MultiDad wrote:so it seems Waitrose has withdrawn it's application.... BOOOOOOO

Yaaay!


Source/Link?

source = Cllr Sartin

Jane Sartin ‏@JaneSartin 1 hour ago
The supermarket planning application has been withdrawn by the applicant, so won't be considered tonight. We wait to see what happens next.

Probably just for this meeting - not for good.

The agenda for the Development Management Committee meeting for tonight states that the application has been withdrawn. If it had remained, been discussed and rejected then Van Hages could have appealed.

By withdrawing this application it is now closed but ... there is nothing to stop Van Hages coming up with a completely new application sometime in the future, being as it was them that wanted a foodstore (never quoted Waitrose). Given the nature of the objections listed by Asda it seems unlikely.

Waitrose on the other hand have said that the proposals in Hertford are not viable which leaves them either going back to the drawing board with Deageo/Cordeo-Savills/Wrenbridge with a huge slice of humble pie or pulling out completely next June.

I understand that there are several options available to keep Waitrose in town which involves partial demolition and redevelopment of Bircherley Green. I am having to rewrite my reply to Tibbalds in response to their questionnaire because of this. Damn.

Why do these things always happen at the last moment; they must have been discussed for some time.

SloopJohnB wrote:The agenda for the Development Management Committee meeting for tonight states that the application has been withdrawn. If it had remained, been discussed and rejected then Van Hages could have appealed.

By withdrawing this application it is now closed but ... there is nothing to stop Van Hages coming up with a completely new application sometime in the future, being as it was them that wanted a foodstore (never quoted Waitrose). Given the nature of the objections listed by Asda it seems unlikely.

Waitrose on the other hand have said that the proposals in Hertford are not viable which leaves them either going back to the drawing board with Deageo/Cordeo-Savills/Wrenbridge with a huge slice of humble pie or pulling out completely next June.

I understand that there are several options available to keep Waitrose in town which involves partial demolition and redevelopment of Bircherley Green. I am having to rewrite my reply to Tibbalds in response to their questionnaire because of this. Damn.

Why do these things always happen at the last moment; they must have been discussed for some time.

This is the second time they've done this. They withdrew the application on the day of the Development Control meeting when it was first due to be discussed last December. Then they resubmitted it a few weeks later.

New article on this in the Mercury today

If you were deliberately trying to come up with a euphemism for needing to pay some backhanders you couldn't do better than this...

We spent a lot of time talking to the council last time about how we can make this a success.

There is now a lot of new councillors and we will want to do this again.