Waitrose and cinema plans given go-ahead
No Caption ABCDE
TWO high-profile projects in Harborough have received planning approval from the district council this week.
The Harborough Screen as well as an application to site a Waitrose store in Springfield Street were both granted approval at a meeting on Tuesday night.
Although there had been long-term interest in both the cinema and Waitrose proposals for the town, both projects had struggled to realise their ambitions.
Both the cinema project and Waitrose had struggled to find suitable locations but those issues have been resolved.
The mobile cinema site will be set up at Symington’s Recreation Ground off St Mary’s Road.
The planning application had been held back from committee consideration due to council officers’ concerns over noise.
But it received unanimous approval at the district council planning meeting on Tuesday after Harborough Screen agreed its users would wear wireless headphones.
The chairman of Screen’s trustees, Marion Lewis, said it was hoped this would be a temporary measure while noise issues are resolved.
Alastair Campbell, trustee of Harborough Screen, said: “It’s been a long struggle to get the cinema this far and I don’t think anyone involved would have believed how many obstacles could be put in our way.
“This planning permission marks a major landmark in the campaign.”
Although the application for Waitrose was approved, councillors were concerned about the quality of the site’s design and the lack of access to the supermarket via the Millennium Mile walkway.
It has been approved with the hope council officers will be able to negotiate a better design.
Waitrose have said the Harborough store will create 120 part-time and full-time jobs.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Harborough
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.