Tesco bid to sell shoppers’ car park in Corstorphine for development

A SUPERMARKET is trying to sell off a car park it was required to provide for the community when it got permission for its store more than 20 years ago.

A general view of the Tesco Extra in Corstorphine. Pic: Steven Scott Taylor

Tesco is advertising the half acre of ground in Meadow Place Road, Corstorphine, as suitable for residential or commercial development.

But John Barrett, former councillor and MP for the area, said the car park was a condition of Tesco’s planning consent in 1998 to meet concerns about the impact of the supermarket on local shops.

“Now that many years have passed and most people have forgotten about this, they are putting the car park up for sale.”

Costorphine/Murrayfield Lib Dem councillor Gillian Gloyer said: “When Tesco was built people thought it would take business away from the local shops and the solution found was Tesco would provide this car park where people could park and walk up to St John’s Road.

“Everyone in Corstorphine knows it as the shoppers’ car park. If the intention is to build houses they would have to get the constraint lifted – and there would be quite a lot of opposition from residents who like using the car park.”

It is understood putting the land up for sale is not a breach of planning conditions. But a council spokeswoman said: “In order for the land to be used as anything other than a car park, Tesco would have to apply for the condition set at the time of their original planning application being granted, to be removed.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “The car park is under-utilised so we are selling some space.

“Our store makes a huge community contribution on a daily basis through community grants and working with food banks. Nothing in the store’s planning permission suggests an additional community benefit is required; however as so much time has passed since we developed the store, we’d be happy to review any evidence to the contrary.”