Waitrose car park approved for sale amid concerns store could leave Christchurch

THE sale of a publicly owned car park in Christchurch to the landlords of Waitrose has been approved by BCP Council’s ruling cabinet to help secure the store’s future in the town.

Control of the facility, off the town’s bypass, would give the store chain the “confidence” to extend its lease, said council leader Cllr Drew Mellor, writes Josh Wright of the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But the mayor of Christchurch, Cllr Lesley Dedman, said there were still questions that needed to be answered before final approval is sought from the full council later this month.

Negotiations to sell the car park were started under the previous Unity Alliance administration, following concerns Waitrose may not extend its lease.

The chain told its landlord, a General Motors pension fund, that the lack of control over the facility was one of the reasons for the “poorer” performance of the store.

Following concerns it could leave Christchurch, the council’s cabinet has approved plans to sell the car park for an undisclosed sum.

Cllr Phil Broadhead, deputy leader and the cabinet member for the economy, said the sale allowed the supermarket chain to introduce a “more streamlined” parking system.

Under the existing arrangement, it refunds customers who are charged to use the public car park outside its store.

“This is about securing Waitrose’s future,” Cllr Broadhead said. “If we’re going to do that we’ve got to make sure we’ve got all of the bases covered.”

He said there was “no danger” of the car park, or any of its spaces, being lost to redevelopment nor of any increase in charges for public use due to clauses within the sale contract.

But Cllr Lesley Dedman said these would only be in place for 10 years and that the sale of the car park would exacerbate the loss of spaces as part of the nearby police station development.

Cllr Mellor said the sale would resolve a “confidence” issue for Waitrose, encouraging them to stay in the town while remaining a public facility.

And he said the 10-year period of the buy-back clause was one that was still being negotiated. He said he expected there to be “a permanency” to it.

Following the approval of the cabinet, final sign-off for the deal will be requested of the full council when it meets on 23rd March. This meeting was brought forward from April to avoid being too close to May’s elections.

However, it means council’s scrutiny board, which had been due to consider the deal before this, will not meet before that date.

Cllr Mellor said he would discuss ways for the sale to be considered before 23rd March with the board’s chairman, Cllr Stephen Bartlett.