SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury has lodged a revised plan to build an 'out of town' store in Tavistock — and it includes provision for a new police station. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed this week that it had approached the supermarket company just after Christmas with a view to acquiring part of the 3.8-hectare site on Plymouth Road for a new station. The force has been looking for a new location for the last three years because its historic grade II * listed town centre station is now inadequate to deal with modern policing. Sainsbury withdrew its controversial application for a supermarket on the site in November because planning officers were not happy over the extent of retail use on land designated for other types of employment. Tavistock Chamber of Commerce launched a campaign against the development because of fears over the future viability of the town centre. A spokesman for Sainsbury this week said the extra office block, together with 17 business units in the plans, now equated to 26,000 sq ft of business space. The new store would provide 200 full and part- time jobs and up to 150 jobs in the offices and business units. The mixed use site would also include a petrol station and car parking for 349 cars. 'The revised plans include additional office space, anticipated for use by police as administrative offices, to complement 17 business units that also form part of the proposals,' he said. 'Other benefits include changes to the store design to ensure that the proposals are in keeping with their setting and improvements to landscaping by enhancing the planting proposals.' Jamie Baker, Sainsbury's regional development executive, said: 'Sainsbury's is committed to coming to Tavistock. 'The resubmitted plans follow a successful public consultation which met with 62 per cent approval by local residents and includes amendments following discussions with West Devon Borough Council.' Devon and Cornwall Constabulary's development surveyor Harvey Gardner said the new office block would meet the requirements of policing now and into the future for the people of Tavistock and the wider area and provide the car parking space that was needed. 'There have been quite a few constraints in the Tavistock area in terms of site availability for a new police station and although we have looked at several sites they have either not been suitable or we have not been able to acquire them,' he said. 'The Sainsbury site is on the right side of town for us.' Mr Gardner said the police would also be looking at keeping a presence in the town centre where people could come in and talk to a station enquiry officer. 'We are aware that the new site would be somewhat out of town and we want to keep that all important interface with someone behind the desk. 'As well as having a newer, better station we want to raise the visibility and accessibility of the police in the town.' The police station in Guildhall Square was built in the 1860s and housed the police, the fire brigade and accommodation for the police sergeant. It is now the second oldest police station in the country and is 'overcrowded and costly to maintain', said Mr Gardner. Chamber of Commerce chairman Nigel Eadie said up and down the country there were hundreds of examples of where supermarkets built on the edge of towns had had a 'totally destructive effect' on the town centre. He urged people to write to West Devon Borough Council's planning authority to make their views known. 'If the community objects in numbers there is a chance that a decision will be made in favour of what the community wants, not what the big businesses and multi-nationals want,' he said.
