Tesco agenda

SIR, - Steve Wright of Alma Road, St Albans, is absolutely spot on in his suspicion of Tesco's invalid planning application (Herts Advertiser, March 6).

Tesco is constantly opening new stores. They know how to submit planning applications. It is hard to see how after eight years of preparation they could really have made a mistake that has taken over a month to put right. This follows two "consultations" and several failed deadlines to submit an application. After every round of publicity they get, another swathe of letters from concerned residents appears in the council postbag and on these letters pages.

But the fact is, as Mr Wright says, that everyone is going to have to write again if they want their voice to be heard when the council finally makes its decision.

So I would urge your readers to stand by until a valid application is received and the date of the planning hearing is announced. That is the time to write to the council - The Planning Department, St Albans City and District Council, St Peter's Street, St Albans AL1 3JE, or e-mail planapps@stalbans.gov.uk

And there may only be three weeks in which to do that, so people need to be ready.

What can we expect next from Tesco? I wouldn't be at all surprised if they deliver their application in the run-up to the local elections in May, when the focus of councillors will be elsewhere. The determination of local residents to see something more useful than a supermarket built on the London Road site will then be even more important, as they may find they don't have as much council support as they had hoped for.

SIMON GROVER,

St Albans Green Party