DESPITE a plea from the planning chairman of Newton Abbot Chamber of Trade, Jeremy Newcombe, Teignbridge Council's Development Control Committee on Monday gave the nod to the town's on-off-on Wolborough Street redevelopment.

Councillors granted the Asda Stores and ASM Properties Ltd application to demolish existing buildings off Bradley Lane, and to build a new superstore, residential unit, scout headquarters, new link road and public car parking, and enhancement of the River Lemon.

Listed building consent was also granted and the committee imposed 31 conditions.

Mr Newcombe stressed that the chamber of trade was not against the Asda store.

It was in favour of the original approval for a store with 32,000 sq ft of retail space, but now the store had been moved and was 33 per cent larger.

He pointed out that the development company had also off-loaded the former Pascoe and Gill and Seymour Horwell sites which were originally due for development to link the store/pedestrianised Wolborough Street/town centre.

Mr Newcombe also warned that there were not enough car parking spaces.

The scheme proposed 422 spaces owned by Asda and 322 owned by Teignbridge Council. A look at Wolborough Street now showed it was 80-100 per cent capacity at peak times.

'If we are to develop a scheme which will not damage the town, we have to be very conscious of the number of new spaces we have for this facility.

'The chamber considers the store to be too big with insufficient car parking and it does not meet the original brief,' he said.

Mike Gibbins, director of ASM Properties, told the meeting that gone were the days when supermarkets were built on the edge of the town.

'This is a brownfield site in town. An earlier scheme failed on grounds of excessive costs. This scheme avoids those costs and keeps the link road.

'It is 8,000 sq ft of retail space bigger than last time. The objective is to strengthen Newton Abbot and the store needs to be a magnet to attract people back into the town from out-of-town shops,' he said.

Mr Gibbins said they were now exchanging contracts with investors in the Seymour Horwell and Pascoe and Gill sites.

He emphasised that all 747 car parking spaces would be available for shoppers and for public use, and the number was in line with planning policy.

Shoppers in the store would receive a refund on their parking fee, and there would be 422 more shopper spaces than at present.

'If you pass it today the store will be open in Christmas 2005,' stated Mr Gibbins.

Head of planning Steve Robinson said the increased retail floor space fell well within the requirements for up to 2011.

On hearing the need for extra retail space, Cllr David Howe said the town had that with charity shops.

'With this extra retail space coming in you could have some extra charity shops,' he said.

And Cllr Howe pointed to the fact that the Wolborough Street redevelopment was now the Bradley Lane redevelopment.

'It has gone the other side of the River Lemon. I would submit that psychologically 150 metres to the north makes it an out-of-town development.

'Much of the bomb site there has been created since Asda bought the site. The long-term plan may well have been to have it bigger and out of town. I am not a cynical person, so I would not suggest that,' said Cllr Howe.

He added that he would say no to a restaurant, optician and chemist there.

Council chairman Cllr Mary Colclough said that to clear up and make use of this derelict area, which had greeted people for far too long, had to be an advantage.

'I think it will bring the town considerable spin-offs, with an increased number of shoppers making their way into the town centre.

'Some shops may suffer from competition, but others will flourish,' she claimed.

Cllr Rhona Parker said the store would need 700 parking spaces of its own.

She said: 'We are talking about it opening in Christmas 2005 and Newton Abbot gridlock.

'ASM is coming in here to make a quick packet out of us. I think this is some big company wanting to make a fast buck out of Newton Abbot.

'Business people have worked the figures out. They are educated people who have spent a lot of money evaluating it, and they say it is too big.'

Car parks officer Sue Edwards said it would be short- stay three-hour parking at the car park at the store, while in a transitional strategy they were looking at long-stay parking on the periphery of the town.

Cllr Roy Phillips said the application moved too heavily in favour of the developers and not Newton Abbot.

'What is needed in Newton Abbot is another store like Austins to attract other high quality shops. I do not believe this application is in Newton Abbot's long term interest,' he said.

Cllr Keith Smith said the committee needed to listen to the people of Newton Abbot.

'The people you speak to on the streets want the store.

'If you vote against it you will be letting them down,' he told fellow councillors.