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Village vows to fight Tesco bid
More than 100 people packed into a heated meeting to fight supermarket development plans in Bovingdon.
Villagers crowded into Memorial Hall on High Street last night (Tuesday) to air their opposition to plans for a Tesco Express.
Only a single attendant spoke in favour of the development, with the rest of the crowd determined to keep big-name brands out of the village.
Concerns included the impact on independent shops, increased traffic from passing trade and the design of the three-storey building - which would also feature eight residential flats.
Rev Tim Marshall, of St Lawrence Church on Vicarage Lane, told the meeting: "We are very fortunate to have a good collection of shops in the High Street.
"These are Bovingdon shops which create the Bovingdon feeling.
"If Tesco Express comes here we will lose those shops."
He added: "Tesco says 'every little helps' but I say 'every little hurts' - it will hurt the shops and it will hurt community.
The view was echoed by Peter Pelly, 92, of Hunters Close, who said the village already had everything it needed.
"Bovingdon already has everything you could want on your doorstep, and most shops and services are first class.
"We're more than satisfied with what we have - there is simply no demand for a Tesco."
Tesco has applied to develop the site of a former car showroom at the junction of High Street and Chesham Road.
Bovingdon Parish Council called the meeting, attended by around 150 people, to decide how to respond to the application.
It will go before Dacorum Borough Council's development control committee on June 11.
For full news and analysis see The Gazette.
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Weather for Hemel Hempstead
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
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