TAT FOR TIT

The Titnore Protest Camp (See SchNEWS 648) is moving towards action stations as Tesco begin groundwork on its new mega-store near Titnore Woods in Durrington, West Sussex, with the actual building work rumoured to be starting in May.

But work is beginning without full planning permission – Tesco’s usual build-first-get-the-paperwork-sorted-later tactic, with Worthing Council still to see the latest planning application. The £18-20 million development doubles the size of the existing nearby Tesco, including a 800-bay car park.

The entire £3 billion development includes 875 new homes to provide Tesco with its captive consumers, which is a separate planning application that the town’s development control committee will look at by the end of March. However with any luck the credit crunch will scupper the plans of Taylor-Wimpey, Heron Homes and Persimmon Homes – whose shares have slumped to the worst in three years. Building projects around the country are being shelved due to the hard times, so fingers crossed that this group of shysters all go broke as well.

The camp was set up in May 2006 to protect one of only two ancient woodlands left on the Sussex coastal plain, and is directly affected by the housing plan.

To show Tesco that protests will escalate if work begins, there were a number of actions this week. As workmen set up a mini-compound in the Tesco carpark, protesters locked them out of their portacabin and digger for the day, as well as holding an impromptu riot-in-the-aisles at the current Tesco, with campaigners making merry in the alcohol aisles with bottles going left, right and centre.

Support the campaign by donating cash, food, clothing, polyprop rope or climbing gear to the camp which is 20 mins from Goring station and 5mins from Durrington Tesco.

* See also www.protectourwoodland.co.uk