Shoppers unhappy as part of Tesco car park is up for sale

Residents raise concerns as shop flogs land

A supermarket has confirmed it is selling a section of its car park.

Tesco in Tenterden is planning to dispose of a 0.3-acre portion and has put up the land for sale with Cradick Retail.

Residents commenting on the Jewel of the Weald Facebook page were unhappy about the loss of spaces at the Smallhythe Road site.

Spencer Elliott described the sale as “ridiculous” and posted: “I can’t wait until Christmas shopping time.

“Cars already park around the Tesco entrance when doing the Christmas shop [it] will be even worse when nearly a third of the car park is gone.

“Tenterden is growing at a vast rate so the last thing we need is a smaller car park in our main supermarket.”

Malcolm Voss suggested Tenterden Town Council should consider snapping the land up, using part of the £3.5m proceeds from the sale of Tent 1 housing land.

He posted: “What a superb opportunity for the town to buy some parking spaces with the money we made selling off other land.

“This would provide the much needed parking for town employees that has been an issue for years.

“I cannot think of a better use for the money especially as the town would be retaining an appreciating asset.”

Billed as being suitable for “residential or commercial uses subject to obtaining the necessary consents”, prospective buyers are advised to make enquiries via Ashford Borough Council (ABC).

A Tesco spokesman confirmed the sale and said: “We are currently exploring the sale of a small section of our Tenterden superstore car park.

“We will ensure that any changes maintain ample car parking spaces for our customers.”

The news comes alongside the retailer’s announcement that it is to close fresh food counters in its stores with the Tenterden branch impacted.

It is believed that around nine positions will be affected in Tenterden, together with the closure of the staff cafe, but Tesco has not confirmed this.

Billed as a “counter simplification,” Tesco says its customers are shopping in different ways and have less time to shop, meaning that counters are not used as much.

The supermarket says counters will close in 90 stores, with the remaining 700 offering either full or part time service.

The Tenterden Tesco store