Work about to start

ON 4th March, East Devon District Council gave Tesco's contractors the go-ahead to start work on . . . "Construction of temporary trial embankment to assess compaction/water absorption rates of soil/compacted concrete in advance of future filling operation". 

The document is called "Conditions11038258.pdf" and can be downloaded from the EDDC planning portal under the number 09/2337/FUL.  It is 16 pages long and consists of reports from:

• PJ Carey (Contractors) Ltd of Wembley describing the crushing of the hardstanding and formation into test bunds;
• Aspect Ecology from Banbury outlining the ecological safeguards to be adopted - mostly slow-worms and japanese knotweed - and providing a blurred site plan;
• Delta-Simons Environmental Consultants of Lincoln who reply to queries from the Environment Agency about unexpected contamination procedures.

The various Tescowatch teams are looking in detail at these reports; but a problem is presented by the poor quality of the site plan.  I have written to Aspect Ecology asking (nicely) for a better copy of the plan.  If and when it arrives, I will post it on this blog.

It is clear that Tesco are calling in contractors from across the land - no local employment opportunities here.  It also looks serious - giving every indication that they mean to go ahead with this very ambitious operation.

Interesting times . . . in the Chinese interpretation.