Watch Tesco Carefully, warns McBride

10.01.46pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 6th May 2007

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr David McBride has warned that Bromley Council will need to watch the building of the controversial Tesco store in Orpington very carefully.

His warning came as a BBC investigation concluded that in a number of cases Tesco breached planning laws and warnings by the planning departments of local councils. Two cases that were stated specifically mentioned that one store was 20% bigger when it was built than the plans showed and on the site of another store a large pile of rubble was left in an area of natural beauty. Many Orpington residents are already concerned that Tesco has submitted a planning application for a bigger store in Orpington a few months after being given permission to build a store on the Station Road car park site.

Cllr David McBride said, "This investigation is of concern to those of us who are unhappy with Tesco's approach to their development in Orpington. We will need to watch the building of the store in Orpington very carefully and the Council must be sure to step in quickly if there is local concern."