Residents oppose plans for 24-hour trading at Chichester Tesco

Tesco, in Fishbourne Road East, has just submitted plans to Chichester District Council to increase store opening hours and the hours which the car park can operate. Opening times on Sundays would remain as they are.

In its submission to the council, the company said the additional hours would provide increased customer choice and 'operational efficiencies', but people living next to the store say it will bring misery.

Residents are worried about the possible noise impact increased opening could bring from people parking their cars, staff and the noise from trolleys.

There were also concerns about an increase in traffic in what is already seen as a dangerous road.

One resident said: "At present I am woken from my sleep by staff shift changes throughout the night and if the store remained open this would only get worse. The council must remember this is a residential area and we all need our sleep."

Iris Hedgecock, who lives near the store, said: "Twenty-four-hour trading would seriously affect the quality of life for the local residents living closest to the store with the increase in noise levels which would result form the Tesco car park being in use all night.

"Of the major food stores in the area, Tesco is the only one which has as its close neighbours residential housing, Sainsbury's being on the edge of the city and Waitrose adjacent to the station and multi-storey car park."

Another resident said 14 hours of trading would be reasonable but 24 hours was excessive.

The store is currently open from 8am to 10pm, Mondays to Saturdays, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays. New opening hours would be from 8am on Monday through to 10pm on Saturday.

In its submission Tesco said it had carried out a noise risk assessment and the results showed noise from car parking would not exceed 'existing ambient noise levels'.

For properties closest to the store, the noise would be below levels set by the World Health Organisation and 'ambient and peak night-time guidance' noise levels.

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