Sacriston war memorial relocated for Tesco supermarket
Aug 23 2010 by Neil McKay, The Journal
BUSINESSMEN and women in a former mining village have lost their battle to prevent supermarket giant Tesco from opening in their midst.
Work began last week on fencing off a plot of land in the centre of Sacriston, near Durham, for a Tesco Express store.
The granting of planning permission for the new store, next to the village cricket field, was surrounded in controversy, with local MP Kevan Jones demanding an explanation from council bosses into how permission was granted for the removal of a war memorial to make way for the Tesco store.
A planning committee made up of Durham county councillors approved the proposal to build a store on land which was the site of a former church hall in Front Street, despite traders warning they could go out of business.
The development also involved moving the village war memorial, which some objectors described as “an insult to those who fell in the war”.
Last week workmen began clearing the site, despite claims that two post offices and several other shops could close when the Tesco store opens.
