Dartford homeowners threaten move after Tesco plans (From News Shopper)

Homeowners at East Hill Road in Dartford threaten to move after Tesco plans

11:58am Monday 8th October 2012 in News By George Sargent

DARTFORD residents have threatened to leave their homes because a Tesco Express is being built by their back gardens.

Locals fear a spike in crime and noisy traffic will follow the new supermarket’s construction in St Albans Road.

Work has now started on the project which includes demolishing a warehouse to make a car park and renovating the old Brewers painting and decorating shop in East Hill Road.

The building comes after plans were approved by Dartford Council in a meeting where residents spoke forcefully against the project.

Georgina Jarrett, 59 of East Hill Road, told News Shopper: "They have taken away our safety.

"I just want to move away.

"I just don’t want to live here now.

"The noise levels are going to be horrendous with deliveries and people buying alcohol."

Graphic designer Samantha Ingram, 34, also of East Hill Road, said: "It’s absolutely awful. We don’t want cars and noise round the back of our house.

"It’s feet away from my daughter’s bedroom.

"These are our lives but they don’t seem to care."

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "We always follow the democratic planning process and planning permission was granted by the council.

"We consulted local neighbours to inform them of our plans and people would have had a chance to comment on them."

A council spokeswoman said: "We do not have any powers to prevent retail on this site given it has always been a retail store."

She added the council would "not hesitate to intervene" if CCTV and a noise blocking high wall was not present on the site and said: "It is clearly in the store’s interests to be a good neighbour.

"We will be monitoring it closely."