Around 90 people attended a meeting to discuss plans to demolish a row of Barrow shops to make way for a Tesco Express.
West Midlands-based LCP Property Investments want to see a Tesco Express built on the Lakes Parade site in Hawcoat and has submitted a planning application.
A public meeting, organised by Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham, was held at Dane Ghyll Primary School yesterday, Thursday November 27.
Eviction notices have been served on the owners of the shops, with employees told they will be made redundant.
Their mandatory move-out date is December 19.
The current planning application would see all units but the Post Office at Lakes Parade demolished. The consultation period is now open until next Friday, December 5.
Businesses are worried that the council will only visit the site when every business is gone, creating the false impression of a quiet, deserted area, which will help to get the planning application through.
The launderette shuts today, with its owner facing financial losses after the forced eviction eliminated any chance of selling the business as intended.
“We will lose a vital part of the community,” one resident said. “People go to the hairdressers because they know them, they like the social side of it.”
Locals, the traders, and Mrs Scrogham are urging the public to focus all efforts on contributing to the consultation in an effort to stop the planning application from being approved.
Mrs Scrogham told the meeting: “I have contacted Tesco and the owners of the site to ask them to reconsider these plans. I regret that the landowner has not responded to requests to engage with the local community.
“Now that the planning application has been made, that has to be the focus for the campaign.
“My objections as MP only have as much weight as any individual in a planning decision. There is a process that all applications must go through.
“I can’t intervene with a council planning decisions, but I will raise my concerns and objections through the consultation as powerfully as I can.
“We now have until the closing of the consultation on Friday December 5 to make sure that as many residents as possible do the same thing.”
The MP said people can object to the development on the grounds of:
- Traffic and child safety near the school: Potential increased traffic and deliveries at the front of the store will create hazards for pedestrians and customers.
- Parking capacity: 10 parking spaces, but four are for the Post Office, two are charging hubs, and one is disabled parking, which only leaves three valid spaces for both staff and customers of Tesco.
- Noise and late-night activity: Opening times are stated as 6am to 10pm, and up to five deliveries a day.
- Community impact and loss of local shops and diversity: Independent businesses will be lost.
- Plus sustainability, design and visual impact, biodiversity.
People can object by:
- Putting a comment on the online planning portal. You can find this under application reference B16/2025/0557 at https://webapps.barrowbc.gov.uk/webapps/f?p=BARROWPLANNINGHUB:APPLICATIONSEARCH:15862451078807
- Email your objections to the council at [email protected]
- Send a letter to Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness LA14 9SR
Mrs Scrogham added: “You could feel the anger in the room.
“If enough people comment, email, and write letters before next Friday, the planning committee will be forced to confront the strength of public opposition.
Physical and digital petitions opposing the redevelopment have reached a combined total of 3,200 signatures.
People still have time to sign the petition here https://www.change.org/p/help-save-our-local-lakes-parade-shops-from-eviction.
The petition only counts as one objection, whereas each email/letter/comment are counted as separate objections.
Another meeting has been organised by the local business owners currently located at Lakes Parade for tomorrow, Saturday, November 29, at 10am at Dane Ghyll School.
