PLANS for a £40-million Tesco eco-store and 93 affordable homes, on land owned by a community of Anglican nuns in Whitby, collapsed last week, when the developers withdrew their appeal against the council’s rejection of the scheme (News, 2 July).
The development — which would have included a 340-space car park, a petrol station, and care facilities for the elderly — would have been built at High Stakesby, under a deal with the Sisters of the Order of the Holy Paraclete (OHP), who live near by in St Hilda’s Priory, Sneaton Castle.
The Sisters want to build a new, smaller home because their current one is too big for their needs.
The scheme, by the developers S. Harrison, based in York, provoked widespread opposition in the town and a 3700-signature petition. A pressure group, Whitby Residents Against Tesco Superstore (WRATS), said that the proposed supermarket would destroy the character of Whitby.
The nuns have faced sustained hostility over the scheme, and could not be contacted for comment. Earlier this year, the Prioress of St Hilda’s, Sister Dorothy Stella, defended the Order’s plans as an attempt to help the town by providing more facilities.