Key cutting, shoe repairs, and other services may be available at a supermarket car park after Timpson lodged plans to install a retail kiosk in a Devon town.
The application, submitted by Timpson Ltd, seeks detailed consent for the erection of a retail services pod at Tesco, Joseph Locke Way in Crediton.
According to a Design and Access Statement prepared by Fuse 3 Ltd, the proposal forms part of “a joint venture by Timpson Ltd and Tesco Stores Ltd to offer the convenience of providing Timpson’s services (dry cleaning, shoe repair, key cutting, jewellery repairs, watch repairs, engraving, etc) within the Tesco grounds.”
The document makes clear that “dry cleaning will not be undertaken within the kiosk; items to be cleaned would simply be dropped off and collected at the kiosk.”
The scheme involves the installation of a single rectangular pod on an area of existing hardstanding approximately six metres south of the main store entrance . The unit would measure 6.55m in width, 2.54m in depth and 2.46m in height.
Tesco has identified stores “which have margin within the car park to afford the pod 2 car parking spaces or the equivalent paved area” , with the Crediton branch deemed suitable.
The proposed opening hours are:
- Monday to Saturday: 0900 – 1800
- Sunday: 1000 – 1600
Timpson says it “would look to recruit a full-time member of staff to tend the kiosk.”
In terms of design, the pod is intended to retain the company’s established branding while “blending with the architectural vernacular of the Tesco store.”
The fascia would be Timpson branded, with details of opening times and services displayed on the unit.
The associated signage would produce “a level of static luminance not greater than 255Cd/m2”, described as “a negligible impact on nearby residents.”
The applicants state that, based on experience at similar sites, Timpson kiosks “are not a destination store in their own right, and rely heavily on existing footfall to be viable. As such it is not expected to increase traffic to the site.”
The statement adds: “We do not believe the proposed retail pod will affect the egress/ingress routes of the store or car park and we do not think there will be any impact on local transport” . Access to the Tesco site from Joseph Locke Way would remain unchanged, and there are said to be no highway implications.
The pod would be positioned on existing pavement and “will not affect any of the planting to the grounds, and does not infringe upon the current landscape provision. Thus the external environment will stay the same.”
The site is identified as being in an area of flood risk by the Environment Agency, and a Flood Risk Assessment has been submitted as part of the application.
On amenity, the applicants say: “We do not believe that there will be a material increase in noise and disturbance from the site because of the existing use of the site” adding that the proposed hours fall within the standard operating hours of a retail outlet such as Tesco.
The statement notes that “the current application has not been subject to a public consultation or local community involvement because the scheme proposes one small cabin.” However, it adds that the proposal has been considered “at board level within Tesco and Timpson.”
The applicants state that the retail pod “will offer customers the convenience of providing Timpson’s services at their local town centre superstore.”
Mid Devon District Council will determine the application in due course.
