Tesco-town development propsals under fire in the UK

According to the UK government's chief design adviser, plans by major supermarkets to combine shops, housing and other facilities in so-called Tesco-towns ran the risk of causing fresh damage to already vulnerable town centres.

A report published today by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe)  points to the prospect of mixed-use developments involving building apartments, schools and parks linked to supermarkets in urban areas threatening to turn into a ''liability rather than an asset to the community''.

The British retailer Tesco comes in for pointed criticism over designs that the design watchdog slams as ''weak'' and likely to ''adversely affect how a place looks and feels and whether it will thrive in the long term".

Cabe harbours concerns over the economic slump leaving only supermarket developments with the potential for regeneration of British towns over the near future. The body fears "short-term economic gain will not compensate for the loss of local character and ability to change and adapt easily".

The warning follows a shift in planning policy away from the giant out-of-town supermarkets now common to greenfield sites and on ringrounds in British towns and cities. Under the latest policy, development is encouraged first in town centres to promote sustainable economic growth.

However, the new in-town supermarkets leave much to be desired by way of accounting for local context, says Cabe.