Sandwich shortage ends as council lifts restriction

A Tesco Express said it hoped it would stop running out of fresh sandwiches after the council agreed to change the store's delivery restrictions.

The branch on Christ's Lane, Cambridge, was subject to a restriction preventing the store from receiving any deliveries on Sundays and bank holidays, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillors at a Cambridge City Council planning meeting on Wednesday agreed to change the control to allow up to three deliveries a day, between the hours of 10:00 and 21:00.

Some people living in nearby flats had objected to the change over noise concerns.

A representative of Tesco told councillors at the meeting that a convenience store of this size needed the deliveries to "ensure the availability of products to meet consumer demands".

They said stock in the shop could "drop considerably, resulting in key products, such as sandwiches, not being available" on Sundays and bank holidays.

They added that the store's delivery bay "essentially forms an extension to the bus station", which has buses driving in and out of it daily.

A member of the public who lives in one of the flats above the loading bay raised concerns about increased noise.

They urged councillors to reject the changes to "protect residents" and added there was already a "fully suitable alternative nearby" for shoppers, at another Tesco branch in the Lion Yard.

Katie Thornburrow, the authority's cabinet member for planning and transport, highlighted that Tesco would have known about the delivery restriction when deciding to open the store on Christ's Lane.

"I do not feel having fresh sandwiches on a bank holiday is enough reason to change this.

"The business knew what the restrictions were when they moved in," she said.

When the decision was put to a vote, three councillors voted to approve the changes and three voted against.

The tie meant Martin Smart, the chair of the authority's Planning Committee, had the casting vote and he voted in favour of approving the changes.

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