TESCO bosses will NOT appeal after Welwyn Hatfield councillors threw out their plans for redeveloping the Broadwater Road site, in WGC.

And as the supermarket giant decides what to do with the land, the council has unveiled its latest plans to transform WGC town centre.

The council is pushing ahead with development plans for WGC Town Centre North (TCN) – which covers the land between the Howard Centre and John Lewis and includes John Lewis’ car park, the anniversary gardens, the roundabout/subway between John Lewis, Welwyn Carpet Mills and the council offices, and four units in Stonehills.

Council planning director Chris Conway said: “We’re currently preparing supplementary planning guidance which will be consulted on in the summer and will form the base upon which the redevelopment can be brought forward.”

Councillor Mandy Perkins said the plans were set to enhance WGC as a unique shopping destination and help it evolve to reflect changes in shopping practices.

She said: “The planning committee made a very clear decision in refusing the Tesco application, that took into account the financial stability and traffic capacity of WGC town centre and which reflected what many people were telling us.

“It’s therefore important we show residents and businesses, as well as visitors to WGC, we take the economic viability of the town seriously, and this is a step in revitalising the town centre.

“We’ve already seen the difference in appearance the development of the south side has made, but this is only the beginning and we want to make sure the rest of the town catches up.”