Goodge Street Tesco under threat of downsizing

See latest updates at the bottom of this report.

Tesco plc is considering shrinking its long-established Goodge Street store, an investigation by Fitzrovia News has found.

In August the freeholder of the site, Estates and Agency, submitted a planning application to Camden Council seeking permission to change a loading bay door in Whitfield Street into an additional entrance to the neighbouring office building.

The planning application (incorrectly) stated that the door was no longer in use by the Tesco store and that the space behind the door had already been converted to office space under permitted development.

However, the details in the application were challenged by the Charlotte Street Association who wrote to Camden’s planning department to point out that the door was used for transferring goods into the store and the space next to it was not office space but part of the shop.

The implication from the planning application is that Tesco is considering reducing the size of the store, while the freeholder is considering its future options for the site.

The store is viewed by local residents and community groups to be an important destination for groceries and vital to keep Goodge Street as a local shopping street.

Tesco first appeared on the street in 1966 and it has weathered a number of changes and threats.

In 1988 it was under threat of closure, until local residents and community groups brought Tesco bosses and landlords Estates and Agency together to strike a deal to keep it open. Fitzrovia News reported it at the time as a victory for residents in Fitzrovia who needed an affordable place to shop.

Then in 2001 local people won another battle to keep the store open after Camden Council refused planning permission for the store to be enlarged. The disagreement centred on an on-street loading bay which the council said was unacceptable.

The case went to a planning appeal where the landlords, Tesco and local residents won the argument for an expanded store.

The enlarged store is now much bigger than it looks from the outside — extending back along Whitfield Street past an office entrance, and some mock windows, and shares part of the neighbouring office block.

But in the summer of 2021 Tesco Goodge Street was one of 89 stores that were downgraded from the “Metro” to “Express” format.

The automatic tills changed and those wanting to pay with cash now have to join a sometimes lengthy queue. Prices went up, staff were cut and opening hours reduced.

Now it seems another change is underway that could roll back the clock and cut down the size of the shop and with it less choice for hard-pressed local shoppers and more jobs at risk.

Fitzrovia News contacted Tesco and asked them if this is correct. We received a very short response that did not deny they were considering reducing the size of the shop.

“We appreciate this Tesco Express plays an important role in the local community and we look forward to continuing to provide a high quality range of products at this store,” said a Tesco spokesperson.

Tesco has several other small “Express” stores in the neighbourhood and there is a new application for a premises licence for a new shop at the south end of Tottenham Court Road.

But all these small stores carry a poorer range of goods than the Goodge Street store. Local people need easy access to affordable groceries to feed a family, especially during a cost of living crisis.

Update 6 February 2023: Revised drawings have now been submitted. While they address some of the concerns about the service access for Tesco, they still indicate that the store will be reduced in size and the neighbouring office expanded if the application is approved.

Update 28 February 2023: Further revised drawings have been submitted. However, they still indicate that the store will be reduced in size. The Charlotte Street Association residents’ group have objected to the application.

“The proposals as submitted indicate that the applicant wishes to reduce the size of the Tesco store and use the area leading to the new entrance for office use,” they wrote to Camden’s planning department.

“There is no shortage of office space in Fitzrovia. But there is a need to maintain a retail shop at Goodge Street that is both viable and serves the needs to the residential community with a wide range of affordable groceries. Over the years local people have supported the Tesco store at Goodge Street as it provides affordable produce in a neighbourhood increasingly gentrified, and a shopping street sadly in decline.

“The reduced size of the store would have a negative effect on the choice of products for local residents and may undermine the store’s viability. The Tesco store is an important ‘anchor’ premises that supports the wider vitality of the street. It is the only retail premises on Goodge Street that “provides for the everyday needs of the local population.

“For the above reasons, the application should be refused,” they wrote.

Update 9 March 2023: the application has been submitted to the Camden members briefing panel with a recommendation for approval. The Charlotte Street Association is to ask for a decision to be made by a planning committee.

Update 22 March 2023: Members panel decided to allow a decision to be made under the delegated authority of planning officers. As a result the application has now been granted.

Application Number	Site Address	Development Description	Status	Date Registered	Decision
2022/3007/P	40 Whitfield Street London W1T 2RH	Replacement of front ground floor window with new entrance door and alteration of external floor.	FINAL DECISION	25-08-2022	Granted