Waitrose facing Malmesbury Town Council boycott over steps

When a new Waitrose store was built nine years ago, off the A429 in Malmesbury, the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) pledged to construct a set of steps linking the store’s car park to the town centre.

But while this measure was intended to give shoppers easier access to stores on the High Street, the stairs have “deteriorated to the point they are dangerous” and have been mostly closed for the past six years.

JLP has since been granted planning permission to replace the steps but are yet to take a decision on their future, sparking fury amongst town councillors.

Cllr Gavin Grant at the top of the steps (Image: Malmesbury Town Council)

Town Mayor Cllr Gavin Grant said: “The promise they made to us was they would replace the wooden steps with metal ones, people are constantly frustrated by this.

“It’s a disgraceful state of affairs, their condition is appalling because they’re literally falling apart and that’s the first thing you see when you enter the town.

“It looks like a police incident, an absolute eyesore, they need to provide something that looks good and is safe to use.”

The stairs were widely used before their closure and locals have since resorted to ignoring the closure signs or scrambling down the grassy bank from the car park to the High Street.

Cllr Grant added: “Those steps are unsafe but people use them, if something happens it will be Waitrose’s responsibility.

“People using the bank could lose their footing and fall into the pavement or road, it’s absolutely dangerous.”

Town councillors claim at a recent meeting JLP representatives informed them they were under no “legal obligation” to replace the steps.

The town council have written to the chain expressing their frustration and warned they could lead a boycott of the shop if the promise to upgrade the stairs is not fulfilled.

Waitrose insisted no decision has yet been made on whether or not the steps will be replaced and that they remain in communication with the council.

They added that budget constraints have halted the replacement scheme and alternative options are being considered.

Councillors in front of the store (Image: Malmesbury Town Council)

A spokesperson said: "While we remain in conversation with the council about these steps, our branch is easily accessible using a large entrance, just up the road.

"No decisions have been reached on the steps yet. In the meantime, we continue to invest in areas like lowering hundreds of prices for customers, supporting local charities and backing British farmers."