The opening by Marks and Spencer of a new store at Stane Park, Stanway, will bring “chaos, congestion and confusion” throughout the area.

That is the warning prediction by Colchester’s former MP Sir Bob Russell who on Monday had a meeting at M&S headquarters in London with the M&S chairman, Archie Norman.

Sir Bob said: “It came as no surprise when Mr Norman made it clear M&S would not be re-opening the High Street store – but he gave me hope when I asked that the company’s plans to open 40 Food Halls in the coming three years should include one in Colchester city centre.”

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Mr Norman, who for eight years served as an MP at the same time as Sir Bob, agreed to meet him to discuss the closure of the company’s store in Colchester High Street after Sir Bob purchased some M&S shares so he could speak at the company’s annual meeting in July.

Sir Bob said it was a useful meeting, and he had no regrets in pursuing what he considers is a wrong decision bearing in mind the High Street store was profitable.

Mr Norman stated the High Street store would not re-open as it is company policy to dispose of many city and town centre sites around the country and open bigger stores on retail parks with free parking.

But Sir Bob pointed out that the car parking provision at Stane Park is for only 450 cars – and, in addition to M&S, it is also a shared car park with Aldi, B&Q, Mountain Warehouse, Superdrug, Greggs and at least one other store.

“In contrast, as best I could count them, there are around 750 parking spaces for the exclusive use of customers at Sainsbury’s supermarket at nearby Tollgate – this is 300 more than what is available at Stane Park for several stores.

“My prediction is that with the addition of M&S at Stane Park – affecting the whole wider Tollgate area including the slip road leading down to the A12 – there will be chaos, congestion and confusion.

“Who is going to stop the tailbacks onto the A12 with the obvious road safety issues that will entail? It has already happened, as I have witnessed, and that is before M&S open.”

Observing that Essex Highways had raised no objections to the amount of parking at Stane Park, Sir Bob said: “Basil Fawlty should have been consulted. He would have stated ‘the bleedin’ obvious’ that the Stane Park car park is woefully inadequate.”