Shop units, designed to form the commercial heart of the Great Notley development, are still lying empty more than three years after they were built.

This week community leaders called for Tesco, which owns the site, to tell them about its plans for the future.

The only unit taken at present in the six shop parade is an estate agent's, although two businesses have opened and closed in the last two years.

District councillor Peter Turner said: "This is a tragedy for Great Notley. There is great potential for the community here, but is is increasingly obvious that this does not appear to be an open market situation.

"One cannot help but feel that the ultimate goal may be a larger supermarket on this site.

"Three years on and nothing's changed. Tesco still insists it is committed to marketing these units but we are left with this feeling of concern.''

Ken Game, parish councillor and chairman of Great Notley Residents' Association, added: "The general feeling of the community is one of disgust and disappointment.

"Those shops would have provided a valuable facility for the community, empty shops look very drab and don't add to the environment in any way.

"We are constantly being told that there is interest in these units, but nothing happens. This has been the situation since the Tesco store opened three years ago.

"I feel very sorry for the people who have put in a lot of money and work trying to make these businesses a success, not helped by the other shops remaining vacant.

''Most people feel that this is not a shopping centre for the community.

"The parish council and the residents - the whole community - is concerned but there is very little we can do. Tesco should make these premises attractive to small businesses.

"Everyone would like to see something happening, but we can't see it. We've had constant assurances from Tesco but still nothing happens."

Pam Mclintock opened Peachwood Hair and Beauty in one of the units with daughter Louise in February 1998.

"The idea was that local people would have a choice of shops," Mrs Mclintock said. "Tesco assured us that the parade of shops would be busy."

She signed an £11,000 annual lease, but during her two-year stay was joined only by a craft shop, since closed, and an estate agent.

Lack of business forced her to close in February this year.

"We struggled on, but despite assurances from Tesco no other shops appeared. At the end my two stylists took jobs at Tesco. They said the money was better there, but I was struggling to stay in business."

Pam and Louise now concentrate on their successful Hornchurch salon.

Commenting on the existing shop units, a spokeswoman for Tesco said this week: "We have quite a few of them under offer."

But she could not confirm who is planning to move in as legal details were still being finalised.

The spokeswoman added: "We have not got any plans for expansion."

Deserted parade - Great Notley residents, left to right: Ken Game. John Hainsworth and Bert Rix, outside the empty shops.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.