The lease for a public car park serving Sainsbury’s shoppers in Hornchurch has been extended by Havering Council.

The land for the car park, in Billet Lane, was leased by the supermarket from the council and the latest five-year contract expired on November 14, 2021.

According to a council report, the tenant in this case does not have an automatic right of renewal.

This meant that Sainsbury’s had been using the car park on a “tenancy at will basis” for more than two years where the tenure could be terminated by the tenant or the landlord at anytime.

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Cabinet members agreed to extend the lease formally until March 2028 during a meeting on April 10.

The lease is subject to the terms agreed between the council and the supermarket.

Councillor Keith Prince, leader of the Conservatives on the council, said during that the meeting that he was “pleased” with the decision.

He said: “I am quite pleased that you have agreed to renew the lease. Because while there might be a temptation to get a capital receipt from that piece of land, it is an important car parking space for that part of the borough."