Wednesday 15 September 2010

Tesco still on target in Tenbury

Tesco and their developers are still on target to resubmit their planning application for the Old Cattle Market in Tenbury by the end of the month.

The new plan will be on much the same footprint as the original. There will be alterations to site levels as prescribed by the Environment Agency, to allow the car park to be used for flood water storage when the river is in spate. The store will be protected behind a wall which will link up to the proposed bund in the Burgage. Also included will be an enhanced entrance pavilion, to add architectural interest when viewed from Teme Street.

The store will be moved back slightly to allow for a number of disabled parking spaces between the store and the Spar loading area.

The plan will still involve the demolition of the old infirmary building, the extension to the old fire station and the buildings directly behind the old fire station. The development will include renovating the old fire station and ideas are invited to find a new use for the building.

Work is underway to try to find solutions to alleviate the lack of parking provision, which may involve running a shoppers bus service, which could also be used by staff. Parking is likely to be limited to two or three hours, but it may be possible for longer term parking to be allowed in the evening to allow parking for the users of the Regal Cinema.

Tesco's say that the store will be serviced by just 9 large lorries a week, plus a number of deliveries by local suppliers, bakery & crisp suppliers.

Currently 2/3rds of all local grocery purchases are made out of town and Tesco hope that they can reduce this to 1/3. If the plan is approved, Tesco will hold a number of customer seminars to discuss which of their ranges should be stocked.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tesco needs to open their eyes and think to themselves WE DON'T NEED OR WANT THEM. They were refused to demolish the infirmary last time and they will be refused again. Tesco go away and NEVER COME BACK

@WR15 said...

I'm only prepared to publish what appears to be copyrighted content if you can prove you own the copyright or have a copyright release. This will be published under your name, not anonymous.

Ian said...

Anonymous' comment provides plenty of heat but very little light. Why don't we need Tesco? And who says we don't want them?

DaveC said...

Interestingly, most people i speak to support the plan for Tesco in town.

@WR15 said...

If you exclude the people (such as Brendon) who have a vested interest, and the people who just didn't like the original plan, I think on balance more people are either for Tesco coming to Tenbury, or don't mind either way. The anti Tesco numbers are a clear (if vocal) minority.

If Tesco submit a valid plan, then a store will be built.

Of course this is a copy of what I wrote a few weeks ago, but it's still what I believe.

Anonymous said...

The site isn't big enough and the access isn't good enough for the store size they proposed.

Bumblebee said...

I'm a bit late to comment on this one..

As you say WR15 it sounds like a re-work of old comments but I don't think you can dismiss the 500+ local written protests to the initial plan by labelling them a 'minority'. I can just as easily say that those I speak to [across the locale] seem on balance 'against' it - which is true in my experience.

Any new plan submitted will be available for all to scrutinise again. If folks don't like it then there'll be plenty opportunities for them to make their voices heard via blogs, meets and local campaigns etc.

Anonymous said...

One problem is that people seem to be either "FOR" or "AGAINST" Tesco, but that isn't the point. The point is whether or not the submitted plan is a good plan. People might be "FOR" Tesco, but no matter how keen they are, they surely don't want a Tesco that causes gridlock at the busiest times or a Tesco that causes more parking problems than it solves. People should consider the actual plan, not whether they personally want to shop at Tesco.

Anonymous said...

Vested interest!!!!!

Surely when Spar arrived all these issues were levelled at them too?

Walking down Teme St with a Tesco's shopping bag is like wearing fur 10 years ago. I'm just waiting for one of the shop owners to throw paint on me.

Bring on Tesco... Just a shame they couldn't get planning for a petrol station too.

But I do take on the comments below. It needs to work.

"One problem is that people seem to be either "FOR" or "AGAINST" Tesco, but that isn't the point. The point is whether or not the submitted plan is a good plan."

Anonymous said...

Just another point ...

Thanks for putting up this site ... excellent

Anonymous said...

There will be gridlock no matter how far back they put the store. There will be no parking because tesco do t want parking on temerity street so they can get their lorries in. So there will always be more against than for.

@WR15 said...

I quite agree, it is all about the plan, which is why I wrote a very detailed objection, to the last plan and might do again when the final version is submitted.

I shouldn't worry about the shopkeepers, the majority are in favour.

Anonymous said...

The majority are in favour? Yes because 500 objections compared to the what? 3 for? YES NICE MAJORITY!!!!

@WR15 said...

If the 500 letters of objection are considered to be from 'local' people, then you must remember that there are 51,801 people living within 20 minutes drive of Tenbury Wells.

If you count the ones from the Tenbury Town Council ward, the number drops dramatically.

Anonymous said...

Why wont you publish the comment WR15? Yea ok only 500+ against compared to the 51,000+ local people but that just means alot of people just cant be bothered doesn't mean they are for tesco. Just means they just dont want to send in.

You going to publish this one

@WR15 said...

Sorry if there is a delay in publishing any comments but I can't always moderate immediately.

I think if you read my earlier comments I said "more people are either for Tesco coming to Tenbury, or don't mind either way

The planning system doesn't really consider peoples opinion so letters for the plan carry no weight. Only 'technical' objections are considered. So any letters that say "I don't want Tesco" are also disregarded.

Anonymous said...

Why are you using figures(51000+)for people living 20 mins drive away.?They already have a major supermarket to shop at.
Regarding the objection letters, if people objected from outside the Tenbury ward isnt it telling us all what we already know THAT THERE TOWNS HAVE BEEN CRIPPLED BY A MAJOR SUPERMARKET CHAIN.

Anonymous said...

Please could you name one town within a 20 minute drive that has been crippled by major supermarkets.

@WR15 said...

My point was that if it is claimed the 500 letters are from local people, when clearly they aren't, you have to concede that it's not 500 letters from the immediate population of say 3500 people but a pool of 50,000.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree wr15 the big majority of the letters were not people from the tenbury ward at the end of the day it will only be planning issues will decide ALL the scare mondering from the do gooders what they say that tesco destroys towns is untrue.
WHEN LUDLOW Tesco came the shops that side was dead now they are busy .
This IN TENBURY is a in town store people have got confused with out of town stores, take for example safeways in leominster before they were taken over killed the town. kikesave came and bought the trade back in again
Come on for god sake wake up
you can not stop progress,
or do the scare monderers want to see tenbury die.

Anonymous said...

You don't have any facts WR15 500 objections are from people that shop and live in/near Tenbury if there was more time I'm sure there would be more.

Anonymous said...

If the FIVE letters sent to MHDC for the proposed supermarket are to be considered to be from 'local' people, then you must remember that there are 51,801 people living within 20 minutes drive of Tenbury Wells.

If you count the ones from the Tenbury Town Council ward, the number drops dramatically to THREE

@WR15 said...

Only 15 of the last 60 (valid) letters of objection received by MHDC where from people who live in the Tenbury Town Council ward.

Can't say how representative this is of the often mentioned 500.

Bumblebee said...

Mmmnn.

I've not personally stipulated previously that the 500+ folks who objected to the original plan were solely from Tenbury - I don't think that's realistic. I think it's safe to say though that some are local to Tenbury and some are from folks who live nearby and shop in Tenbury - who's say is still very much valid in this context.

As seems to be the concensus [whatever people's angle], we're all eagerly awaiting the shiny new revised set of plans from Tesco. One assumes that some of the local public's concerns aired over the last few months will have been borne in mind a little more in this new plan in respect of: traffic congestion, access and parking etc.

I don't think that we can take anything for granted though until we see it evidenced on paper. Tesco's record at planning and development of new stores is much tarnished with many stories of sharp dealing and dirty tricks.

Anonymous said...

Re: 500 against.
Not such a high number once you realise there is a facebook group for the store numbering 333.

And if you consider not everyone has net access and those that do may not be of the demographic attracted to facebook that kind of casts doubt over the "majority" being against the store.

Anonymous said...

Where is this facebook group with only 333 members? I think that saying the majority are for tesco is absurd when all WR15 is saying is because there is 51000+ in the Tenbury area he has no facts because I doubt he has knocked in every door asking them all. So I think the letters into MHDC stating there was more against than for mean that the majority are against.

@WR15 said...

I think if you read my earlier comments I said "more people are either for Tesco coming to Tenbury, or don't mind either way.

Anonymous said...

But you can't say they don't mind either way because they might not of got chance to send letter off for whatever reason so unless you ask every resident you can't say that the majority are for or neutral. You don't have hard facts.

Anonymous said...

The Facebook group is easily found if you search the site.
And I don't believe I suggested the majority were in favour, my intent was to question the believe that with 500 against the anti's were in the majority, with a town of a couple of thousand there is still the majority who have not publicly voiced an opinion.

@WR15 said...

It's very hard to believe that 49500 people couldn't find time in a six week period to send any kind of objection.

Anyway, the new plan will be in soon so they will have another six weeks to get organised.

Anonymous said...

Supermarkets also generate vast amounts of delivery traffic, particularly heavy lorries. They have centralised distribution systems and 'just in time delivery', so that very little stock is held in the stores and they must be topped up daily, by a fleet of delivery lorries, from a regional distribution centre.

Tesco Express in Kew, London occupies a former Europa outlet in a parade of shops in a residential area. Since Tesco moved in, deliveries have increased from twice a day to up to 10 times a day, beween 6am and 11 at night, using a local school bus stop as their loading bay. Pallets, metal trolleys and unloading ramps crash down on to the pavements. Truck engines are kept running. After complaints by local residents and councillors Tesco was told to limit its deliveries to just three a day, between 7am and 8pm. But locals say nothing has changed and there are still back-to-back deliveries until 12pm. The Kew experience is not unique. Local residents in nearby St Margaret's, Twickenham, are protesting at an almost identical set of problems, including delivery lorries blocking school buses.
How many lorries a week "only" nine in a 20,000 sq ft store
This store in Kew ,London is only
3,000 sq ft with up to NINE PER DAY .
Come on Tesco start telling the TRUTH please.

@WR15 said...

I'm sure Tesco would be very happy to generate the turnover that warranted multiple deliveries a day. In a rural 15,000 ft2 this is just not going to happen.

As someone who worked in a West End of London shop, I can assure you the number of customers per day far exceeds the number that a similar shop in Tenbury would see in a month.

Bumblebee said...

Given Tesco's well documented dirty tricks when they're trying to secure new development land etc.. Who knows what spin they're capable of putting out there about numbers of deliveries etc..?

I do know that they'd made similar promises re deliveries before the Ludlow store was built but the reality has been very different apparently.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday I popped into the Tesco near my work because I had seen the deodorant was on offer (£1 instead of £2.50).

Then I popped into the tesco near my home, and discovered that it wasnt on offer. After speaking to the manager he said that different stores have different prices for items and offers, they used to be all the same but now its geographic.

Now both of these stores were Tesco Extra, except the one near my work is in a "poorer" area than the one near my home (they are about 8 miles apart).
---------------------------------
More Tesco dirty tricks again saying all there prices are the same !!!

@WR15 said...

Please could you name these two stores so I can take up your comments with Tesco as it goes against their published corporate pricing strategy.

@WR15 said...

This is what Tesco's say about pricing. If you have any evidence that this is incorrect please let me know.

"We understand that customers want low prices, but they also want fair prices. That is why we charge the same prices up and down the country. We sell our products on the basis of a national price list available for all to see on our website. Even in the few locations that are unable to support more than one supermarket, where we are ‘the only supermarket in a town’, we continue to operate on the basis of our national price list."

Anonymous said...

The Competition Commission report on Supermarkets (2000) found that Tesco, along with other supermarkets changed prices according to local competition. This is also known as 'price flexing'. The Report found that in the South East, East Anglia and West Midlands, shoppers pay more for their shopping. Tesco's prices varied as much as nine per cent regionally.

@WR15 said...

Yup in the year 2000 which is why Tesco introduced a national pricing policy.

Anonymous said...

Wr15 do you have any proof that they charge the same price nationwide other than tesco's own pack of lies they always shed out. Their own website will only tell you what you want to hear

@WR15 said...

No I have no proof. Neither has anyone proved that they are not correct in what they claim. I find it hard to believe that someone wouldn't have provided proof to the likes of the Daily Mail who love to run anti Tesco stories.

Just to be clear, having selected special offers in some stores is NOT the same as having overall higher prices in stores with no competition.

Anonymous said...

why do people keep on about the tesco lorries look whats coming through now tractors with LARGE trailers of potatoes bigger than tesco lorries as anyone said anythink about them NO.