Full details are available on their website and also in the Teme Valley Times (available from today in the usual places)
The site is still in private ownership and there are no indications that it will be coming to market, and with Tesco still reconsidering their position this may be seen by some as a fruitless exercise in kite flying, but if nothing else it will keep the development of the site on the political agenda.
The Futures Group (who were formed out the group opposing the Tesco development) surveyed the local community to see what they would like on the site. Not surprisingly given the origins of the group they concluded that "There was very little support in the 300 replies for a single large retail supermarket development"
The first plan (shown above) would be unlikely to gain planning consent, even if it was submitted as it doesn't meet the planning criteria for the site and would almost certainly be opposed by the Environment Agency due to the positioning of the development.
Individuals and community groups are encouraged by Tenbury Futures to download a blank plan and draw up their own ideas for the site.
Posts
116 comments:
Wow !! What a great idea ,at least someone has come up with a alternative rather than a great big walloping eyesore like a Tesco supermarket .Bring it on i say .
Good website . . . but otherwise complete cobblers!
Tenbury Futures Feedback Campaign Conclusions
As the 'Futures' group promised at the time, a copy of every single one of the [eventual] 300+ returns were sent to both Tenbury Town Council and MHDC for their scrutiny as third parties.
Even if you feel that the group's origins may have biased the end conclusions - you'd only need to see these forms [as a member of the Councils] to realise that the response/breakdown was pretty conclusive.
The last graph relating to the final 'feedback' shows an accrued number of approx 210 of the 300 returned sheets rejecting a large supermarket development. This would have been mirrored in the evidence sent to TTC and MHDC.
The present possible site development ideas/visuals are meant primarily as examples to show people possible ideas and mention other like development precedents. I don't think that they're there to say 'this is how it should be' though..
Visuals to inspire further debate really..
What uninspiring ideas from the "Futures" group. The group's narrow-mindedness belies the background to its members: chamber of commerce members and the 'events' brigade.
We don't live in Tenbury, so it's doesn't really matter to us, but the little people of the town should stand up and demand what they want. Don't be brow-beaten by self-serving shop owners.
Let's face it, no one likes Tescos because of its sheer might. The townsfolk would probably be happier all round with a different brand of supermarket. What about a Morrisons, or a Waitrose?
A few loud voices from the town's tiny business community should not dominate local government decisions that affect thousands.
To me, the site looks great for housing a small supermarket and parking. Go for it. We might even visit Tenbury then if it was possible to do a good grocery shop there.
Who's the events brigade then? R they in the scout hut maybe? Seems like those who could be bovvered in the local community ov thousands have made their views clear what they think would b best. Anonymous u don't av to support Tenbury if u don't want to.
The proposed use (or anything like it) is simply incredible (that’s why I called it cobblers) - not least because no one has explained why the owner would sell for these purposes (and therefore at a low price) nor where the money would come from to purchase and develop the site. It's cloud cuckoo land and I’m just amazed that the Futures group can’t see that. And please, no more irrelevant statistics about the feedback. The only way to get a really accurate view of local opinion is through a proper referendum – and I don’t think there’s anyone prepared to pay for that either!
ian i totally agree with you
Referendm sounds good sort it 4 once and 4 all. Statistics can be dodgy things tho depending on who is puttin them out there. It all seemd above board with their feedback questions I thought. R those statistics irrelevant because they are not ones that you personly wanted 2 hear tho? It might not be that they are wrong.
"R those statistics irrelevant because they are not ones that you personly wanted 2 hear tho? It might not be that they are wrong." - they may indeed be right (or wrong!) but the sample is far, far too small. The only decisive result would come from a town-wide, properly conducted, referendum.
the futures group seem to be the only people in tenbury who give a damn
What more evidence do you need that the people of Tenbury dont want a great big supermarket knackering up all the small local shops .
One could consider placing Solar PV over the proposed car park bays, finance for this may well be available, for more information please contact ferrand@care4free.net as I am the coordinator for a country wide project to implement such schemes, but live at Orleton.
Much of the work may be done by a company in Hereford
tenbury shops will do well out of the new houses planned by the highscool. supermrkets in ludlow only 15mins away 4 most ere. why wud we need another in tenbury?
A trip to Ludlow or Leominster now costs about a fiver in fuel, thats if you have a car, if not your stuck with high prices in Tenbury.
a fiver if u r driving in yr range rover maybe. most ere av small cars tho and im sure that its less than that
Solar PV
I'm liking the solar car park idea - especially so with feed-in tariffs etc. This sort of thing could help minimise running costs for a blended development on the site if grant assisted as you suggest.
I understand that the Heritage Lottery Fund likes to help rejuvenate old buildings and sites for communities - like the RBB/old infirmary. As I understand, they don't have a specific "one strike and you're out" policy per town either [given the monies already granted by them to the Regal re devts].
Would you mind typing in English please?
I agree with post 3, in that it is very uninspiring and I also think that people would support a different supermarket (eg. Morrisons).
I also agree with Ian, that it is cobblers, as no-one is going to sell at a low price and no-one has the finance to create the futures plan.
finally, with their plan they do not make any practical use of the river, other than a riverside cafe, when we already have enough cafes and restaurants in Tenbury, including a riverside one!
i can get my tesco stuff delivered 2 the door in tenbury for as little as £3. why wud i spend a fiva driving there wen its so quick, easy and cheap 2 get it dropped on my doorstep ere? for £3 extra i dont need 1 in tenbury i know that tho
wot av u got against normal peeps like us? i bet u r rich an went 2 a posh pubic school an talk all lardy dar. i may only av 2 gcses but i matter jst as much as u do princ charles
I would say it is more of an idea than a plan. If you have an idea for the site there is a peoples plan form for you to design -sketch what you think should go on the site .I think its on the Futures website.
Tenbury Teme Riverside
Interesting point about the stretch of river next to the cattle market.
I understand there's been various plans put forwards in the past. One of which was to create a weir down by the end of the burgage. The idea [I believe] was to raise the level of the water adjacent to the cattle market. This could then be used in part with a protective floating barrage to create a boating pool for hire boats a little like the council ones on the Teme below Ludlow Castle.
One enquirer to the last 'Futures Feedback Survey' suggested that [with or without wiers] the area could be used to assist local outdoor persuits groups from schools [like Tenbury] and relevant local organisations such as the outdoor centre up the way at Bockleton Hall or Tenbury Outdoor Club. The River Dee at Llangollen was cited too as having a thriving outdoor scene based on the river there that brought additional visitors and monies into the town. Add that to the Wye at Hay etc where canoes are big business that bring in more visitors.
The issues? I guess they'd include the fact that the whole of the Teme is supposedly SSSI [although there is a precedent for this kind of public activity at Ludlow]. Funding as ever is a big issue. Health and safety and today's increasingly litigious society must be in there. The owners of this stretch of the Teme are the town council as I understand and [I'm told] have rejected such proposals in the past.
A charity summer or new year's raft race might be a curveball for the pot though. Despite all the above many rivers/towns still do this and they're successful community events that raise £100's or more for local charities, bring in new visitors and extra local shop incomes. I used to take part in a New Year's race on the River Derwent in Derby. Great fun for all and great for local good causes.
Even a small car costs at least 25p a mile to run. There's a lot more to running a car than just buying petrol!
then Y dont u get stuff delivered 2 yr door for £3 from Tesco instead of drivin? seems a quicka and cheapa option - giv the car a brake
The Tenbury Futures idea for the market fails due to its lack of realism. They have come up with a pretty nice idea but there is no revenue stream and it is therefore just pie in the sky. They must come up with proposal that provides a strong, long lasting revenue stream which would provide the basis for buying the site, constructing the revenue generator, and paying for its subsequent management and upkeep.Anu ideas that meet that criteria?
I seem to remember someone else saying that. Oh yes me, I was never invited back to another meeting after that. I did also say I wasn't anti Tesco, which might have contributed. No one listened to the end of the sentence which was I was anti the proposed plan.
So help them develop their pretty nice idea. Add to it so that the revenue stream[s] are put in place. Any solution will surely benefit the community better than defaulting to a large supermarket build there.
raftrace cud b between pubs. rugby anf football clubs b intrstd 2 i bet. gr8 if it makes cash 2
"What more evidence do you need that the people of Tenbury dont want a great big supermarket knackering up all the small local shops ."
The qualified retail analysts (employed by the Council) disagree with you, a new supermarket would not "knacker up" the small shops. That is why the planners couldn't use that as a reason for refusal.
Can i add a lateral thought to your comments. Tenbury has a great local supermarket in Bowketts, but it has no space to expnand, no access for trucks that always block the road, and no close parking space.
Isnt the obvious solution for Bowketts to buy the site and build a state of the art store which would elinamte the neagtives i mentioned eatlier. Then once moved sell the existing site to fund the new store devolpment.
I cant see any downside to this idea Oh it would also keep Tesco out.
Any views??
An outsider........
Bowketts have previously stated that they wouldn't now be interested in developing the site. They did make enquiries many years ago and at that time they were told that they wouldn't be able to demolish the old infirmary. They calculated that they wouldn't be able to build a store of sufficient size to justify the investment. Much the same calculation done by Tesco.
There are downsides to your suggestion (for Bowketts).
At the moment they have a near monopoly and a store that is "allegedly" overtrading. (i.e. They have a much higher turnover & profit than would normally be expected from a store of that size) Why lumber the company with debt, when it is (said to be)ultra profitable?
Interestingly both the Spar (Tenbury) & Tesco (Ludlow) are also "allegedly" overtrading, which is why the former doesn't want any additional competition and why the latter wants another store locally.
You men - as ever it's all about size isnt it.. The last supermrket plan on this site was indeed regarded as the smallest possible. Many still regardd it as far too big though - sort of a catch 22 it would seem.
So, if both Bowkett's and Tesco have either been knocked back by the planners or decided not to develop witht he old Infirmary then it seems that the site is not suitable for a supermarket...adding validity to the "Tenbury Futures" initiative. If the site cannot be developed for a supermarket nor housing...then the "Market Value" of the site is what? one could argue £0 - meaning any ideas that both get support and potential return for the owner should be welcomed by both the local community and the owner.....
The thing is, if the site was valued at £0, then it would be possible to cost justify a smaller supermarket.
But that opens another can of planning worms.....
Sorry to ask a question that long standing residents doubtless already know the answer to - who owns the site?
Chase Tenbury LLP, last time we checked, although constant rumours its been sold to a London based property firm.
if the site were jst worth £1 then it cud also make it easier for somthng more useful than anothr suprmarkt 2 b there
Currently 2/3rds of all local grocery purchases are made out of town and Tesco hope that they can reduce this to 1/3.
WR15 You posted the above sometime ago ,how can Bowketts & Spar be 'overtrading' ? - You cannot have it both ways you know.
I can't see the problem?
What about a big new garden centre on this site? It would need a USP - could specialise in antipodean exotics maybe?
The problem WR15 is that if Spar & Bowketts are over trading then there wouldn't be 2/3rds going out of town to shop.
If 2/3rds go out of town to shop then that only leaves 1/3rd to shop in tenbury meaning how would they be over trading?
No still don't follow your logic. Sorry.
Can't get the logic WR15 because we proved you wrong and cant face it?
I don't know the exact size of Spar but lets say 280m2. From this you would expect about £1.5M turnover PA. They turnover approx £2.5M, so they are overtrading by £1M.
For Bowketts lets say 350m2, this should generate £1.8M, estimates for them is £4.8M so overtrading by £3M
(they wholesale meat, so not all the turnover is directly associated with the shop retail space)
My figures might be wrong, but not so far out that the general point stands.
I suggest you get your figures right before accusing shops of over trading. You can't just guess work the size and work it out from there. This is INCORRECT
Given the high price of beer alone at spar it's not that difficult to believe they are 'overtrading'
I for one will now reduce my spend in there by going out of town, they think they've got a captive market but I'll gladly go shopping with the big boys to prove them wrong.
Oo Antipodean exotics - now we're talkin. I've always liked those tree ferns ,do you think Tenbury could becom big in tree ferns?
rememmba its just a 14 min drive to ludlow tesco. if not then get yor cheap beer deliverd for 3 quid in tenbury from them. cheap as chips wen u think bout it
I don't think my figures are so far out that the general point isn't correct, but of course if you know better, supply me with the correct figures & I'll re-calculate.
high price of beer?
carlsberg 8.99
stella cider 3 for £5.
me for one thinks that is cheap
"Can't get the logic WR15 because we proved you wrong and cant face it?"
Sorry, you know I'm a bit thick... you will have to be more exact about where you have proved me wrong.
Booze: can be cheaper in SPAR than Tesco, if you stock up when SPAR has an offer.
WR15: your turnovers are a bit out, SPAR is actually a bit less, Bowketts is quite a bit more.
14 min drive to ludlow tesco - do you use a racing car?
280m2 = 3013 sq ft
Ummm i think the Spar opens 7am-11pm on Sundays i thought any store over 3000sq ft were restricted to 6 hours trading .
no i drive a nice small hatchback. not those fuel guzzler land rovers that NEVER see mud like they were built for
it also opens xmas day which a store over 3000 wouldn't be allowed. there you go WR15 your wrong. only guess work. no true facts like you always say you do
atually aa route finders says 16minz frm wr15 to sy82pq bt aint gonna split hairs is still quick n easy
"Booze: can be cheaper in SPAR than Tesco, if you stock up when SPAR has an offer"
Yet booze is always cheaper at sainsbury Tesco, asda, morrisons when I need it, I'll not be waiting and hoarding just in case maybe spar may have it cheap once in a while.
And as for that muck cidre, ruddy terrible stuff,shouldn't be stocked, so my comment on wr15's blog post.
Im not very good with figures so correct me if i am wrong.
Spar = 280m2 with an estimated turnover of £2.5M = £833 per sq ft
Proposed Tesco = 1400m2 with an estimated turnover of £15M =£1000 per sq ft
So you could say Tesco would be vastly overtrading .(If they come that is ).
I'm led to believe that a small local supermarket/convenience store would usually expect to turnover £100 per m2 per week. A large supermarket around £300 per m2 per week.
So if the Spar is 280m2 (and clearly the retail space is smaller as they wouldn't be able to trade on Sunday afternoons etc..) then the "expected" turnover would be 280x100x52=£1.4M If they are achieving more they are doing well, if substantially more, they could be said to be overtrading.
If a Tesco builds a 1400m2 store then the "expected" turnover would be 1400x200x52=£14.5M (I've used £200 rather than £300 as clearly the proposed store is larger than a convenience store, but not as big as a superstore)
From a business point of view I guess there is nothing wrong with over trading, after all provided they are trading profitably then they are achieving a great return on investment. I guess the reason Tesco would prefer not to be over trading in Ludlow is the logistics of keeping stock on the shelves and not loosing customers because the store is too busy at peak times which would lead to "leakage" to other retailers.
so u say that by gettin a tesco in tenbury that it wud b as a fava 2 tesco ludlow? they sound run off their littl corprate pixie feet ther
Simple solution - make the Tesco larger in Ludlow.
Your Ideas for the Cattle Market
Whether it'd be Antipodean exotics, a Morrisons or a Solar PV car park.. Do pop into either the Little Sweet Shop, Spar or Bowketts in town to get a free 'plan' sheet..
Then just draw or mark out what you think should go where on the site's plan and pop back to one of the above shops..
We've already had some sketches back and have put a couple up with summaries on the 'Futures' blog for further comment.
WR15 says Spar turnover is £2.5m and Bowketts is £4.8m.
£2.5m plus £4.8m equals £7.3m.
Anonymous says 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 Spar and Bowketts have 1/3rd of the spend at £7.3m, then the total grocery spend must be £21.9m.
WR15 says Tesco "expected" turnover would be 1400x200x52=£14.5m.
£14.5m is 2/3rds of the local spend.
So, on WR15's figures, it looks as if Tesco expects to garner the entire 2/3rds of the Tenbury spend - ie to wipe out Spar and Bowketts.
If readers think Spar and/or Bowketts are over-charging because of lack of competition, what do they think Tesco will do if they have no competition in town?
Of course, Tesco may be saying that they expect to pick up 1/3rd of the spend. In which case their turnover will match Spar and Bowketts at £7.3m - and WR15's figures are wrong...
The Accountant is right my figures must be wrong (well some of them) but which ones?
One thing which I am fairly certain about is that Tesco do have a national pricing policy (unlike Nisa, Spar & Co Op) so they don't put up their prices where there is no competition. (& I'm still waiting for someone/anyone) to prove me wrong on this point, so I can sell it to the National Press!
The other thing I'm waiting for someone to explain to me is if the "Anti-Tesco" customers of Spar & Bowkett are so loyal, why will a new Tesco take all their trade & cause them to close?
I'm not pro-Tesco, just not anti-Tesco. I'm still waiting to be converted.
Sorry WR15; not only are your figures wrong, but you are also wrong in saying that Tesco has a national pricing policy.
Here's what the Competition Commission said on the subject:
'Tesco Metro and Tesco Express fascia stores charged slightly higher prices on some lines; this was attributed to higher costs such as site costs and wastage.
Tesco also told us that around one-third of its stores were
designated as ‘local stores’ where slightly lower prices were charged on a limited range of products. It
told us that the price difference averaged around 3 per cent on the flexed products, which it said represented a price difference of around 0.3 per cent between local and national stores for a representative consumer.
Additionally, prices on ‘value’ (budget own-label) products could if necessary be reduced by
a store manager if a competitor was selling a similar product more cheaply within a mile of that store.'
That's what Tesco themselves said.
So, they reduce prices locally - then (possibly when the competition have been eliminated?), put them back to the national level.
This is what Tesco say on their website:
Fair prices
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.
Prices in smaller stores
Our prices are a little higher in some of our town centre and neighbourhood stores because costs are higher there. Stores in town centres are typically smaller and have higher overhead costs (mainly rents and rates) per square foot of selling space than those outside the centre. Higher overhead costs are spread over a smaller volume of sales, and can only be recouped by charging prices that are, on average, higher (prices are on average 2-3% higher in our Express stores and in a few of our Metro stores than in our larger stores on the edge or outside town centres). We believe it would be unfair to use our big stores to subsidise the prices in our smaller stores, so we don’t do it. This way everyone gets a fair deal
The topic is "New Plan for the Tenbury Cattle Market" not "Tesco pricing policy"!
Tesco has repeatedly insisted it operates a "national prices" policy. The Competition Commission report said: "Tesco argued that its prices were national as a necessity in terms of the way in which it engaged in competitive rivalry for the goodwill of customers."
It also noted that the supermarket group had conceded that "national prices" did not prevent it charging a premium in its Tesco Express, Tesco Metro and One Stop stores. Nor do "national prices" policies prevent the major supermarket groups engaging in aggressive local and longer-term price reductions.
According to the commission: "Tesco's local marketing campaigns are triggered by local competitor activity (eg, new store openings, refurbishments or extensions) that have an impact ... on the weekly turnover of a local Tesco store."
Tesco told the commission that local marketing campaigns had stepped up in the last year, with discount vouchers a routine tactic.
More proof Tesco can adjust prices when and where they want .
I agree with all you say about Tesco discounting prices. They can sell all their stock at 1p if they want.
Where I constantly argue is that they will not put up their prices (above the national price) if & when competition closes.
So if they sell beans for 30p a can (& have a national price of 45p) they will not increase the price to 90p, when they discover they are the only bean seller in town.
but do you know what the national price is for beans at tesco wr15? no so as far as you know it could be £1.50.
I can't say that I have memorised the price of all their stock as I rarely shop there, but the price is readily available on both their website and other independent price checker websites.
yes they will be there in the shop at the lower price as they have competition but soon as the competition goes they will put it to there so called national price policy at the high inflated price.
example
beans price 50p
after competition goes national price £1.50
what i am saying wr15 NO ONE knows the national price policy on all items
It doesn't quite work like that. The national price is used in the independent price comparison charts so if they published inflated & uncompetitive prices they would show very poorly. I'm not trying to convert anyone to shop at Tesco. It makes no difference to me if they come or if they are competitive, & you are obviously anti Tesco & don't want to let facts get in the way, so Bowketts & Spar are safe in your wallet.
fact is wr15 is that tesco are not needed or wanted the public showed that. the fact is that tesco SAY they have a ntional price policy but clearly DONT
For the sake of balance I have to say you are wrong on both counts.
wrong to all those objections the tenbury futures survey is wrong then?
oh right i didnt know the smallest number wins
agree ,no need tesco. appy with £3 gettin my stuff deliverd 2 the door neway. use cm site 4 mor useful stuff
"oh right i didnt know the smallest number wins"
800 odd objections originally out of a town of 2000 odd soles.
300 odd surveys returned out of a town of 2000 odd soles.
Of those 300 odd returns few want a large supermarket in a town of 200 odd soles.
Please don't assume the moral high ground on such trifling small numbers, many of the town didn't object, many didn't complete the survey even less will submit ideas for an alternative use of site.
It does seem that it is a small minority kicking up a lot of fuss. Does anybody not agree that if a large store is prepared to spend money doing up the site, even if it is Tesco, then surely that would be better for Tenbury in the long run? The 'new plan' does seem ridiculous in terms of funding.
More than 800 written objections to the Tesco superstore build contributed to the clear rejection of it by MHDC and local Councillors in Jan 2011. These people were from the local area and they would probably be quite surprised to hear that they are now being described as a 'small minority'. Instead few from the local area wrote to support the build and no non-councillors could be bothered to speak 'for' the development on the day. So a realistic conclusion is that [in reality] a large swathe of the local community either clearly do not want or have any real preference for such a supermarket build in the town.
Not all of the 800 objections were from people in Tenbury Ward (which I guess is where the 2000 figure comes from). I did do a count which I can't remember the results of but I think it was less than 50%.
not content with splitting the town in tenbury i see tesco have managed to wind-up ledbury locals again now. local people have just created a new campaign group to fight a proposed giant out of town tesco megastore on their ring road. the tesco in ledbury is being slowly wound-down and intentionally neglected now in readiness too - one resident called it 'tatty' recently. local residents feel that the existing superstore has affected the highstreet more than expected anyway but are adamant that this out of town monster shopuld not be allowed to go ahead. tesco managed to gain a toehold in ledbury years back and are now doing as they do in so many other towns - mercilessly expanding - small shops be damned.
...and of course no one shops at the Tesco in Ledbury which is why Tesco want a bigger store!
MHDC have confirmed that their planners have recently held meetings with representatives from Tesco, regarding the Tenbury site.
WR15 -A different site or still the Cattle Market site?
I would guess cattle market, but nothing was disclosed.
There has been talk of Tesco wanting Tenbury Business Park instead.
i just love it when people believe rumours. they DO NOT want tesco business park they want the cattle market.
There are so many hurdles to jump for them to get the cattle market site ,so the business park is the only other option.
I am 90+% confident that Tesco will get its planning consent for the Tenbury store well before the year's out - but can't at present disclose the reasons for my confidence!
Their only hurdle appears to be to submit a better design. All the other boxes have been ticked. I still think they need challenging on their traffic survey and their public transport analysis, both of which were previously deeply flawed.
The public transport survey will have to be done again as bus services are changing.
The proposed big store with a small car park would cause traffic chaos. It would jam Teme St, backup over the bridge, block the A456, stop firemen driving to the fire station quickly and stop the engine getting through Tenbury quickly. This could result in someone dying in a fire. Was this in their planning application?
Well said slow response
Tesco only interest is their bottom line profit .
If you think Tesco has any other motive than corporate greed then you are deluding yourself. As for passing on any of the extra profit to reduce the costs of groceries etc..you must be joking. Their prices are not cheap, they con the public with huge discount offers off unrealistic and ridiculously high recommended prices..If you do not believe this then do a bit of homework and compare all the prices in your weeky shopping basket not just some of the genuine lost leaders. I did, I made a list of my most regular purchases, then went to many different stores to check the difference in price. Although the cheapest basket wasn't all from the same store, the savings against the Tesco prices was nearly £20 on 30 items. Trouble is all the Large supermarkets do it
Tenbury's three supermarkets are also the same. They are only in business to make a profit. That is why Tenbury's independent supermarket has paid out over £500,000 in dividends to its Directors in the last two years.
The advantage of the "big four" is the availability of lower cost (& quality) brands, so you can trade down when times are hard. If your local supermarket only stocks premium brands, this limits your options.
www.Tescopoly.com are calling on you to lobby your MP's to:
• Sign EDM 1453 that calls on Government to ensure new planning rules incentivise town centre development, retail diversity and the local economy.
• Support amendments to the Localism Bill to include a duty to promote sustainable high streets, giving local people power to promote the shops they want - and to resist those they do not want in places they will do harm – and to secure the future of local high streets.
tesco will no doubt start getting desperate and start offering up 'sweeteners' like they have tried in other towns. bbc panorama's dec 2010 panorama programme
(supermarkets: what price cheap food?) lists a set of 'sweeteners' offered-up by tesco in order to try and 'smooth' their way with further expansion.
What I'm really looking forward to is the response of those virulent, paranoid, anti-Tesco bloggers when, in the end, Tesco gets its planning consent. That is going to be far, far more entertaining than anything on the blog to date! I'm personally not pro- or anti-Tesco - but I hope I'm rational!
if tesco do try again then don't expect the hundreds of local people who think tenbury could do better to just roll over and let them through without a squeak
Is it moral that Tesco can put money on the table (Section 106 agreements) to "bribe" councils to say yes?
The scope of S106 agreements has been narrowed considerably (partly due to your point of view). Some would say that the scope is now so narrow, communities loose out as large investments that would have previously been made by developers under S106 agreements no longer happen. In the same way, some people will never be convinced that a new supermarket might bring prosperity to a town, some will always consider any S106 payments as a bribe.
Oh dear.... Tesco sales are down 0.1% in the 13 weeks to May 28th . I wonder what they are doing wrong?
"if tesco do try again then don't expect the hundreds of local people who think tenbury could do better to just roll over and let them through without a squeak" - are you predicting Bristol-like riots? I don't think so!
- are you predicting Bristol-like riots? I don't think so!
Not if you are the security guard Ian no. :)
So we wait to see the results of Tesco's latest local consultancy in and around Tenbury.
What's the betting that it's not via a 'yes' or 'no' to supermarket build but one that asks you in very general terms what you 'think' in a nondescript phone survey. This way they'll then claim that they've analysed the blurry results and that 'the public wants it' (although there'll be no impartial third part verification of this I'll wager).
The BBC web article Growth of the Big 4 Supermarkets on 22nd Dec 2010 gives an example:
In Ilkley, West Yorkshire, councillors voted unanimously to refuse a planning application for a Tesco superstore... But that decision by Bradford Council was overruled by the Planning Inspectorate in September after Tesco appealed...
Ilkley councillor Martin Smith, who fought against the proposal... claims...
"All they are interested in is not a service to customers but a service to their balance sheet... They have become far too powerful hence we do not have a variety of shops."
And crucially the article adds:
"Tesco said it had consulted with the local community who it said supported the development."
That'll be the truth according to Tesco then.
Planning permission is not about whether people want a particular retailer or not, but about whether the plan meets the criteria for the site.
If as TesNo claim the vast majority of local residents don't want Tesco, they will fail to make sufficient money to keep the store open.
With the big 4 supermarkets we know that [some of] the goods they supply are curiously cheap.
Especially so with meats. So who do you trust - your long established local craft butcher or the supermarkets?
This Channel 4 documentary might give you something more to chew on.
I'll ignore the chicken issue as this is an old program before hfw's campaign and you can at least choose between chucks at a supermarket depending on your budget.
So the meat, a butcher says his is better, no surprise there. And most people prefered the other meat to the supermarket meat, again no great surprise either and to be honest I'd agree.
So as a well informed shopper clearly able to read labels it comes down to choice and more importantly convenience.
Having a bbq or Sunday lunch go to a butcher. Want some cheaper (depending on cut) meat or need some after hours go to the supermarket.
It's the choice and convenience argument every time for me that the anti group will struggle with.
Don't Spar ,Bowketts and CoOp supply those cheaper meats too outside of 9-5 hours? With Bowketts in particular the meat is butcher quality too - that seems to be choice and convenience to me... but here already.
I don't buy meat from spar or the co-op if I can help it, so that limits my choice to bowketts.
So we're not doing so well on choice now.
Sure some of their stuff is nice and given the choice I'll use them, but other stuff isn't and I'll look to buy elsewhere.
But that's just meat, you couldn't get a Thai green curry paste in town for love nor money a couple of weeks ago.
Need drugs other than aspirin on a Saturday pm tough you're out of luck, fancy picking up a film from the past 12 months ditto.
I'm not pro Tesco, I'll support anyone who gives me a choice be it a new store on the cattle market or even in town stores offering more to combat a new store opening.
I'm not on commission for Bowketts but their meat is (on balance) much better Q than most large supermarkets I find. I've had the cheaper cuts of meat from both CoOp and Spar on occasion too and lived. Clearly you're a gastronome ,I'm not too suprised to hear that certain specialist food accompanyments aren't well stocked locally - guess depends on how far ahead you plan for that big meal. Never rent films nowadays though. Lament the demise of the video shop but lovefilm booked day ahead sees us right normally and cheap too (or torrent if very short notice). Maybe the local shops need to take note of their punter's discussions - someone must make the purchasing decisions I'd guess..
LOL, Thai green curry isn't exactly a speciality item.
As for gastronome, hardly, I like my foods and I know what I like, except for when I don't know what I would like, for those times there's there is little choice.
But enough about me, this isn't helping the futures group at all.
A Transition Tenbury group might be an interesting idea though.
Loyd Grossman Green Thai sauce stocked in Spar
"There for you" Mr Longbeard .
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