Pirouetting Truck Avoids the Teme

A Kingsmill delivery truck on route to the Spar supermarket narrowly missed a dip in the Teme at Tenbury Wells this morning.

Whilst turning in the old cattle market site, the lorry skidded on ice and slid through the boundary fence and partly demolished a wall.

The truck stopped short of the railings,  Luckily no one was hurt.

Tenbury Business Community back Tesco

The results of the Tenbury Town Council's survey of the business community reveal a majority are in favour of the proposed Cattle Market development.

90 businesses in the Town Centre were given the opportunity to express an opinion in an anonymous survey.

70 surveys were returned, 5 could not be counted as the were not completed correctly.

Of the other 65, 46 (71%) were in favour and 19 (29%) were against.

Full Survey Results

These results seem to be at odds with the Chamber of Trade (members) survey (after the first application) which was 50/50, and Tenbury Futures survey which was against.

This could be because the questions in each survey were different or could be that the wider business community's view differs from the small shop keepers which may have been questioned by Tenbury Futures.

The Town Council discussed various aspects of the plan, but after a paper ballot voted 5 to 4 against supporting the application.

Cllrs questioned whether Tenbury needed a store of this size, and expressed concerns of traffic congestion and the need for delivery vehicles to drive through the car park to get to the loading bay.

One Cllr said "Where ever Tesco go they ruin the town" , "If they come here they will cripple this town" which does seem to be at odds with the opinion of the majority of the business community if no one else!

Shropshire Star

WCC appear to sink new bridge plan.

From yesterdays Shropshire Star :

Campaigners aiming to stop Tesco’s multi-million pound bid for a new store in Tenbury Wells will tonight plead with councillors to support their alternative plan for the former Cattle Market site.


I was expecting the Pump Rooms to be packed with all the Tenbury Futures supporters, so was rather surprised to see only 2 people that I recognised from the Futures group plus 3 other members of the public (who don't usually attend).


Matt Crawford spoke on behalf of the Futures Group.

He explained that Tenbury Futures "acted as a focal point point for concerned people, businesses, former residents & tourists"

He went on to say "that the ideas were from the 300 returned questionnaires" and that the majority of the people wanted "the reuse of the RBB building, additional car parking, space for the Holy & Mistletoe market and room for the Food Fair & Applefest" also that "Plan B was just one possible use for the site" also "details need to be fleshed out"

He claimed that the Cattle Market had been "closed for 12 years" (which surprised me) and that "a number of grants would be available" 

Tenbury Futures plan to form a "Public Interest Company" and that investors would be "offered a return on investment" with income being derived from "rental income, car parking charges and the sale of excess electricity"

Tenbury Futures had made an effort to contact the site owner, but he remained illusive.

In a later part of the meeting,  WCC Cllr Ken Pollock said that he had visited the Cattle Market site with the County Council's Engineering Project Manager who commented that it was very unlikely that permission would ever be granted for a bridge in that location, and if it was, then for the necessary road linkages, a building on Teme Street would have to be demolished (He didn't say which but I think it's safe to say the Spar block)  With the cost of the planning, land purchase, bridge & road works then the scheme would cost many £Ms.  It was also unlikely that WCC would agree to add another bridge to their ongoing maintenance budget. (See press release for full details)


So that idea is dead then! 


Additional information.


Press Release from Cllr Pollock


289 people returned the Tenbury Futures Questionnaire, of these 101 were from Tenbury Wells & 34 from Burford.  The majority of the people who completed forms also wrote objection letters to MHDC regarding the Cattle Market planning application.
2130 people are registered as voters in the Tenbury Town Ward (this excludes St Michaels)
The 2001 census reported a population of 3,316 in Tenbury Wells and 1,108 in Burford.

New Plan for the Tenbury Cattle Market

The Tenbury Futures Group have created a "peoples" plan for the Tenbury Cattle Market Site.

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.

Cattle Market Car Park Opens

The unofficial Old Cattle Market Car Park is once again open for parking.

It seems that it wasn't a U-Turn by the owners, but by virtue of the barrier being damaged by a reversing vehicle.

In other news, the Public Realm works are now likely to be started mid 2012 not 2011.

The Bridge works are to be given priority, followed by new drains and then finally roads & pavements.

Cattle Market Car Park Closes

The Tenbury Cattle Market Car Park has once again been closed and this time it could be permanent.

Although not related to Tesco's failed planning application, it is believed that the site owner, William Chase has decided to close the car park due to the damage done by as yet unidentified "numpties" who lost control of a car in the snow and ice and hit one of the perimeter walls.

This unexpected expense along with the speculation that the old infirmary could be the target of an arson attack is believed to have led to Mr Chase's decision to board up the old building and close the car park.

The planning application to demolish this a several other buildings on site has now been turned down by the planning authority Malvern Hill District Council.

Posh Supermarket for Tenbury Wells

Excerpt from From The Times

May 30, 2009

Wild drinks: the hedgerow martini

He has plans to develop anti-ageing skin creams – made from, yes, you’ve guessed it, potatoes – in the spirit of the original Body Shop. He also wants to open a country-house hotel, and has already bought some land on which to build a posh supermarket in nearby Tenbury Wells.

Read the full article.