According to an article in the Evening Standard last week, people power has won a battle with retail giant Tesco:
"Tesco has been forced to back down over plans for a £150million development after a year-long protest by residents and shopkeepers.
The supermarket giant has withdrawn a proposal for a massive store and 662 homes.
Protesters said the 13-acre development would have brought gridlock to already congested roads, increased pollution and destroyed local businesses."
In St. Albans, we have similar concerns to those that won the day in Tolworth.
The campaign there included the Every Little Hurts website that was set up by Edward Davey, the local MP, in opposition to the plans.
According to a forum post on the St. Albans Lib Dem forum run by Sandy Walkington, several of Lib Dem councillors are hoping to meet with Davey to find out more about how Tesco's development ambitions were curbed in Tolworth.
A group of local Lib Dems also recently set up their own "Stop Tesco" website .
The St. Albans Green Party also has also been actively campaigning against Tesco's plans.
Do you know of news articles, campaign groups, websites or other content that you think we should link to? Drop us an email at tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
[Note: Our campaign, and this website, is not aligned with any political party. Our only aim is to stop Tesco from building what we feel is an inappropriate development for the city of St. Albans and, with that in mind, are happy to link to other campaigns, groups, organisations, or political party websites that support this aim.]
Monday 26 February 2007
Tesco's Property Team Begins Mass Exodus
The UK's leading construction magazine, Building, reported at the end of last week that supermarket Tesco is facing what it calls "the mass departure of its property team", with Tesco's development director, programme director, company architect, procurement director, design director, head of engineering and head of small projects all leaving the company.
Building says:
Tony Vasishta, development director at Tesco, confirmed that he handed in his notice four weeks ago, at the same time as Mark Cammies, the programme director. Vasishta is in talks with McArthur Glen, a retail developer, but said he had not yet decided to move to the firm. Steve Douglas, Tesco’s architect, is to join retailer John Lewis. Cammies’ future was unclear as Building went to press...
Others who have left, or handed in their notice, are Bob Tragheim, the procurement director, Helen Dodd, the design director, Pat Jubb, the head of engineering, and Brendan Hastings, head of small projects. It is understood that a number of the company’s project managers are also going.
The group’s ambitious development programme has, paradoxically, left some contractors and consultants disgruntled because they say they are continually fighting for better margins.
The chief executive of one of Tesco’s main contractors said the supply chain was being “screwed down as far as possible to save money” and that some of his staff now refused to work on Tesco’s projects because of the group’s increasingly cut-throat and aggressive methods.
Tesco will spend £1.8bn in construction in 2006, opening 140 new stores. It opened 2 million ft2 of store space last year and will add 2.2 million ft2 this year. [full article]
Building says:
Tony Vasishta, development director at Tesco, confirmed that he handed in his notice four weeks ago, at the same time as Mark Cammies, the programme director. Vasishta is in talks with McArthur Glen, a retail developer, but said he had not yet decided to move to the firm. Steve Douglas, Tesco’s architect, is to join retailer John Lewis. Cammies’ future was unclear as Building went to press...
Others who have left, or handed in their notice, are Bob Tragheim, the procurement director, Helen Dodd, the design director, Pat Jubb, the head of engineering, and Brendan Hastings, head of small projects. It is understood that a number of the company’s project managers are also going.
The group’s ambitious development programme has, paradoxically, left some contractors and consultants disgruntled because they say they are continually fighting for better margins.
The chief executive of one of Tesco’s main contractors said the supply chain was being “screwed down as far as possible to save money” and that some of his staff now refused to work on Tesco’s projects because of the group’s increasingly cut-throat and aggressive methods.
Tesco will spend £1.8bn in construction in 2006, opening 140 new stores. It opened 2 million ft2 of store space last year and will add 2.2 million ft2 this year. [full article]
Friday 23 February 2007
Vote for Us in the Herts24 Web Awards!
We're proud to announce that this website has been nominated for "Best Community Website" in the Herts Advertiser's Web Awards 2007. You can vote for us by clicking the voting button here or towards the top of the righthand side of this website.
The five sites in this category which have received the most votes by March 16, 2007 will be forwarded to the judges to decide the winner. We don't know what sites we're up against but we're willing to go out on a limb to suggest that Tesco's promotional website for it's St. Albans plan didn't make the list.
Every little vote helps.
The five sites in this category which have received the most votes by March 16, 2007 will be forwarded to the judges to decide the winner. We don't know what sites we're up against but we're willing to go out on a limb to suggest that Tesco's promotional website for it's St. Albans plan didn't make the list.
Every little vote helps.
Stats for Tesco Campaign Website: Week 5
This week the website saw a big spike in traffic after Channel 4's Dispatches: "The supermarket that's eating Britain".
Response wasn't just local - in addition to visitors from the UK, which do make up the vast majority, we had traffic from the USA, many EU countries, India, Japan, UAE, South Africa and even Burkina Faso. Below is the usual weekly graph:
The headlines are that this website had 519 unique visitors during the week and those visitors viewed a total of 1,150 pages of content. That 519 visitors is more than responded to Tesco's "consultation" as of last week.
The week five statistics bring us up to a an extremely respectable 5 week total of 2,192 unique visitors and 4,676 pages of content viewed. Hey Tesco, how about letting us know how many people have looked at your St. Albans website?!
Response wasn't just local - in addition to visitors from the UK, which do make up the vast majority, we had traffic from the USA, many EU countries, India, Japan, UAE, South Africa and even Burkina Faso. Below is the usual weekly graph:
The headlines are that this website had 519 unique visitors during the week and those visitors viewed a total of 1,150 pages of content. That 519 visitors is more than responded to Tesco's "consultation" as of last week.
The week five statistics bring us up to a an extremely respectable 5 week total of 2,192 unique visitors and 4,676 pages of content viewed. Hey Tesco, how about letting us know how many people have looked at your St. Albans website?!
Thursday 22 February 2007
Your Letters in the Herts Ad: Tesco Plan Gets a Sound Beating
This week's Herts Advertiser contains a number of letters to the editor in response to Tesco's plans.
P. Field, who lives in St. Stephen's Avenue, St. Albans, reckons that the edge of centre Tesco could provide parking for people going to the city centre:
"Many of us find it virtually impossible to reliably locate a city-centre car-parking space. Although a sensitive subject, one huge benefit of the edge-of-town Tesco stores at Borehamwood and Watford is their provision of ample free three-hour parking. This benefit would be doubly useful for St Albans. It would certainly help revitalise the run-down Hatfield Road and Victoria Street."
Many people who are opposed to the Tesco plans are aware of and affected by the lack of parking places in central St. Albans, but most feel that this site is simply too far from the centre to relieve the problems. For example, Mike Dilke who lives in Alma Road, St. Albans, is worried that the Tesco will act as a barrier, keeping people from travelling in to the City Centre to shop at the market and other local businesses:
SIR, - I am very concerned about the proposed Tesco development for a number of reasons. One of the most important is the barrier that it will create to central shops and the subsequent loss of trade and vibrancy to the city centre.
Whatever the Tesco PR machine says, the site is not in the city centre and shoppers are very unlikely to do a supermarket shop then walk to the market and other shops. It is not far but it is pretty much the same distance as it is from the Sainsbury's at the bottom of Holywell Hill and I do not see a stream of people walking into the centre from there. The fact is they don't - and they won't from Tesco.
Tesco have told us they will have a wide range of stock covering non-food items as well so not only the market business will be damaged but also that of other city-centre outlets.
The land is a potential asset to the city but unfortunately it could also be a drain if a supermarket is built there. I appeal to Tesco not to create something that will damage St Albans but to provide something that the city needs and will make it a better place.
Some people also can't quite believe Tesco's claim, in last week's Herts Advertiser, that opinion is split 50:50 on the plan. Becky Alexander's letter in the Herts Ad challenges this:
"SIR, - I find it impossible to believe that Tesco think that 50 per cent of local residents want the Tesco Evershed development (Herts Advertiser, February 15). I have not met a single one.
I guess that Tesco are choosing to read comments such as "we want London Road to be improved" as a vote for Tesco in a desperate attempt to find support for their greedy, inappropriate scheme.
Any benefits that local residents may get from having a huge food shop within walking distance nearby will be outweighed by increased traffic congestion and the slow death of the historic street market. We all manage to get our groceries from somewhere, so the "need" for a supermarket on London Road is hardly urgent.
If Tesco are really interested in what the local area needs on the Evershed site, it is a new primary school, family housing, parking for the train station, and a release of the stranglehold on London Road so new small shops can move into the area. If they really want a slice of the St Albans retail market, find a site on the outskirts."
Mary Woodward is concerned that Tesco, rather than the people of St. Albans, are mapping out the city of our future. She writes in her letter to the Herts Ad:
"SIR, - So it's 50:50 on the Tesco scheme according to Tesco's consultation exercise. That's all right then. One or two conciliatory modifications to the plans will no doubt produce a sound majority in favour.
Silly old us - and there we were, thinking we needed time-consuming and expensive things like a council planning department and local forums such as the Civic Society, when all we had to do was to wait for disinterested, neutral, objective parties like Tesco to map out the future for St Albans."
Clive Patterson too has used the letters page to voice his opinions (see full letter) and to ask rhetorically:
"How does any St Albans resident who is living here by choice and because they favour living in a provincial historic market city with all its amenities, possibly want an acre of steel girder, aluminium-clad building with ground-to-ceiling glazing, with an even bigger plot of grey tarmac in front, plonked in the centre of their lovely city?"
P. Field, who lives in St. Stephen's Avenue, St. Albans, reckons that the edge of centre Tesco could provide parking for people going to the city centre:
"Many of us find it virtually impossible to reliably locate a city-centre car-parking space. Although a sensitive subject, one huge benefit of the edge-of-town Tesco stores at Borehamwood and Watford is their provision of ample free three-hour parking. This benefit would be doubly useful for St Albans. It would certainly help revitalise the run-down Hatfield Road and Victoria Street."
Many people who are opposed to the Tesco plans are aware of and affected by the lack of parking places in central St. Albans, but most feel that this site is simply too far from the centre to relieve the problems. For example, Mike Dilke who lives in Alma Road, St. Albans, is worried that the Tesco will act as a barrier, keeping people from travelling in to the City Centre to shop at the market and other local businesses:
SIR, - I am very concerned about the proposed Tesco development for a number of reasons. One of the most important is the barrier that it will create to central shops and the subsequent loss of trade and vibrancy to the city centre.
Whatever the Tesco PR machine says, the site is not in the city centre and shoppers are very unlikely to do a supermarket shop then walk to the market and other shops. It is not far but it is pretty much the same distance as it is from the Sainsbury's at the bottom of Holywell Hill and I do not see a stream of people walking into the centre from there. The fact is they don't - and they won't from Tesco.
Tesco have told us they will have a wide range of stock covering non-food items as well so not only the market business will be damaged but also that of other city-centre outlets.
The land is a potential asset to the city but unfortunately it could also be a drain if a supermarket is built there. I appeal to Tesco not to create something that will damage St Albans but to provide something that the city needs and will make it a better place.
Some people also can't quite believe Tesco's claim, in last week's Herts Advertiser, that opinion is split 50:50 on the plan. Becky Alexander's letter in the Herts Ad challenges this:
"SIR, - I find it impossible to believe that Tesco think that 50 per cent of local residents want the Tesco Evershed development (Herts Advertiser, February 15). I have not met a single one.
I guess that Tesco are choosing to read comments such as "we want London Road to be improved" as a vote for Tesco in a desperate attempt to find support for their greedy, inappropriate scheme.
Any benefits that local residents may get from having a huge food shop within walking distance nearby will be outweighed by increased traffic congestion and the slow death of the historic street market. We all manage to get our groceries from somewhere, so the "need" for a supermarket on London Road is hardly urgent.
If Tesco are really interested in what the local area needs on the Evershed site, it is a new primary school, family housing, parking for the train station, and a release of the stranglehold on London Road so new small shops can move into the area. If they really want a slice of the St Albans retail market, find a site on the outskirts."
Mary Woodward is concerned that Tesco, rather than the people of St. Albans, are mapping out the city of our future. She writes in her letter to the Herts Ad:
"SIR, - So it's 50:50 on the Tesco scheme according to Tesco's consultation exercise. That's all right then. One or two conciliatory modifications to the plans will no doubt produce a sound majority in favour.
Silly old us - and there we were, thinking we needed time-consuming and expensive things like a council planning department and local forums such as the Civic Society, when all we had to do was to wait for disinterested, neutral, objective parties like Tesco to map out the future for St Albans."
Clive Patterson too has used the letters page to voice his opinions (see full letter) and to ask rhetorically:
"How does any St Albans resident who is living here by choice and because they favour living in a provincial historic market city with all its amenities, possibly want an acre of steel girder, aluminium-clad building with ground-to-ceiling glazing, with an even bigger plot of grey tarmac in front, plonked in the centre of their lovely city?"
Wednesday 21 February 2007
Telegraph Reporter Spends Day in Tesco
The Daily Telegraph sent journalist Iain Hollingshead to spend 8 hours in a Tesco.
He was surprised to find that in addition to selling food, some Tescos now sell vast quantities of clothing and consumer goods, ranging from underwear and a £35 "shiny suit" to plasma screen televisions and home computers. The store he visited in Slough also has an instore optician, hairdresser, travel agency and even a bank offering everything from mortgage advice, insurance and funeral tokens.
If Tesco is allowed ot build on the Evershed site on the edge of central St. Albans, local businesses, shops and market traders won't just find themselves in head to head competition with a dominant player in the retail market - they may very well find their customers siphoned of before they even get a chance to try to compete, with a disasterous effect on our lively city centre and it's thousand year old market.
You can read more here....
He was surprised to find that in addition to selling food, some Tescos now sell vast quantities of clothing and consumer goods, ranging from underwear and a £35 "shiny suit" to plasma screen televisions and home computers. The store he visited in Slough also has an instore optician, hairdresser, travel agency and even a bank offering everything from mortgage advice, insurance and funeral tokens.
If Tesco is allowed ot build on the Evershed site on the edge of central St. Albans, local businesses, shops and market traders won't just find themselves in head to head competition with a dominant player in the retail market - they may very well find their customers siphoned of before they even get a chance to try to compete, with a disasterous effect on our lively city centre and it's thousand year old market.
You can read more here....
Poll Results: Have You Taken Part in Tesco's "Consultation" Process?
Last Tuesday, we asked whether you had taken part in Tesco's "consultation" process. Exactly 40 people responded to our poll, the results of which are shown below:
The results of our previous poll, which asked "What concerns you most about Tesco's plans for the Evershed Site in St. Albans?", can be found here.
The results of our previous poll, which asked "What concerns you most about Tesco's plans for the Evershed Site in St. Albans?", can be found here.
Tuesday 20 February 2007
Tesco: The Supermarket That's Eating Britain (video here)
If you can't get Channel 4's video on demand service working but have broadband, you can watch Channel 4's Dispatches about Tesco here. We highly recommend taking the time to watch this - it's important to know what we, the people of St. Albans, are up against. The video will run on Windows and Macs:
Send us an email if you can't watch the video here and want to borrow a DVD of the programme to watch at home.
Send us an email if you can't watch the video here and want to borrow a DVD of the programme to watch at home.
Another Planning Fight Won Locally
St. Albans is currently under threat from a number of planning applications including the demolition of the Odeon Cinema across the road from the Evershed Site Tesco hopes to build on and the so called new "cinema" project behind the Alban Arena to name but a few.
One planning application we might not have to worry so much about in future, however, is that for the proposed Rail Freight Terminal on the former Radlett Aerodrome at Park Street. The Herts Advertiser reports:
OBJECTORS were out in force last night (Monday) at a meeting of St Albans District Council planners to determine the proposal to build giant Rail Freight Terminal on the former Radlett Aerodrome at Park Street.
The committee was unanimous in refusing planning permission for the project.
The meeting had been moved from the nearby council offices to the Alban Arena to allow for the expected crowds and nearly 400 people packed the venue. A further 250 watched the proceedings via a webcast, all protesting against the application by Helioslough for the 3.5million-square-foot depot.
Robin Booth, a planning officer with the district council, outlined 15 reasons for rejecting the depot... [more]
Congratulations to the local campaign group STRIFE who worked hard to fight the proposal.
One planning application we might not have to worry so much about in future, however, is that for the proposed Rail Freight Terminal on the former Radlett Aerodrome at Park Street. The Herts Advertiser reports:
OBJECTORS were out in force last night (Monday) at a meeting of St Albans District Council planners to determine the proposal to build giant Rail Freight Terminal on the former Radlett Aerodrome at Park Street.
The committee was unanimous in refusing planning permission for the project.
The meeting had been moved from the nearby council offices to the Alban Arena to allow for the expected crowds and nearly 400 people packed the venue. A further 250 watched the proceedings via a webcast, all protesting against the application by Helioslough for the 3.5million-square-foot depot.
Robin Booth, a planning officer with the district council, outlined 15 reasons for rejecting the depot... [more]
Congratulations to the local campaign group STRIFE who worked hard to fight the proposal.
Guardian: Why We Must Stop Shopping at Tesco
Almost a year ago, Guaridan Columnist Simon Hoggart wrote the following piece which still rings true today:
It's heartening to see the wave of antipathy billowing out towards Tesco. And it's producing results too. Near where my parents live in Norwich, a persistent local campaign has stopped Tesco getting permission for a store that would wipe out a street of local shops, including two terrific butchers, a greengrocer, a fishmonger, an old-fashioned pharmacist who delivers, and two fine bakeries. Money spent with local people goes back into the community, to the plumbers, hairdressers, solicitors and dentists, whereas money given to Tesco winds up hundreds of miles away in Tescoland, wherever that is.
Oh, and we also hate the so-called "Tesco's Finest", which seems to translate as "Tesco's More Or Less Adequate". But Tesco will be back. They always are. Do they never have a board meeting at which someone says: "Look guys, we're all making a fortune. We don't need any more money. Why don't we just stop expanding?" Of course not. It isn't in the nature of the beast. Which is why all these anti-Tesco websites (Tescopoly, Every Little Hurts, etc) are springing up.
Where we live there's a new, smallish Tesco store and we all complain like mad about the way their vast delivery trucks clog up narrow streets when we're trying to get to work, or people are collecting their kids from school. What are we going to do? Clamp them? Enforce a citizen's arrest on the driver? But there is an answer. We have to stop going there.
In spite of all the strong local feeling, our Tesco has long queues. Why? Given that the lorries are so vast, why do they never deliver anything we want? Why are there yards of fizzy drinks and nasty snacks, and little you'd actually want to put in your stomach?
If we truly hate Tesco we have to plan our shopping so we get to the small butcher and the greengrocer and the baker while they're open. And if Tesco is the only choice, we have to do without for the time being. Not selling stuff is the only language they understand. Otherwise they will carry on, getting bigger and bigger, destroying our country, our towns and our cities, even faster than John Prescott."
One of my neighbours told me just the other day that they, like our family, had stopped doing their shopping at Tesco. None of us had really known or thought much about Tesco's market dominance, business practices, etc before Tesco revealed plans to build a totally inappropriate development in St. Albans. Now, it would seem, Tesco finds themselves on the wrong side of the news almost everyday. If anything, this growing understanding of some of the issues we're facing locally in St. Albans will help us to defeat this development.
Can you help us spread the word even further? Do you work in advertising or public relations? Perhaps you're a journalist or work for a media company? Can you write press releases, take photos, research stories, email friends who can help us get noticed? If so, St. Albans needs you - get in touch: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
It's heartening to see the wave of antipathy billowing out towards Tesco. And it's producing results too. Near where my parents live in Norwich, a persistent local campaign has stopped Tesco getting permission for a store that would wipe out a street of local shops, including two terrific butchers, a greengrocer, a fishmonger, an old-fashioned pharmacist who delivers, and two fine bakeries. Money spent with local people goes back into the community, to the plumbers, hairdressers, solicitors and dentists, whereas money given to Tesco winds up hundreds of miles away in Tescoland, wherever that is.
Oh, and we also hate the so-called "Tesco's Finest", which seems to translate as "Tesco's More Or Less Adequate". But Tesco will be back. They always are. Do they never have a board meeting at which someone says: "Look guys, we're all making a fortune. We don't need any more money. Why don't we just stop expanding?" Of course not. It isn't in the nature of the beast. Which is why all these anti-Tesco websites (Tescopoly, Every Little Hurts, etc) are springing up.
Where we live there's a new, smallish Tesco store and we all complain like mad about the way their vast delivery trucks clog up narrow streets when we're trying to get to work, or people are collecting their kids from school. What are we going to do? Clamp them? Enforce a citizen's arrest on the driver? But there is an answer. We have to stop going there.
In spite of all the strong local feeling, our Tesco has long queues. Why? Given that the lorries are so vast, why do they never deliver anything we want? Why are there yards of fizzy drinks and nasty snacks, and little you'd actually want to put in your stomach?
If we truly hate Tesco we have to plan our shopping so we get to the small butcher and the greengrocer and the baker while they're open. And if Tesco is the only choice, we have to do without for the time being. Not selling stuff is the only language they understand. Otherwise they will carry on, getting bigger and bigger, destroying our country, our towns and our cities, even faster than John Prescott."
One of my neighbours told me just the other day that they, like our family, had stopped doing their shopping at Tesco. None of us had really known or thought much about Tesco's market dominance, business practices, etc before Tesco revealed plans to build a totally inappropriate development in St. Albans. Now, it would seem, Tesco finds themselves on the wrong side of the news almost everyday. If anything, this growing understanding of some of the issues we're facing locally in St. Albans will help us to defeat this development.
Can you help us spread the word even further? Do you work in advertising or public relations? Perhaps you're a journalist or work for a media company? Can you write press releases, take photos, research stories, email friends who can help us get noticed? If so, St. Albans needs you - get in touch: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
Channel 4 Investigates Tesco: Watch Online or Borrow DVD
On Monday, Channel 4's Dispatches took an indepth look at Tesco, the store they say is eating Britain. The evidence in the programme was pretty damning: local opinions ignored, conditions of planning approvals overstepped, local shops run out of business, etc.
If you have broadband and a PC running Windows XP you can watch it using Channel 4's new 4oD catchup service. If you can't watch it online, we've got you covered - we made some copies on DVD that you can borrow to watch in your home. Drop us an email for details: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
Here's Channel 4's summary of the programme:
Tesco is Britain's favourite supermarket. With 2,000 stores and 15 million customers a week, it's almost twice as big as its nearest rival. Dispatches shows how Tesco could soon become even bigger, and asks if this retail giant is abusing its power.
In The Supermarket That's Eating Britain, Ben Laurance pieces together evidence that reveals the true potential of Tesco's expansion plans. In two thirds of Britain, Tesco is already the dominant supermarket.
Dispatches' information shows how that dominance could become even greater. The programme examines the ways in which Tesco avoids paying tens of millions of pounds in tax by exploiting legal loopholes and using complex networks of companies and partnerships here and overseas.
And Dispatches chronicles the links Tesco has forged with New Labour: the programme examines how Tesco has used its connections to exert influence both at Westminster and with local councillors.
The Supermarket That's Eating Britain hears how: councils feel bullied; MPs complain about being put under pressure; and Tesco uses its financial clout to keep its competitors at bay.
The programme also spells out the truth behind Tesco's declared commitment to providing schools with sports equipment and computers. And it exposes Tesco's controversial stance over food labelling.
It would seem that we, the people of St. Albans, aren't alone in being upset and opposed to yet another Tesco store. But don't take our word for it, watch the programme yourself.
UPDATE: The video is now available on Google Video:
If you have broadband and a PC running Windows XP you can watch it using Channel 4's new 4oD catchup service. If you can't watch it online, we've got you covered - we made some copies on DVD that you can borrow to watch in your home. Drop us an email for details: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
Here's Channel 4's summary of the programme:
Tesco is Britain's favourite supermarket. With 2,000 stores and 15 million customers a week, it's almost twice as big as its nearest rival. Dispatches shows how Tesco could soon become even bigger, and asks if this retail giant is abusing its power.
In The Supermarket That's Eating Britain, Ben Laurance pieces together evidence that reveals the true potential of Tesco's expansion plans. In two thirds of Britain, Tesco is already the dominant supermarket.
Dispatches' information shows how that dominance could become even greater. The programme examines the ways in which Tesco avoids paying tens of millions of pounds in tax by exploiting legal loopholes and using complex networks of companies and partnerships here and overseas.
And Dispatches chronicles the links Tesco has forged with New Labour: the programme examines how Tesco has used its connections to exert influence both at Westminster and with local councillors.
The Supermarket That's Eating Britain hears how: councils feel bullied; MPs complain about being put under pressure; and Tesco uses its financial clout to keep its competitors at bay.
The programme also spells out the truth behind Tesco's declared commitment to providing schools with sports equipment and computers. And it exposes Tesco's controversial stance over food labelling.
It would seem that we, the people of St. Albans, aren't alone in being upset and opposed to yet another Tesco store. But don't take our word for it, watch the programme yourself.
UPDATE: The video is now available on Google Video:
Monday 19 February 2007
Shoppers Flock to Internet - So Why Build With Bricks and Mortar?
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that High Street shops suffered a whopping 34% dive in sales in January.
Shopkeepers have suffered their worst monthly slump in the value of goods sold since records began over 20 years ago, as hard-pressed consumers deserted the high street.
But internet retailers are fairing well:
Despite the misery faced by high street, the statistics also showed that internet retailers are recording the strongest growth on record. The non-store/repair sector, which is now largely dominated by internet retailers such as Amazon, saw its annual sales grow 17.7pc.
According to ThisIsMoney.co.uk and other leading financial news websites, Tesco leads the market for the sale of online groceries and has recently branched into other areas of online commerce, including selling furniture and toys online:
Tesco is set to hit £1bn in online sales for the first time. Internet sales are booming with a 28.7% rise in the first half of the year to a record £554m. Internet profits rose 43% to £33.8m. The growth is being driven by the company's Tesco.com service, which makes 220,000 grocery deliveries a week and has 750,000 regular customers...
You can't, of course, blame Tesco for being successful and certainly home delivery, which offers shoppers convenience whilst at the same time reducing the overheads normally required for bricks and mortar stores, is one of the keys to Tesco's booming online profits. ThisIsMoney.co.uk reports:
Demand has grown so fast that Tesco is trying out store locations that customers cannot physically visit and from which orders can be made online only. One has already been tested in Croydon where, the company says: 'It has been very successful, providing busy stores with more capacity to grow and freeing up a lot more convenient delivery slots for Tesco.com customers.'
Hey, that's a great idea. With internet penetration growing rapidly, ordering online is likely to continue to grow, making massive edge of centre stores entirely unnecessary. In fact, massive warehouse style stores are likely to be a white elephant in the future of UK grocery retailing. Why build, heat and light an edge of centre store on expensive land when you can build an inexpensive, more cost effective warehouse elsewhere (if you have to build at all)?
And perhaps we're in luck as Tesco's got just the man in place to tell them all this : Michael Kissman who, a year ago (late Feb 2006), wasn't working onTesco's planning and developments, but was providing quotes about Comedy DVDs sold on Tesco.com. Kissman told the BBC:
It's surprising the towns that don't seem to like comedy. For example, we have sold considerably less comedy DVDs in Windsor and Harrow - perhaps it's because they just don't need cheering up as much as other towns."
And in a press release posted on the marketing and PR site Response Source Kissman said:
"It seems people are turning to comedy to shake off the lingering winter blues."
With our unseasonably warm weather this winter, perhaps that's the key to Tesco's entirely inappropriate plans for the Evershed site in St. Albans - if people don't have lingering winter blues to get over by purchasing DVDs online, then perhaps Tesco development blues will kick start a comedy DVD sales frenzy...
NOW we get it.
Joking and the issue of market dominance left aside for a moment, one has to wonder why the clever people at Tesco would want to build a bricks and mortar store at the exact moment when its' own online retailing business is moving from strength to strength and - based on The Daily Telegraph article reporting a 34% drop in high street spending in January - internet shopping is thought to be dramatically eroding high street sales.
Allowing Tesco to build a soon to be obsolete superstore on such a prime edge of centre site not only could harm the trade of local businesses and our thousand year market, it's a move that's unlikely to make much sense to Tesco's shareholders in the medium to long-term.
Shopkeepers have suffered their worst monthly slump in the value of goods sold since records began over 20 years ago, as hard-pressed consumers deserted the high street.
But internet retailers are fairing well:
Despite the misery faced by high street, the statistics also showed that internet retailers are recording the strongest growth on record. The non-store/repair sector, which is now largely dominated by internet retailers such as Amazon, saw its annual sales grow 17.7pc.
According to ThisIsMoney.co.uk and other leading financial news websites, Tesco leads the market for the sale of online groceries and has recently branched into other areas of online commerce, including selling furniture and toys online:
Tesco is set to hit £1bn in online sales for the first time. Internet sales are booming with a 28.7% rise in the first half of the year to a record £554m. Internet profits rose 43% to £33.8m. The growth is being driven by the company's Tesco.com service, which makes 220,000 grocery deliveries a week and has 750,000 regular customers...
You can't, of course, blame Tesco for being successful and certainly home delivery, which offers shoppers convenience whilst at the same time reducing the overheads normally required for bricks and mortar stores, is one of the keys to Tesco's booming online profits. ThisIsMoney.co.uk reports:
Demand has grown so fast that Tesco is trying out store locations that customers cannot physically visit and from which orders can be made online only. One has already been tested in Croydon where, the company says: 'It has been very successful, providing busy stores with more capacity to grow and freeing up a lot more convenient delivery slots for Tesco.com customers.'
Hey, that's a great idea. With internet penetration growing rapidly, ordering online is likely to continue to grow, making massive edge of centre stores entirely unnecessary. In fact, massive warehouse style stores are likely to be a white elephant in the future of UK grocery retailing. Why build, heat and light an edge of centre store on expensive land when you can build an inexpensive, more cost effective warehouse elsewhere (if you have to build at all)?
And perhaps we're in luck as Tesco's got just the man in place to tell them all this : Michael Kissman who, a year ago (late Feb 2006), wasn't working onTesco's planning and developments, but was providing quotes about Comedy DVDs sold on Tesco.com. Kissman told the BBC:
It's surprising the towns that don't seem to like comedy. For example, we have sold considerably less comedy DVDs in Windsor and Harrow - perhaps it's because they just don't need cheering up as much as other towns."
And in a press release posted on the marketing and PR site Response Source Kissman said:
"It seems people are turning to comedy to shake off the lingering winter blues."
With our unseasonably warm weather this winter, perhaps that's the key to Tesco's entirely inappropriate plans for the Evershed site in St. Albans - if people don't have lingering winter blues to get over by purchasing DVDs online, then perhaps Tesco development blues will kick start a comedy DVD sales frenzy...
NOW we get it.
Joking and the issue of market dominance left aside for a moment, one has to wonder why the clever people at Tesco would want to build a bricks and mortar store at the exact moment when its' own online retailing business is moving from strength to strength and - based on The Daily Telegraph article reporting a 34% drop in high street spending in January - internet shopping is thought to be dramatically eroding high street sales.
Allowing Tesco to build a soon to be obsolete superstore on such a prime edge of centre site not only could harm the trade of local businesses and our thousand year market, it's a move that's unlikely to make much sense to Tesco's shareholders in the medium to long-term.
Your Emails: "it’s clear residents don’t want it"
Francis O'Sullivan, Ramsbury Road, St. Albans sent us this email after sending them to Tesco:
A new Tesco store is the last thing that St. Albans , and particularly London Road , needs. So, I oppose the development of a Tesco superstore at the former Evershed's site.
This area of St. Albans has a proud history and has been a vibrant part of the city in the past. Today, of course, it’s an eyesore and is far from the gateway to St. Albans this beautiful city deserves.
But why is that?
It was Tesco themselves who created the problem. They were the ones who bought up houses and land and allowed them to deteriorate. And yet, they position their proposals as “breathing new life” into London Road as if it was some sort of philanthropic act.
The reality is that this proposal is going to have a far more detrimental effect on London Road than a beneficial one. Why? Because:
- it is planning to demolish a number of beautiful Victorian houses that are part and parcel of St Albans, its heritage and history, and which aren’t in a conservation area for nothing
- it will utterly change the character and way-of-life of communities such as Inkerman Road for the worse
- it will congest an already overloaded thoroughfare with 500 more cars an hour; not to mention the heavy goods vehicles that will have to keep the store supplied.
- it will create an environment that will be identifiable by traffic noise and exhaust fumes, rather than the “greener future” portrayed by Tesco
There are other ways to breathe new life into London Road without building a giant superstore and car park. There are other ways in which Tesco can contribute to the well being of St. Albans (if that's what they want to do) without razing listed buildings to the ground and creating unnecessary “retail environments” (improving their city centre store, for instance). And there are ways in which St Albans District Council can stand up to Tesco and protect the heritage of St. Albans .
St. Albans doesn’t need this store; and it’s clear residents don’t want it either.
Have you written to Tesco to voice your opinion about their plans for St. Albans? If so, send us a copy of what you sent and let us know if it's ok for us to republish it here.
A new Tesco store is the last thing that St. Albans , and particularly London Road , needs. So, I oppose the development of a Tesco superstore at the former Evershed's site.
This area of St. Albans has a proud history and has been a vibrant part of the city in the past. Today, of course, it’s an eyesore and is far from the gateway to St. Albans this beautiful city deserves.
But why is that?
It was Tesco themselves who created the problem. They were the ones who bought up houses and land and allowed them to deteriorate. And yet, they position their proposals as “breathing new life” into London Road as if it was some sort of philanthropic act.
The reality is that this proposal is going to have a far more detrimental effect on London Road than a beneficial one. Why? Because:
- it is planning to demolish a number of beautiful Victorian houses that are part and parcel of St Albans, its heritage and history, and which aren’t in a conservation area for nothing
- it will utterly change the character and way-of-life of communities such as Inkerman Road for the worse
- it will congest an already overloaded thoroughfare with 500 more cars an hour; not to mention the heavy goods vehicles that will have to keep the store supplied.
- it will create an environment that will be identifiable by traffic noise and exhaust fumes, rather than the “greener future” portrayed by Tesco
There are other ways to breathe new life into London Road without building a giant superstore and car park. There are other ways in which Tesco can contribute to the well being of St. Albans (if that's what they want to do) without razing listed buildings to the ground and creating unnecessary “retail environments” (improving their city centre store, for instance). And there are ways in which St Albans District Council can stand up to Tesco and protect the heritage of St. Albans .
St. Albans doesn’t need this store; and it’s clear residents don’t want it either.
Have you written to Tesco to voice your opinion about their plans for St. Albans? If so, send us a copy of what you sent and let us know if it's ok for us to republish it here.
Channel 4's Dispatches looks at The Supermarket That's Eating Britain
Channel 4's current affairs programme, Dispatches, will tonight look at the Supermarket That's Eating Britain. We'll give you one guess who they're talking about...
From the Channel 4 website:
"Tesco is Britain's favourite supermarket. With 2,000 stores and 15 million customers a week, it's almost twice as big as its nearest rival. Dispatches shows how Tesco could soon become even bigger, and asks if this retail giant is abusing its power."
8pm tonight on Channel 4
From the Channel 4 website:
"Tesco is Britain's favourite supermarket. With 2,000 stores and 15 million customers a week, it's almost twice as big as its nearest rival. Dispatches shows how Tesco could soon become even bigger, and asks if this retail giant is abusing its power."
8pm tonight on Channel 4
Are All St. Albans Political Parties United Against Tesco?
Local Liberal Democrats including Parliamentary hopeful Sandy Walkington, District Councillor Martin Morris and County Councillor Chris White have set up a "stop tesco" website of their own at stoptesco.org.uk. They join the St. Albans Green Party, which has been voicing their concerns on their local party website and organised a boycott of the city centre Tesco on the day of Tesco's town hall exhibition and our Local Conservative MP Anne Main in publicly voicing their opposition to Tesco's proposals.
[Update 23/02/07 15:12 - We've just come across a forum discussion about the proposed Tesco development on Sandy Walkington's website.]
We were intending to poll St. Albans District Council to find out how many of them are opposed to Tesco's plans but we've now realised that to come out publicly against the proposals at this stage could disqualify them from voting on the plans when they are submitted.
Instead, we're now asking local politicians and party organisers to write to us or comment here on the website, but to seek advice on planning or procedural guidelines which may apply to them before doing so.
Friday 16 February 2007
Stats for Tesco Campaign Website: Week 4
Above is a graph showing the statistics for the last week of the first month (minus 3 days) of this website. We're happy to report that in week four, large numbers of people continued to visit with 416 unique visitors looking at 857 pages of content. That brings our total up to 3,626 page impressions (hits) and 1,710 unique visitors on the blog.
Additionally, we've had 268 views of our photos on flickr, 91 people have listened to our podcast on NowPublic.com and 268 have listened to the audio from our "Tesco Alert" meeting.
If we applied the same accounting methods as Tesco does when reporting the results of their "consultation" to the local press, we'd also tell you that we've had at least 100 emails from people against - 100% against - Tesco's plans.
But we're happy simply reporting that our content has been viewed well over 4000 times in 4 weeks and that's not bad at all, particularly when you realise that unlike the 4000 cars that would go in and out of that Tesco in just 8 hours, our website traffic doesn't cause pollution or add to existing gridlock on local roads...
Thursday 15 February 2007
Labour Parliamentary Hopeful: More Should be Done to Secure Future for Independent Retailers
St. Albans Labour Concillor and Parliamentary hopeful Rosa Mills told the St. Albans Observer that:
"The application by Tesco to build a new store on Alma Road has highlighted the important role played by our local independent and specialist retailers and the commercial threat that they face from the major chains.
"If they are going to survive, it is vital that the district council takes the lead in terms of providing as much support for these businesses as possible.
"We don't want to end up completely reliant on a few major chains.
"Local independent shops and the city centre market are particularly important to elderly residents and those on low incomes...
[Read the whole article here]
"The application by Tesco to build a new store on Alma Road has highlighted the important role played by our local independent and specialist retailers and the commercial threat that they face from the major chains.
"If they are going to survive, it is vital that the district council takes the lead in terms of providing as much support for these businesses as possible.
"We don't want to end up completely reliant on a few major chains.
"Local independent shops and the city centre market are particularly important to elderly residents and those on low incomes...
[Read the whole article here]
Some Letters from the Herts Ad
This week's links and quotes from the letters pages of local papers also includes several from last week as we accidentally fell a bit behind.
"Tesco have a cheek talking about regeneration. It was because they bought the London Road, St Albans, site and let it run down that the area needs regenerating. St Albans does not need another big supermarket."Robert Smith, Prospect Road, St. Albans
Ian Langford wrote to the Herts Ad to say:
"In reading around the subject about the impact of new supermarket developments I came across mention of a Government study that included two case studies of edge-of-centre supermarkets. The study concluded that "the principal effect of the new stores was to divert trade from the town centre to the edge-of-centre locations".
There was also a recent article in the Guardian about the negative impact the edge-of-centre Tesco had on the town of Stalham with one local quoted as saying: "There were 70 good businesses in the town when they (Tesco) opened but it has become a ghost town. All that made Stalham different is slipping away." The Stop Tesco in St Albans website: www.stoptesco.com has more details on the article.
I am concerned that the proposed edge-of-city-centre Tesco development may have the same impact on St Albans and its vibrant market. However, if it means cheaper food why stand in the way? I then discovered another Tesco myth - Tesco provides cheap food. I took a weekly shop of fruit and vegetables - 11 different products in all - and compared the price in Tesco to that on the market on Saturday morning. While three of the products were marginally cheaper in Tesco, the rest were all cheaper on the market giving a total saving of £2.38 - a whopping 31 per cent cheaper - and if I had included all the market fruit and veg deals I would have saved even more. A case of "every little bit more expensive?"
A Tesco half-a-mile from the city centre will inevitably take trade away from the city centre - it only takes a few shops to close before the impact snowballs, people cease going into town, the market loses trade and all we are left with in St Albans is a Tesco.
A case of "every little bit more destructive?" Ian Langford, Orient Close, St Albans.
David Dorking who lives clear across town from the Evershed site also felt strongly enough to write to the Herts Ad. He said:
"You have to give Tesco credit for blatant audacity in presenting a scheme that not only gives them a major store, unwanted by many St Albans residents but at a stroke would see the demolition of most of the locally-listed buildings around the site, the widening of London Road to cope with the extra traffic and the creation of a pretty awful environment for those houses left around the site.
The buildings in London Road, Alma Road and Inkerman Road were listed for very good reasons. They identify the character and community of this part of the city and have individual and group value. To allow their loss for the sake of yet another supermarket and an extra few houses would be one of the grossest acts of vandalism.
The Evershed's site was identified by our council for residential development and so it should be - totally - to protect the community, the houses around it and to take some pressure off the Green Belt land. David Dorking, Hill Street, St. Albans
--- related letters re: St. Albans Civic Society and Tesco ---
In a letter published in last week's Herts Advertiser, Peter Baker of Salisbury Avenue, St. Albans, criticised the St. Albans Civic Society for offering, what he feels, has "nothing but criticism of any new major development in St Albans." He wrote:
"Now we see, even before Tesco's exhibition and proposals for the site in London Road have gone on view, they are there again objecting to development of a derelict site which, as it falls into a further state of disrepair, is only inviting undesirable characters, creating further problems for the police and local community."
Whilst this website has no direct connection to the Civic Society, nor is it supported in any way by them, we found it a bit odd that someone would criticise the Civic Society for helping organise a meeting to alert local people to the imminence of Tesco unveiling it's plans. We know of several people who, if it weren't for that meeting, wouldn't have known about the Tesco exhibition. In fact, there are probably dozens of us in that boat.
This week, again in the letters pages of the Herts Ad, Mr. Baker got several responses:
"What planet is St Albans Civic Society on, asks Peter Baker. He himself is perhaps writing from Planet Naive. Both the Odeon and the Tesco sites are, as he points out, derelict. Why is this? Because their owners have let them get into this state. It's common for developers to seek public support by claiming that their scheme will clean up an eyesore of their own making. And Tesco are already claiming that their unwanted store will clean up their own-brand urban blight. The sickening thing is that deliberate dereliction is allowed to happen - does our district council have no powers to stop this sort of thing, or do they just lack the will?" Peter Sutton, Cell Barnes Lane, St. Albans
"As regards the Tesco development, we make no apology for organising a pre-emptive strike over the consequences for the city's shops, market and traffic levels if the Evershed's site were to become a supermarket. That's called forward planning." Eric Roberts, St. Albans Civic Society
"Objections were made to the Tesco development even before the plans were published because many of us believe that a huge supermarket near the city centre is the wrong development in the wrong place. We do not want our roads choked by large lorries and cars coming to an unnecessary supermarket, using prime land for car parking. We do not want Victorian houses in the Conseravtion Area to be destroyed for this. We all know why the Evershed's site and surrounding area is in such a dreadful state. Tesco bought it piece by piece over the years, then left the houses empty and neglected. Regeneration is essential. But that site needs vision and consultation rather than being the location of an unwanted supermarket. A hotel perhaps, as well as housing? Only five to 10 minutes walk from the station - a hotel would then be only 20 minutes journey from the St Pancras continental trains. But this is for the future. For the present we need to build the right cinema and to find a way of stopping the Tesco plans." Pat Hurford, Member of the Civic Society
I think many people will join me in expressing thanks for the considerable efforts on our behalf, both in the past and currently being made, by the officers and members of St Albans Civic Society so ably led by chairman Eric Roberts and wonderfully assisted by colleagues such as Marion Hammant and so many others who are totally committed to fight against the desecration of St Albans. We salute them all and only hope that their efforts will be rewarded by our elected representatives on the council when considering the contentious and ill-considered planning applications currently in the pipeline. Philip Webster, Townsend Drive, St. Albans
[Please note: The appearance of quotes above does not in any way imply that the authors of those letters support or are involved in this website. We provide links to them for the sole purpose of helping those who wish to become better informed about the debate surrounding Tesco's development plans for the Evershed site in St. Albans.]
You can submit your own letter to the Herts Advertiser here.
"Tesco have a cheek talking about regeneration. It was because they bought the London Road, St Albans, site and let it run down that the area needs regenerating. St Albans does not need another big supermarket."Robert Smith, Prospect Road, St. Albans
Ian Langford wrote to the Herts Ad to say:
"In reading around the subject about the impact of new supermarket developments I came across mention of a Government study that included two case studies of edge-of-centre supermarkets. The study concluded that "the principal effect of the new stores was to divert trade from the town centre to the edge-of-centre locations".
There was also a recent article in the Guardian about the negative impact the edge-of-centre Tesco had on the town of Stalham with one local quoted as saying: "There were 70 good businesses in the town when they (Tesco) opened but it has become a ghost town. All that made Stalham different is slipping away." The Stop Tesco in St Albans website: www.stoptesco.com has more details on the article.
I am concerned that the proposed edge-of-city-centre Tesco development may have the same impact on St Albans and its vibrant market. However, if it means cheaper food why stand in the way? I then discovered another Tesco myth - Tesco provides cheap food. I took a weekly shop of fruit and vegetables - 11 different products in all - and compared the price in Tesco to that on the market on Saturday morning. While three of the products were marginally cheaper in Tesco, the rest were all cheaper on the market giving a total saving of £2.38 - a whopping 31 per cent cheaper - and if I had included all the market fruit and veg deals I would have saved even more. A case of "every little bit more expensive?"
A Tesco half-a-mile from the city centre will inevitably take trade away from the city centre - it only takes a few shops to close before the impact snowballs, people cease going into town, the market loses trade and all we are left with in St Albans is a Tesco.
A case of "every little bit more destructive?" Ian Langford, Orient Close, St Albans.
David Dorking who lives clear across town from the Evershed site also felt strongly enough to write to the Herts Ad. He said:
"You have to give Tesco credit for blatant audacity in presenting a scheme that not only gives them a major store, unwanted by many St Albans residents but at a stroke would see the demolition of most of the locally-listed buildings around the site, the widening of London Road to cope with the extra traffic and the creation of a pretty awful environment for those houses left around the site.
The buildings in London Road, Alma Road and Inkerman Road were listed for very good reasons. They identify the character and community of this part of the city and have individual and group value. To allow their loss for the sake of yet another supermarket and an extra few houses would be one of the grossest acts of vandalism.
The Evershed's site was identified by our council for residential development and so it should be - totally - to protect the community, the houses around it and to take some pressure off the Green Belt land. David Dorking, Hill Street, St. Albans
In a letter published in last week's Herts Advertiser, Peter Baker of Salisbury Avenue, St. Albans, criticised the St. Albans Civic Society for offering, what he feels, has "nothing but criticism of any new major development in St Albans." He wrote:
"Now we see, even before Tesco's exhibition and proposals for the site in London Road have gone on view, they are there again objecting to development of a derelict site which, as it falls into a further state of disrepair, is only inviting undesirable characters, creating further problems for the police and local community."
Whilst this website has no direct connection to the Civic Society, nor is it supported in any way by them, we found it a bit odd that someone would criticise the Civic Society for helping organise a meeting to alert local people to the imminence of Tesco unveiling it's plans. We know of several people who, if it weren't for that meeting, wouldn't have known about the Tesco exhibition. In fact, there are probably dozens of us in that boat.
This week, again in the letters pages of the Herts Ad, Mr. Baker got several responses:
"What planet is St Albans Civic Society on, asks Peter Baker. He himself is perhaps writing from Planet Naive. Both the Odeon and the Tesco sites are, as he points out, derelict. Why is this? Because their owners have let them get into this state. It's common for developers to seek public support by claiming that their scheme will clean up an eyesore of their own making. And Tesco are already claiming that their unwanted store will clean up their own-brand urban blight. The sickening thing is that deliberate dereliction is allowed to happen - does our district council have no powers to stop this sort of thing, or do they just lack the will?" Peter Sutton, Cell Barnes Lane, St. Albans
"As regards the Tesco development, we make no apology for organising a pre-emptive strike over the consequences for the city's shops, market and traffic levels if the Evershed's site were to become a supermarket. That's called forward planning." Eric Roberts, St. Albans Civic Society
"Objections were made to the Tesco development even before the plans were published because many of us believe that a huge supermarket near the city centre is the wrong development in the wrong place. We do not want our roads choked by large lorries and cars coming to an unnecessary supermarket, using prime land for car parking. We do not want Victorian houses in the Conseravtion Area to be destroyed for this. We all know why the Evershed's site and surrounding area is in such a dreadful state. Tesco bought it piece by piece over the years, then left the houses empty and neglected. Regeneration is essential. But that site needs vision and consultation rather than being the location of an unwanted supermarket. A hotel perhaps, as well as housing? Only five to 10 minutes walk from the station - a hotel would then be only 20 minutes journey from the St Pancras continental trains. But this is for the future. For the present we need to build the right cinema and to find a way of stopping the Tesco plans." Pat Hurford, Member of the Civic Society
I think many people will join me in expressing thanks for the considerable efforts on our behalf, both in the past and currently being made, by the officers and members of St Albans Civic Society so ably led by chairman Eric Roberts and wonderfully assisted by colleagues such as Marion Hammant and so many others who are totally committed to fight against the desecration of St Albans. We salute them all and only hope that their efforts will be rewarded by our elected representatives on the council when considering the contentious and ill-considered planning applications currently in the pipeline. Philip Webster, Townsend Drive, St. Albans
[Please note: The appearance of quotes above does not in any way imply that the authors of those letters support or are involved in this website. We provide links to them for the sole purpose of helping those who wish to become better informed about the debate surrounding Tesco's development plans for the Evershed site in St. Albans.]
You can submit your own letter to the Herts Advertiser here.
Tesco Reckons Local Opinion Split
Tesco corporate affairs manager Michael Kissman has told the Herts Advertiser that local opinion is split over Tesco's proposals.
"Overall, there's a half-and-half split between those who support our proposals and those who don't and the reasons vary hugely. We're pleased that so many support the scheme, but we also need to respond to the points raised by those who are concerned. Traffic is by far the main issue and, while our work is on-going in this area, we need to explain better how our proposals will work."
We don't believe that local opinion about the Tesco development is split - we believe that most local people who have been informed about Tesco's plans and who understand the implications of those plans are strongly opposed to them.
We've yet to come across a single person who supports Tesco's plans despite - unlike Tesco - our willingness to publish any and all comments and letters submitted to this website. We'd love to hear a convincing argument in favour of Tesco's current plans...
Meanwhile, our support amongst our elected representatives continues to grow with Roma Mills, the Labour party leader in St. Albans City Council, coming out in opposition to Tesco's plans:
"Overall the scale and nature of the plans seems completely inappropriate.
"Overall, there's a half-and-half split between those who support our proposals and those who don't and the reasons vary hugely. We're pleased that so many support the scheme, but we also need to respond to the points raised by those who are concerned. Traffic is by far the main issue and, while our work is on-going in this area, we need to explain better how our proposals will work."
We don't believe that local opinion about the Tesco development is split - we believe that most local people who have been informed about Tesco's plans and who understand the implications of those plans are strongly opposed to them.
We've yet to come across a single person who supports Tesco's plans despite - unlike Tesco - our willingness to publish any and all comments and letters submitted to this website. We'd love to hear a convincing argument in favour of Tesco's current plans...
Meanwhile, our support amongst our elected representatives continues to grow with Roma Mills, the Labour party leader in St. Albans City Council, coming out in opposition to Tesco's plans:
"Overall the scale and nature of the plans seems completely inappropriate.
Wednesday 14 February 2007
Video: Tesco Sends in the Machines
We came across this short video clip from the BBC's Time Trumpet. It shows one vision of the future in which Tesco declares war on Denmark...
As funny as that BBC spoof might be, the idea of Tesco sending in giant machines to destroy historic buildings is a reality that recently came true for the people of Glasgow:
As funny as that BBC spoof might be, the idea of Tesco sending in giant machines to destroy historic buildings is a reality that recently came true for the people of Glasgow:
Your Emails: "it would destroy the unique tranquil character of the road"
Simon Dowell, who lives in Inkerman Road (photos | map), sent the following letter to Michael Kissman at Tesco (michael.kissman@uk.tesco.com) and forwarded us a copy (tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk). He's also intending to send an edited version to the local papers and elsewhere.
Dear Mr. Kissman,
Having seen Tesco's designs for the Evershed site in St Albans, I am very concerned about its impact on the local area and Inkerman Road in particular.
Inkerman Road is currently one of the most charming and desirable roads in St Albans. Although only a five minute walk from the station and the centre of town, it is a peaceful no-through road of lovely cottages that have managed to remain unspoilt by modern development. Most of its residents have paid a lot of money for their houses for precisely these reasons. Some of us have invested most of our incomes into restoring our properties in keeping with the locally listed status of the buildings, because we love the street and want to play our part in preserving the heritage of the city, and indeed the country.
Tesco have stated they would demolish three houses on Inkerman Road. However it is said that they own eleven properties, and the published plans show that the entire Eastern side from Bedford Road down would be demolished to make way for a car park and the main entrance road into the store. This would not only mean the loss of several characterful properties, but it would destroy the unique tranquil character of the road, and ruin the outlook and quality of life in the remaining homes.
Given the number of houses that Tesco owns in Inkerman Road, I am really concerned at the prospect that they use the same unpleasant tactics as in London Road, and leave the houses to become derelict so that the area is desperate for 'regeneration'. It will be just as unpleasant to live in such an environment as to look out onto a multi-story car park.
I am also concerned about the plans to demolish properties in Alma and London Roads for replacement with modern apartments. In terms of regeneration, flats are no comparison with houses for building a neighbourhood and community. I lived for seven years in a (nice) flat in St Albans and never even found out the names of my neighbours. However, after a few months in Inkerman Road I knew practically everyone in the street. Living in a house you come into contact with your neighbours much more frequently, whether it be over the garden fence, passing your window, or washing their cars in the road. There's a great atmosphere in Inkerman Road that you might not be aware of, but it is something special that we don't want you to destroy.
I would be very grateful if you could take into account the views of the local residents because we love the area we live in and don't want to lose it.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Dowell
Inkerman Road
St Albans
Have you, or do you intend to, write to Tesco, your elected representatives or a newspaper? We want to know - please take our poll.
Dear Mr. Kissman,
Having seen Tesco's designs for the Evershed site in St Albans, I am very concerned about its impact on the local area and Inkerman Road in particular.
Inkerman Road is currently one of the most charming and desirable roads in St Albans. Although only a five minute walk from the station and the centre of town, it is a peaceful no-through road of lovely cottages that have managed to remain unspoilt by modern development. Most of its residents have paid a lot of money for their houses for precisely these reasons. Some of us have invested most of our incomes into restoring our properties in keeping with the locally listed status of the buildings, because we love the street and want to play our part in preserving the heritage of the city, and indeed the country.
Tesco have stated they would demolish three houses on Inkerman Road. However it is said that they own eleven properties, and the published plans show that the entire Eastern side from Bedford Road down would be demolished to make way for a car park and the main entrance road into the store. This would not only mean the loss of several characterful properties, but it would destroy the unique tranquil character of the road, and ruin the outlook and quality of life in the remaining homes.
Given the number of houses that Tesco owns in Inkerman Road, I am really concerned at the prospect that they use the same unpleasant tactics as in London Road, and leave the houses to become derelict so that the area is desperate for 'regeneration'. It will be just as unpleasant to live in such an environment as to look out onto a multi-story car park.
I am also concerned about the plans to demolish properties in Alma and London Roads for replacement with modern apartments. In terms of regeneration, flats are no comparison with houses for building a neighbourhood and community. I lived for seven years in a (nice) flat in St Albans and never even found out the names of my neighbours. However, after a few months in Inkerman Road I knew practically everyone in the street. Living in a house you come into contact with your neighbours much more frequently, whether it be over the garden fence, passing your window, or washing their cars in the road. There's a great atmosphere in Inkerman Road that you might not be aware of, but it is something special that we don't want you to destroy.
I would be very grateful if you could take into account the views of the local residents because we love the area we live in and don't want to lose it.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Dowell
Inkerman Road
St Albans
Have you, or do you intend to, write to Tesco, your elected representatives or a newspaper? We want to know - please take our poll.
Concerned Residents United Against Tesco St. Albans - Logo
One of our supporters has come up with a logo for our campaign.
We've published it on the photo sharing site flickr under a creative commons attribution non-commercial license, which makes it possible for you to use it on your own blog, myspace page, etc.
You can do that by downloading it from flickr, where it is available in different sizes, or if you're a flickr member by using the "blog this" button. If you want help using the logo, or writing some html that will make the logo a clickable link from your site to ours, just drop us an email and we'll send you the code to stick into your page: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
We've published it on the photo sharing site flickr under a creative commons attribution non-commercial license, which makes it possible for you to use it on your own blog, myspace page, etc.
You can do that by downloading it from flickr, where it is available in different sizes, or if you're a flickr member by using the "blog this" button. If you want help using the logo, or writing some html that will make the logo a clickable link from your site to ours, just drop us an email and we'll send you the code to stick into your page: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday 13 February 2007
Poll 2: Have You Taken Part in Tesco's "Consultation" Process?
The following poll, our second, will close on Tuesday and results will be posted here. Results for our previous poll can be found at the bottom of this entry.
Last week's poll asked what concerns you most about Tesco's plans for St. Albans. 67 people took part, selecting their primary concern from a list:
* 37% increased traffic flow problems
* 24% who were worried about the impact on local businesses including the market
* 16% the demolition of locally listed buildings
* [more]
Thank you to everyone who has taken part thus far.
Last week's poll asked what concerns you most about Tesco's plans for St. Albans. 67 people took part, selecting their primary concern from a list:
* 37% increased traffic flow problems
* 24% who were worried about the impact on local businesses including the market
* 16% the demolition of locally listed buildings
* [more]
Thank you to everyone who has taken part thus far.
Monday 12 February 2007
Your Letters to Tesco: I am shocked and appalled
Matt Phillips who lives in Inkerman Road, St. Albans sent us a copy of the email he wrote to Tesco Spokesman Michael Kissman:
Dear Mr Kissman,
I see from the Tesco leaflet posted through my door that you are the contact for residents seeking further information regarding the proposed development on the Evershed's site in St Albans. Having seen the artist's impression, I am shocked and appalled at a plan that appears to include the demolition of a number of attractive Victorian buildings that surround my house and the construction of a car park literally yards away from our front door.
Keen to start a family in a quiet residential area, my fiancée and I moved to Inkerman Road last October – having been particularly keen to get away from London largely due to the high levels of light, noise and air pollution that was beginning to damage our health causing us increasing stress. We were therefore happy to pay a premium price for the property, owing to its location at the end of a quiet, secluded Victorian street.
Quite apart from the pollution, we do not want the character of the area ruined by the arrival of a new supermarket the area does not need; any Tesco should quite clearly be built further out of town.
We anticipated there may be some changes to the Evershed's site, but felt reassured by the fact that we are enclosed in a conservation area protected by a local council who are – we are told – keen to protect the character and heritage of the town. Although I understood that Tesco owned residential housing on Alma and London Road, I was horrified to learn that this extended to the Victorian housing on our road.
Furthermore, looking at the plans it appears that the houses opposite our front door are to be demolished to make way for the car park, in addition to a number of properties at the end of our terrace.
We strongly object to the building of a Tesco that is clearly not needed in the area - owing to its distance from the town centre, its close proximity to the station, the abundance of other supermarkets, the already very heavy traffic on London Road and the effects that this may have upon the conservation area in which we live.
It is an insult that the leaflet that notifying us of the plans did not come through our letterbox until after the exhibition in the Town Hall had been taken down. We have not met one local resident who is in favour of a development of this sort; is this why you appear to have not made any effort to consult us before now? I cannot imagine that you have any idea the distress your company has caused us - and presumably other residents - when circulating a leaflet that seems to propose the demolition of a number of houses that surround our homes, and proposes a carpark on our doorstep which will surely result in significant rise in pollution.
I would be keen to learn how Tesco could build a store in keeping with the character of the community, as you propose in your literature, and if, as I suspect, Tesco own much of the property that surrounds my house, then please let us know what plans you have for it. Please also let us know where we can find out more information about the effects that pollution will have on residents living this close to a major supermarket.
I have taken the liberty of copying in St Albans Council's Director of Planning, so the council are aware of our concerns. I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Matt Phillips
Inkerman Road
Below is a photo, taken by Mr. Phillips through the window of his home, showing a few of the Victorian houses that will be demolished and replaced by a carpark:
Dear Mr Kissman,
I see from the Tesco leaflet posted through my door that you are the contact for residents seeking further information regarding the proposed development on the Evershed's site in St Albans. Having seen the artist's impression, I am shocked and appalled at a plan that appears to include the demolition of a number of attractive Victorian buildings that surround my house and the construction of a car park literally yards away from our front door.
Keen to start a family in a quiet residential area, my fiancée and I moved to Inkerman Road last October – having been particularly keen to get away from London largely due to the high levels of light, noise and air pollution that was beginning to damage our health causing us increasing stress. We were therefore happy to pay a premium price for the property, owing to its location at the end of a quiet, secluded Victorian street.
Quite apart from the pollution, we do not want the character of the area ruined by the arrival of a new supermarket the area does not need; any Tesco should quite clearly be built further out of town.
We anticipated there may be some changes to the Evershed's site, but felt reassured by the fact that we are enclosed in a conservation area protected by a local council who are – we are told – keen to protect the character and heritage of the town. Although I understood that Tesco owned residential housing on Alma and London Road, I was horrified to learn that this extended to the Victorian housing on our road.
Furthermore, looking at the plans it appears that the houses opposite our front door are to be demolished to make way for the car park, in addition to a number of properties at the end of our terrace.
We strongly object to the building of a Tesco that is clearly not needed in the area - owing to its distance from the town centre, its close proximity to the station, the abundance of other supermarkets, the already very heavy traffic on London Road and the effects that this may have upon the conservation area in which we live.
It is an insult that the leaflet that notifying us of the plans did not come through our letterbox until after the exhibition in the Town Hall had been taken down. We have not met one local resident who is in favour of a development of this sort; is this why you appear to have not made any effort to consult us before now? I cannot imagine that you have any idea the distress your company has caused us - and presumably other residents - when circulating a leaflet that seems to propose the demolition of a number of houses that surround our homes, and proposes a carpark on our doorstep which will surely result in significant rise in pollution.
I would be keen to learn how Tesco could build a store in keeping with the character of the community, as you propose in your literature, and if, as I suspect, Tesco own much of the property that surrounds my house, then please let us know what plans you have for it. Please also let us know where we can find out more information about the effects that pollution will have on residents living this close to a major supermarket.
I have taken the liberty of copying in St Albans Council's Director of Planning, so the council are aware of our concerns. I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Matt Phillips
Inkerman Road
Below is a photo, taken by Mr. Phillips through the window of his home, showing a few of the Victorian houses that will be demolished and replaced by a carpark:
Your Emails: "This beautiful market town does not want you!"
We've received emails from a few people who are having trouble with Tesco's "consultation" website which, unlike the comment facility on this entirely free to set up website, still isn't working correctly.
Ms. J Compton of Alma Road, St. Albans sent us this email:
"I tried inputting this into Tescos website feedback form but it did not go through...... what a joke! Maybe it can go on the blogspot somewhere with other people's attempts to write to Tescos."
Sure, no problem - although we do suggest that you also email your letters to Tesco spokesman Michael Kissman as well so that Tesco has to register them: michael.kissman@uk.tesco.com
Here's Ms Compton's unedited letter:
"This is about money. Tesco - you have more than enough money already.
PLEASE DO NOT insult St Albans and its residents. We CARE about our town - we LOVE our town.
You propose to come marching in and tearing down properties in order to build yet another soulless carbon copy monolith. We do not need another superstore. PLEASE DO NOT build your store here.
We do not want it! We are happy with St Albans the way it is. If you listen to the residents you will understand this. (I cannot imagine that you are really listening...you only see the money you will make...this is all red tape that you must be seen to do..)
Sell the properties back to our community.
TESCOS; This beautiful market town does not want you!"
Ms. J Compton, Alma Road, St. Albans
Ms. J Compton of Alma Road, St. Albans sent us this email:
"I tried inputting this into Tescos website feedback form but it did not go through...... what a joke! Maybe it can go on the blogspot somewhere with other people's attempts to write to Tescos."
Sure, no problem - although we do suggest that you also email your letters to Tesco spokesman Michael Kissman as well so that Tesco has to register them: michael.kissman@uk.tesco.com
Here's Ms Compton's unedited letter:
"This is about money. Tesco - you have more than enough money already.
PLEASE DO NOT insult St Albans and its residents. We CARE about our town - we LOVE our town.
You propose to come marching in and tearing down properties in order to build yet another soulless carbon copy monolith. We do not need another superstore. PLEASE DO NOT build your store here.
We do not want it! We are happy with St Albans the way it is. If you listen to the residents you will understand this. (I cannot imagine that you are really listening...you only see the money you will make...this is all red tape that you must be seen to do..)
Sell the properties back to our community.
TESCOS; This beautiful market town does not want you!"
Ms. J Compton, Alma Road, St. Albans
Friday 9 February 2007
Tesco Invites You To Have Your Say Online - Shame their website doesn't work
In a letter to the Herts Advertiser this week, Tesco Spokesman Michael Kissman wrote:
"We leafleted 5,000 homes in the locality and our website - www.tescostalbans.co.uk - features a "have-your-say" section for people to give their opinions, which we value."
Tesco values YOUR views soooo much that the "have-your-say" page Mr. Kissman mentions in his letter, the very page where you are supposed to use to voice your support or objection to the scheme, is broken and has been for at least a day. Well, that's one way to make sure there are no objections...
Earlier today, we received this email from a local resident who tried to have his say about the Tesco plans:
I just tried to submit my opinion on the Tesco development at http://www.tescostalbans.co.uk/comments.html and when I clicked the 'Submit' button, the webpage is unavailable. I wonder how long this has been the case and whether it would have anything to do with Tesco being bothered in the slightest about hearing local resident's opinion.
Anyway, as I can't send these comments to Tesco via their website, here is a copy of my comments (I unsurprisingly voted 'No'):
I am totally against another supermarket within the St Albans area. I already have 15 supermarkets of varying sizes within 10 minutes drive, including 3 Tesco stores (Town centre, Jersey Farm and Hatfield). I am also unhappy with the way that Tesco have allowed this area to become derelict and disused over the past 5 years or so. How do you justify destroying listed buildings, especially as the site has already been identified for residential development?
Finally, why not publish the results of this poll on your website, along with local resident's opinions? I suspect that Tesco are simply going through the motions in a pretence that they are interested in public opinion.
Regards,
David Ablett
Colney Heath Lane
St Albans
We tried the website ourselves a few minutes ago and what happened? Well, the "have your say" form page appeared fine and we were able to complete it without problems. Here's the page we saw:
But when we hit the submit button we got a page that says "Not Found: The requested URL was not found on this server". We couldn't quite believe it had happened so we tried two other browsers (safari, mozilla and firefox) but got the same error:
Have your say? We've already shown, here on this website, that Tesco cares so much about it's "consultation" with local people that it didn't bother to change it's public statements telling us that and used the same one they used previously in another town.
Does that sound like a company that actually cares what you have to say?
Now we've discovered that the have-your-say form on their website, an important mechanism for collecting local opinion, is broken. How's that for meaningful public consultation?
"We leafleted 5,000 homes in the locality and our website - www.tescostalbans.co.uk - features a "have-your-say" section for people to give their opinions, which we value."
Tesco values YOUR views soooo much that the "have-your-say" page Mr. Kissman mentions in his letter, the very page where you are supposed to use to voice your support or objection to the scheme, is broken and has been for at least a day. Well, that's one way to make sure there are no objections...
Earlier today, we received this email from a local resident who tried to have his say about the Tesco plans:
I just tried to submit my opinion on the Tesco development at http://www.tescostalbans.co.uk/comments.html and when I clicked the 'Submit' button, the webpage is unavailable. I wonder how long this has been the case and whether it would have anything to do with Tesco being bothered in the slightest about hearing local resident's opinion.
Anyway, as I can't send these comments to Tesco via their website, here is a copy of my comments (I unsurprisingly voted 'No'):
I am totally against another supermarket within the St Albans area. I already have 15 supermarkets of varying sizes within 10 minutes drive, including 3 Tesco stores (Town centre, Jersey Farm and Hatfield). I am also unhappy with the way that Tesco have allowed this area to become derelict and disused over the past 5 years or so. How do you justify destroying listed buildings, especially as the site has already been identified for residential development?
Finally, why not publish the results of this poll on your website, along with local resident's opinions? I suspect that Tesco are simply going through the motions in a pretence that they are interested in public opinion.
Regards,
David Ablett
Colney Heath Lane
St Albans
We tried the website ourselves a few minutes ago and what happened? Well, the "have your say" form page appeared fine and we were able to complete it without problems. Here's the page we saw:
But when we hit the submit button we got a page that says "Not Found: The requested URL was not found on this server". We couldn't quite believe it had happened so we tried two other browsers (safari, mozilla and firefox) but got the same error:
Have your say? We've already shown, here on this website, that Tesco cares so much about it's "consultation" with local people that it didn't bother to change it's public statements telling us that and used the same one they used previously in another town.
Does that sound like a company that actually cares what you have to say?
Now we've discovered that the have-your-say form on their website, an important mechanism for collecting local opinion, is broken. How's that for meaningful public consultation?
St. Albans Tesco Campaign: Weekly Stats
Between 02 - 08 February, 578 unique users viewed 1,154 pages of content (page impressions or "hits") on this website. That brings us up to a total of 2,668 page impressions and 1256 unique users over the three week life of this website. Additionally, over 300 people have downloaded and listened to the audio podcasts we published on NowPublic.com. Click the graph below for a larger version.
Previous Weeks: [26 Jan - 01 Feb ] [19 - 25 January ]
Previous Weeks: [26 Jan - 01 Feb ] [19 - 25 January ]
Thursday 8 February 2007
St. Albans MP Anne Main: "I cannot support this project"
We have received the following email and letter written by St. Albans MP Anne Main, both of which are republished below in full without editing:
[email]
email to: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
Thu, 8 Feb 2007 15:04:14 -0000
Dear Sir,
Sorry I do not know your name.
As you will know St Albans District Council will make the final planning decision regarding Tesco's proposal at Evershed/London Rd site.
Please find attached a letter I have sent to the Leader of St Albans District Council which follows various meetings with concerned St Albans residents over the years, briefings and discussions with Tesco managers and, of course, at the public exhibition in St Albans - outlining my strong objections to the plans.
These objections are based not only on the overall damage I feel it may cause St Albans but also based on strong planning grounds.
This article from the Financial Times may also be of interest to the readers of the website.
I hope this is useful.
Best wishes,
Anne Main
Anne Main MP
St Albans
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 3000
www.annemain.com
[letter to Cllr Robert Donald, Leader, St Albans District Council, dated 31 January 2006]
Re: Tesco proposals for Evershed/ London Road site
I hope that after detailed consideration St Albans District Council will decide to reject the proposal for the Tesco store at Evershed/London Rd.
In light of the recent draft East of England housing review, and the views expressed by council officers, I am concerned that we don’t have enough Brownfield sites to accommodate this extra development should it be imposed upon us. In my view it would seem prudent to carefully consider whether or not this site should be allowed to take a large supermarket development or remain earmarked for housing.
In the current District plan it was identified that St Albans needed to provide a diverse shopping experience to enhance current retail provision; and indeed did specify that a department store may prove a useful addition to the St Albans shopping mix. Several residents have expressed the view that smaller retail developments on this site would be preferable - and I have a degree of sympathy with that view.
Many of my constituents have contacted me about this proposal and I have had several meetings with Tesco, prior to the public consultation, outlining my concerns about the size and scope of the development and about the massive traffic implications for the London Rd and surrounding area.
Further to our last meeting I was given to understand that the store, at 55,200 sq ft not including office space etc, will be significantly larger than the 30,000 sq ft supermarket space that a recent St Albans District Council report suggested might be acceptable in the City Centre. This aspect of the proposal alone I believe gives the Council sufficient grounds to refuse this proposal.
I feel that having seen the proposals myself there are additional significant issues that are raised by the plans; currently no designated recycling facilities on the site and difficulties in finding a location for one, no detailed proposals for visual elevations and detrimental impact on Bedford Rd and Inkerman Rd, demolition of historic houses, no lighting placements decided and therefore no assessment of light impact on neighbouring properties, no visual elevations or design statement for Alma Rd, no accompanying figures on traffic flow and impact - although I have asked for details of these. These are just some of the issues that I have raised with the Tesco team and I have made it quite clear I cannot support this project.
I hope you will find this letter helpful in explaining my position on this proposal which may soon come before the Council.
With best wishes,
Anne Main MP
[end letter]
Website editor note: Attached was a copy of the actual letter sent by Mrs. Anne Main MP to Cllr Robert Donald and bearing House of Commons letterhead. Also attached was an article [link to article] from the Financial Times which we've previously highlighted here.
[email]
email to: tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk
Thu, 8 Feb 2007 15:04:14 -0000
Dear Sir,
Sorry I do not know your name.
As you will know St Albans District Council will make the final planning decision regarding Tesco's proposal at Evershed/London Rd site.
Please find attached a letter I have sent to the Leader of St Albans District Council which follows various meetings with concerned St Albans residents over the years, briefings and discussions with Tesco managers and, of course, at the public exhibition in St Albans - outlining my strong objections to the plans.
These objections are based not only on the overall damage I feel it may cause St Albans but also based on strong planning grounds.
This article from the Financial Times may also be of interest to the readers of the website.
I hope this is useful.
Best wishes,
Anne Main
Anne Main MP
St Albans
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 3000
www.annemain.com
[letter to Cllr Robert Donald, Leader, St Albans District Council, dated 31 January 2006]
Re: Tesco proposals for Evershed/ London Road site
I hope that after detailed consideration St Albans District Council will decide to reject the proposal for the Tesco store at Evershed/London Rd.
In light of the recent draft East of England housing review, and the views expressed by council officers, I am concerned that we don’t have enough Brownfield sites to accommodate this extra development should it be imposed upon us. In my view it would seem prudent to carefully consider whether or not this site should be allowed to take a large supermarket development or remain earmarked for housing.
In the current District plan it was identified that St Albans needed to provide a diverse shopping experience to enhance current retail provision; and indeed did specify that a department store may prove a useful addition to the St Albans shopping mix. Several residents have expressed the view that smaller retail developments on this site would be preferable - and I have a degree of sympathy with that view.
Many of my constituents have contacted me about this proposal and I have had several meetings with Tesco, prior to the public consultation, outlining my concerns about the size and scope of the development and about the massive traffic implications for the London Rd and surrounding area.
Further to our last meeting I was given to understand that the store, at 55,200 sq ft not including office space etc, will be significantly larger than the 30,000 sq ft supermarket space that a recent St Albans District Council report suggested might be acceptable in the City Centre. This aspect of the proposal alone I believe gives the Council sufficient grounds to refuse this proposal.
I feel that having seen the proposals myself there are additional significant issues that are raised by the plans; currently no designated recycling facilities on the site and difficulties in finding a location for one, no detailed proposals for visual elevations and detrimental impact on Bedford Rd and Inkerman Rd, demolition of historic houses, no lighting placements decided and therefore no assessment of light impact on neighbouring properties, no visual elevations or design statement for Alma Rd, no accompanying figures on traffic flow and impact - although I have asked for details of these. These are just some of the issues that I have raised with the Tesco team and I have made it quite clear I cannot support this project.
I hope you will find this letter helpful in explaining my position on this proposal which may soon come before the Council.
With best wishes,
Anne Main MP
[end letter]
Website editor note: Attached was a copy of the actual letter sent by Mrs. Anne Main MP to Cllr Robert Donald and bearing House of Commons letterhead. Also attached was an article [link to article] from the Financial Times which we've previously highlighted here.
Wednesday 7 February 2007
Poll Results: Your Concerns About Tesco's St. Albans Plans
On Monday we started polling you, visitors to this website, on various aspects of Tesco's plans. 39 of you responded to our first question, "What concerns you most about Tesco's plans for the Evershed Site in St. Albans?". The top results so far are:41%: Increased traffic flow problems on surrounding arteries into the city
21%: Impact upon local businesses, the high street and our 1000 year old market
18% Demolition of locally listed Victorian homes
You can participate in the poll yourself here or see the full results without voting here.
Tuesday 6 February 2007
Snap! Tesco's Cookie Cutter Public Statements on "Consultation"
Ever wondered what Tesco has told other Towns and Cities where they're hoping to build developments?
We decided to investigate and it seems that Tesco spends a lot of it's time telling communities along it's development roadshow that it wants feedback directly from local people. It would appear that Tesco spends SO much time getting this particular message across that sometimes they've not had enough time left over to actually change the wording of their press releases:
In October 2006, the town of Hadleigh was told that Tesco would be holding a public consultation with the community and would hold a public exhibition to show their planned development. Tesco spokesperson Michael Kissman said in a press release that,
"By holding a consultation programme in advance of the submission of the application, we can listen to the community’s views before we finalise the plans...Individuals will have their chance to speak to us at the exhibition. But we are also particularly interested in hearing from groups that represent different aspects of community life in the Hadleigh area, groups who ordinarily would not be consulted, but nevertheless have an important contribution to make to the discussions.”
Sound familiar? It should.
Four months later, on 14 January 2007 the St. Albans Observer quoted the same Tesco spokesperson, Michael Kissman, as saying:
"By holding an extensive consultation programme in advance of the submission of the application, we can listen to the community's views before we finalise the plans...Individuals will have their chance to speak to us at the exhibition... But we are also particularly interested in hearing from groups that represent different aspects of community life in the St Albans area, groups who ordinarily would not be consulted, but nevertheless have an important contribution to make to the discussions."
SNAP!
Tesco, it would seem, has a habit of reusing the above and other messages in a number of towns and cities where it is hoping to build new stores:
In November 2006, Kissman told the people of Haverhill that Tesco wanted to ensure the future vitality of the town centre. People consulted, with local businesses and the local council both suggesting that a different access road should be included in the plans to avoid the store being cut off from the town centre.
At the end of January 2006, Tesco told the Cambridge News that, with regards to the Havershill store, "We will be investing millions, and we want to work with you to make sure that investment works for the benefit of Haverhill. A lot of people seem to be shopping elsewhere at the moment, and we think we can fill that gap and keep them in the town centre."
Snap! What did he say in St. Albans? According to the Observer :
"Tesco spokesman Michael Kissman said: "We want to have a constructive debate with local people. It's about regenerating the area and bringing business back to the area. We know that people aren't shopping in the town centre and this proposal is in line with Government policy to bring supermarkets back into town centres."
One has to wonder how Kissman came to the conclusion that people "aren't shopping in the town centre" when any local person could tell you that it's almost impossible, for all the shoppers, to easily navigate the pavements of the city centre on market day. Perhaps we are to believe that all towns, Havershill and St. Albans included, have problems - largely invisible to the naked eye of local people - drawing shoppers to their town centres? One size can, we suppose, fit all if you really try hard enough - but let's hope that approach doesn't extend as far as Tesco's ability to change their plans in light of local "consultations":
On 04 February 2007, Mr. Kissman returned to Haverhill to give a talk about Tesco's history and new improved environmental credentials, skirting local concern about the positioning of an access road and Tesco's plans to sell a significant amount of non-food items which local businesses felt threatened their livelihood. Kissman, according to the Haverhill News, "ended his presentation reaffirming how keen Tesco is to become involved with the local community and local organisations to facilitate 'working together to support Haverhill”.
Five days later, on 09 February Haverhill found out that although Tesco planners had gone as far as to consider putting the store "on stilts", changing the plans to incorporate the access road would cost Tesco, a company that made £2 billion in profits last year, too much. The local paper conveyed the disappointment of those who had "consulted" extensively with Tesco in an effort to "work together to support Haverhill":
"Proposals for an access road to the north of Tesco’s new store in Haverhill have been turned down irrevocably after months of campaigning and negotiation."
Tesco's plans for the Evershed site may very well have been "Designed for St. Albans" but their current approach to the debate their plans have stirred locally does, thus far, look pretty familar. Let's hope, for the sake of St. Albans, that the similarities end here.
We decided to investigate and it seems that Tesco spends a lot of it's time telling communities along it's development roadshow that it wants feedback directly from local people. It would appear that Tesco spends SO much time getting this particular message across that sometimes they've not had enough time left over to actually change the wording of their press releases:
In October 2006, the town of Hadleigh was told that Tesco would be holding a public consultation with the community and would hold a public exhibition to show their planned development. Tesco spokesperson Michael Kissman said in a press release that,
"By holding a consultation programme in advance of the submission of the application, we can listen to the community’s views before we finalise the plans...Individuals will have their chance to speak to us at the exhibition. But we are also particularly interested in hearing from groups that represent different aspects of community life in the Hadleigh area, groups who ordinarily would not be consulted, but nevertheless have an important contribution to make to the discussions.”
Sound familiar? It should.
Four months later, on 14 January 2007 the St. Albans Observer quoted the same Tesco spokesperson, Michael Kissman, as saying:
"By holding an extensive consultation programme in advance of the submission of the application, we can listen to the community's views before we finalise the plans...Individuals will have their chance to speak to us at the exhibition... But we are also particularly interested in hearing from groups that represent different aspects of community life in the St Albans area, groups who ordinarily would not be consulted, but nevertheless have an important contribution to make to the discussions."
SNAP!
Tesco, it would seem, has a habit of reusing the above and other messages in a number of towns and cities where it is hoping to build new stores:
In November 2006, Kissman told the people of Haverhill that Tesco wanted to ensure the future vitality of the town centre. People consulted, with local businesses and the local council both suggesting that a different access road should be included in the plans to avoid the store being cut off from the town centre.
At the end of January 2006, Tesco told the Cambridge News that, with regards to the Havershill store, "We will be investing millions, and we want to work with you to make sure that investment works for the benefit of Haverhill. A lot of people seem to be shopping elsewhere at the moment, and we think we can fill that gap and keep them in the town centre."
Snap! What did he say in St. Albans? According to the Observer :
"Tesco spokesman Michael Kissman said: "We want to have a constructive debate with local people. It's about regenerating the area and bringing business back to the area. We know that people aren't shopping in the town centre and this proposal is in line with Government policy to bring supermarkets back into town centres."
One has to wonder how Kissman came to the conclusion that people "aren't shopping in the town centre" when any local person could tell you that it's almost impossible, for all the shoppers, to easily navigate the pavements of the city centre on market day. Perhaps we are to believe that all towns, Havershill and St. Albans included, have problems - largely invisible to the naked eye of local people - drawing shoppers to their town centres? One size can, we suppose, fit all if you really try hard enough - but let's hope that approach doesn't extend as far as Tesco's ability to change their plans in light of local "consultations":
On 04 February 2007, Mr. Kissman returned to Haverhill to give a talk about Tesco's history and new improved environmental credentials, skirting local concern about the positioning of an access road and Tesco's plans to sell a significant amount of non-food items which local businesses felt threatened their livelihood. Kissman, according to the Haverhill News, "ended his presentation reaffirming how keen Tesco is to become involved with the local community and local organisations to facilitate 'working together to support Haverhill”.
Five days later, on 09 February Haverhill found out that although Tesco planners had gone as far as to consider putting the store "on stilts", changing the plans to incorporate the access road would cost Tesco, a company that made £2 billion in profits last year, too much. The local paper conveyed the disappointment of those who had "consulted" extensively with Tesco in an effort to "work together to support Haverhill":
"Proposals for an access road to the north of Tesco’s new store in Haverhill have been turned down irrevocably after months of campaigning and negotiation."
Tesco's plans for the Evershed site may very well have been "Designed for St. Albans" but their current approach to the debate their plans have stirred locally does, thus far, look pretty familar. Let's hope, for the sake of St. Albans, that the similarities end here.
Monday 5 February 2007
Your Emails: Tesco Must Now Dramatically Reassess It's Plans
In an email sent to this website earlier today, David Redcastle of Watsons Walk, St. Albans makes some good points about, and compelling arguments against, Tesco's current development proposal for St. Albans. He believes that more homes (with protection of the environment integral to their design) and local shops, some green space and maybe even a smaller Tesco Metro store, would make more appropriate use of the site. David writes:
Over the last couple of weeks Tesco has announced two major changes to its UK business strategy. One is a major commitment to improving its own environmental impact in respect of carbon emissions. The other is its entry into the house building sector. Together these surely mean that Tesco must now dramatically reassess the use of its land bank in central St Albans. This site is crying out to be developed almost entirely for housing, with some communal green space and trees, and perhaps a few small shops (including a Tesco Express) and cafes. St Albans does not need a Tesco supermarket on this site.
There are already two large supermarkets in St Albans (Sainsbury’s and Morrisons), competing with each other, and catering to the same demographic marketplace as Tesco. There are other large food retailers here too, such as Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, Budgens and Iceland. It is surely not necessary for every grocer to be represented in the City. Will the District Council in its next District Plan be identifying sites in the City to be reserved for, say, Aldi and Lidl, even though their marketplace is unrepresented, or ASDA and Somerfield? I think not.
Of course, there is also the existing historic Tesco Metro in St Peter’s Street. And, Tesco will deliver shopping ordered over the internet to homes in central St Albans. Whilst not everyone has a PC, over half of households in the country now do, with probably a higher proportion in St Albans, and the number is increasing all the time.
There are already Tesco supermarkets in Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead and central Watford. The Hatfield Tesco Extra is open 24 hours and is only six miles away. If this sounds a long way to drive, remember that it is not as far as our nearest A & E department. For those without a car, there is a half-hourly bus service with a journey time of 35 minutes. Many people in rural Britain can only dream about having a massive supermarket just six miles away. Last year posters were displayed on the hoardings by the London Road railway arches urging local residents to visit the shops of Milton Keynes! Frankly, we are already spoiled for choice in St Albans.
One of the key planning objections to a supermarket on this site is the additional traffic burden of both customer cars and delivery lorries. These days traffic is a problem everywhere, but St Albans is different from most towns in this area. We are not a planned new town like Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Harlow, Milton Keynes or Welwyn Garden City, with their dual carriageway roads and large roundabouts. Nor do we have the ring roads or urban through highways of Watford, Luton and Hertford. Our narrow roads grew up in medieval and Victorian times. We saw in December the damage a Waitrose vehicle inflicted on the wall around St Stephen’s churchyard. Being perched on a hilltop exacerbates the traffic situation, as anyone who has seen the queues climbing up Holywell Hill will surely agree.
Indeed, so bad is the traffic in the City centre even before Tesco builds a supermarket here, that I suspect many St Albans residents who want to shop at a Tesco would go elsewhere after its hypothetical construction: those in the east of the City will find it quicker to drive to Oldings Corner in Hatfield along the A1057; those in the south of the City will find it quicker to drive to central Watford via junctions 6 and 5 of the M1 and the A4008; and those in the west of the City will find it quicker to drive to Jarman Park in Hemel Hempstead along the A4147.
Another key planning objection is an environmental one about the use of land. The Tesco site is so close to the very well-served main City railway station, with its excellent onward connections at Kings Cross/St Pancras, that it would be an environmental waste of the first order not to use the site for homes for commuters who can walk to the station in a few minutes. St Albans is partly a commuter city, and it is the admirable rail service that partly makes it such a desirable place to live. Although some train services are very full at present, the promised expansion of the route through the central London bottleneck will eventually mean longer trains and a better timetable.
What this site needs is the integrated and well-designed development of a large number of small homes, some affordable by first time buyers, some available to rent by those who do not want to buy or cannot yet afford to buy, and some as social housing. Most will work in London, while others will work in St Albans given our especially low rate of unemployment. Although many City centre shops and offices are within walking distance, the nearby railway station also provides a good bus interchange.
Central government insists we have to build thousands more homes in the District; this site can make a significant contribution to that target. Otherwise, the homes will still have to be built elsewhere, mostly on green-belt land on the fringes of the City, and hence their commuting residents will drive to the railway station. Is that environmentally desirable? Hardly. It is notable that the environment has suddenly become a big issue, not only now in Tesco’s own company plans, but also in planning matters. Climate change impact was accepted as a valid planning objection for the first time in the recent decision by Uttlesford District Council concerning the expansion of Stansted Airport. A supermarket on the Evershed’s site will stop this land being utilised for its optimal environmental purpose, and hence Tesco will have permanently damaged the environment in a way that no number of Tesco lorries running on biofuels will ever fully compensate for.
There are, however, three special attributes that need to be applied to these homes.
First, these small homes should be aimed primarily at occupation by childless individuals or couples, some buying and some renting. If there are few children, this will prevent any additional pressure on overcrowded local schools in the short term.
Second, the homes should be available only to residents who undertake not to own a car. Instead, the on-site manager would supervise a shared car pool of, say, five small cars per hundred homes, which can be hired by residents by the hour or the day, for travelling to visit family and friends, or driving on UK holidays. But a car won’t be needed to get to work. This will be cheaper for the residents, both by avoiding all the fixed costs of running a car and by buying or renting a home with a smaller land footprint. It will be better for the environment generally and, in particular, it will not add to the traffic congestion of St Albans. And it means more homes can be accommodated on the site, to the benefit of the District housing targets and to maximise the profit of the developer. If the only car parking spaces required are a small number for visitors, then the considerable expense of installing underground car parking is saved.
Third, each home should have a large cupboard adjacent to its front door, accessible from the outside but protected by a security keypad, in part housing a refrigerator with a freezing compartment. This will permit Tesco to deliver internet-ordered shopping while the residents are out at work or play, if the security access code is notified with the order. (It is, of course, up to Tesco to make its offering more attractive than that from ASDA, Ocado and Sainsbury’s, who also already deliver to the door in central St Albans.) So a car won’t be necessary to do the bulk of the weekly shopping trip.
Under these circumstances, my guess is that Tesco could make more profit from developing this site for homes than as a supermarket, especially given some prospective loss of custom from its other stores in the area. House prices in St Albans are higher than anywhere else outside London, and Tesco probably acquired much of this land at prices lower than values prevailing today. Development of the whole site in an integrated way would yield big economies of scale to the developer. Tesco would get substantial short term profit from the sale of some homes, more than covering building costs, and would get an on-going revenue stream from letting other homes and small shops.
I understand the site is designated mainly for housing in the current District Plan, and that, together with the strength of local opposition, will make it hard for Tesco ever to be able to build a supermarket here. After all, the reason we have a planning system in this country is to prevent a wealthy landowner from riding roughshod over the interests of the wider community. And now we have to add the environment as a major factor in those interests, something acknowledged by Tesco itself.
Yours faithfully
DAVID REDCASTLE
Over the last couple of weeks Tesco has announced two major changes to its UK business strategy. One is a major commitment to improving its own environmental impact in respect of carbon emissions. The other is its entry into the house building sector. Together these surely mean that Tesco must now dramatically reassess the use of its land bank in central St Albans. This site is crying out to be developed almost entirely for housing, with some communal green space and trees, and perhaps a few small shops (including a Tesco Express) and cafes. St Albans does not need a Tesco supermarket on this site.
There are already two large supermarkets in St Albans (Sainsbury’s and Morrisons), competing with each other, and catering to the same demographic marketplace as Tesco. There are other large food retailers here too, such as Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, Budgens and Iceland. It is surely not necessary for every grocer to be represented in the City. Will the District Council in its next District Plan be identifying sites in the City to be reserved for, say, Aldi and Lidl, even though their marketplace is unrepresented, or ASDA and Somerfield? I think not.
Of course, there is also the existing historic Tesco Metro in St Peter’s Street. And, Tesco will deliver shopping ordered over the internet to homes in central St Albans. Whilst not everyone has a PC, over half of households in the country now do, with probably a higher proportion in St Albans, and the number is increasing all the time.
There are already Tesco supermarkets in Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead and central Watford. The Hatfield Tesco Extra is open 24 hours and is only six miles away. If this sounds a long way to drive, remember that it is not as far as our nearest A & E department. For those without a car, there is a half-hourly bus service with a journey time of 35 minutes. Many people in rural Britain can only dream about having a massive supermarket just six miles away. Last year posters were displayed on the hoardings by the London Road railway arches urging local residents to visit the shops of Milton Keynes! Frankly, we are already spoiled for choice in St Albans.
One of the key planning objections to a supermarket on this site is the additional traffic burden of both customer cars and delivery lorries. These days traffic is a problem everywhere, but St Albans is different from most towns in this area. We are not a planned new town like Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Harlow, Milton Keynes or Welwyn Garden City, with their dual carriageway roads and large roundabouts. Nor do we have the ring roads or urban through highways of Watford, Luton and Hertford. Our narrow roads grew up in medieval and Victorian times. We saw in December the damage a Waitrose vehicle inflicted on the wall around St Stephen’s churchyard. Being perched on a hilltop exacerbates the traffic situation, as anyone who has seen the queues climbing up Holywell Hill will surely agree.
Indeed, so bad is the traffic in the City centre even before Tesco builds a supermarket here, that I suspect many St Albans residents who want to shop at a Tesco would go elsewhere after its hypothetical construction: those in the east of the City will find it quicker to drive to Oldings Corner in Hatfield along the A1057; those in the south of the City will find it quicker to drive to central Watford via junctions 6 and 5 of the M1 and the A4008; and those in the west of the City will find it quicker to drive to Jarman Park in Hemel Hempstead along the A4147.
Another key planning objection is an environmental one about the use of land. The Tesco site is so close to the very well-served main City railway station, with its excellent onward connections at Kings Cross/St Pancras, that it would be an environmental waste of the first order not to use the site for homes for commuters who can walk to the station in a few minutes. St Albans is partly a commuter city, and it is the admirable rail service that partly makes it such a desirable place to live. Although some train services are very full at present, the promised expansion of the route through the central London bottleneck will eventually mean longer trains and a better timetable.
What this site needs is the integrated and well-designed development of a large number of small homes, some affordable by first time buyers, some available to rent by those who do not want to buy or cannot yet afford to buy, and some as social housing. Most will work in London, while others will work in St Albans given our especially low rate of unemployment. Although many City centre shops and offices are within walking distance, the nearby railway station also provides a good bus interchange.
Central government insists we have to build thousands more homes in the District; this site can make a significant contribution to that target. Otherwise, the homes will still have to be built elsewhere, mostly on green-belt land on the fringes of the City, and hence their commuting residents will drive to the railway station. Is that environmentally desirable? Hardly. It is notable that the environment has suddenly become a big issue, not only now in Tesco’s own company plans, but also in planning matters. Climate change impact was accepted as a valid planning objection for the first time in the recent decision by Uttlesford District Council concerning the expansion of Stansted Airport. A supermarket on the Evershed’s site will stop this land being utilised for its optimal environmental purpose, and hence Tesco will have permanently damaged the environment in a way that no number of Tesco lorries running on biofuels will ever fully compensate for.
There are, however, three special attributes that need to be applied to these homes.
First, these small homes should be aimed primarily at occupation by childless individuals or couples, some buying and some renting. If there are few children, this will prevent any additional pressure on overcrowded local schools in the short term.
Second, the homes should be available only to residents who undertake not to own a car. Instead, the on-site manager would supervise a shared car pool of, say, five small cars per hundred homes, which can be hired by residents by the hour or the day, for travelling to visit family and friends, or driving on UK holidays. But a car won’t be needed to get to work. This will be cheaper for the residents, both by avoiding all the fixed costs of running a car and by buying or renting a home with a smaller land footprint. It will be better for the environment generally and, in particular, it will not add to the traffic congestion of St Albans. And it means more homes can be accommodated on the site, to the benefit of the District housing targets and to maximise the profit of the developer. If the only car parking spaces required are a small number for visitors, then the considerable expense of installing underground car parking is saved.
Third, each home should have a large cupboard adjacent to its front door, accessible from the outside but protected by a security keypad, in part housing a refrigerator with a freezing compartment. This will permit Tesco to deliver internet-ordered shopping while the residents are out at work or play, if the security access code is notified with the order. (It is, of course, up to Tesco to make its offering more attractive than that from ASDA, Ocado and Sainsbury’s, who also already deliver to the door in central St Albans.) So a car won’t be necessary to do the bulk of the weekly shopping trip.
Under these circumstances, my guess is that Tesco could make more profit from developing this site for homes than as a supermarket, especially given some prospective loss of custom from its other stores in the area. House prices in St Albans are higher than anywhere else outside London, and Tesco probably acquired much of this land at prices lower than values prevailing today. Development of the whole site in an integrated way would yield big economies of scale to the developer. Tesco would get substantial short term profit from the sale of some homes, more than covering building costs, and would get an on-going revenue stream from letting other homes and small shops.
I understand the site is designated mainly for housing in the current District Plan, and that, together with the strength of local opposition, will make it hard for Tesco ever to be able to build a supermarket here. After all, the reason we have a planning system in this country is to prevent a wealthy landowner from riding roughshod over the interests of the wider community. And now we have to add the environment as a major factor in those interests, something acknowledged by Tesco itself.
Yours faithfully
DAVID REDCASTLE
Easier to Remember Website Addresses
Although this website will continue to be hosted at http://tescocampaign.blogspot.com you can now also get here by using one of the new, easier to remember website addresses that have been purchased by one of our supporters:
www.stoptesco.com
or
www. stoptesco.co.uk
We're also working on some badges that you can put on your own website, blog or myspace profile to link to us and show your support. We'll post those on the site as soon as they're ready.
We're also working on some badges that you can put on your own website, blog or myspace profile to link to us and show your support. We'll post those on the site as soon as they're ready.
Walking to Town: Proposed Tesco vs Existing Sainsbury
Last month, we used google maps to find out how far each of the existing grocery stores in St. Albans are from the site of the proposed Tesco.
We found 4 grocery stores within walking distance: Iceland (0.2mi), Marks & Spencer (0.5), Tesco (0.6) and Sainsbury (0.8). We also found a further two stores, Morrison (1.3mi) and Waitrose (1.8mi), an easy bus journey or car ride away.
Tesco has said that they expect shoppers at the store to do the following in two hours or less:
1. Park their car in free Tesco carpark
2. Do weekly shopping inside store
3. Put groceries into boot of car (where some of it will thaw, melt, etc)
4. Walk the half mile or more up a hill into town
5. Continue shopping, perhaps at local businesses or the market
6. Walk back to car, half a mile or more away
7. Exit car park
So is that what people will really do, or will the new Tesco act as a barrier to the shops and market in the centre of the City? We decided to do our own bit of math to see if we could shed some light on what could happen.
The current Sainsbury is located at Everard Close, St Albans AL1 2QU. This location is next to the Abbey Line station and across the road from Westminster Lodge , a local recreational facility. There are views from the car park of Sainsbury to St. Albans Abbey, views which, one would think, would encourage people to park their cars at Sainsbury and walk up the hill to town.
So how long a walk is it?
Well, it turns out that the Sainsbury is 0.7 mile from the center of St. Albans Market - that's just 0.1 of a mile further than the proposed Tesco will be.
Do people do their weekly shopping at Sainsbury, leave their cars to walk to town, complete their shopping, then walk back? Not that we've ever heard of...
We found 4 grocery stores within walking distance: Iceland (0.2mi), Marks & Spencer (0.5), Tesco (0.6) and Sainsbury (0.8). We also found a further two stores, Morrison (1.3mi) and Waitrose (1.8mi), an easy bus journey or car ride away.
Tesco has said that they expect shoppers at the store to do the following in two hours or less:
1. Park their car in free Tesco carpark
2. Do weekly shopping inside store
3. Put groceries into boot of car (where some of it will thaw, melt, etc)
4. Walk the half mile or more up a hill into town
5. Continue shopping, perhaps at local businesses or the market
6. Walk back to car, half a mile or more away
7. Exit car park
So is that what people will really do, or will the new Tesco act as a barrier to the shops and market in the centre of the City? We decided to do our own bit of math to see if we could shed some light on what could happen.
The current Sainsbury is located at Everard Close, St Albans AL1 2QU. This location is next to the Abbey Line station and across the road from Westminster Lodge , a local recreational facility. There are views from the car park of Sainsbury to St. Albans Abbey, views which, one would think, would encourage people to park their cars at Sainsbury and walk up the hill to town.
So how long a walk is it?
Well, it turns out that the Sainsbury is 0.7 mile from the center of St. Albans Market - that's just 0.1 of a mile further than the proposed Tesco will be.
Do people do their weekly shopping at Sainsbury, leave their cars to walk to town, complete their shopping, then walk back? Not that we've ever heard of...
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