Your Views on the Tesco Plan

Last week, local papers carried a number of letters about Tesco's plan for St. Albans and the St. Albans Observer kicked off a "Save Our Shops" campaign with an online discussion that brought out many in opposition to Tesco's plan, including a market trader.

David Parry of Park Street, St. Albans questions whether it's reasonable to have a planning rule that stops our elected politicians from commenting publicly on the Tesco plan. He writes:

"St Albans is currently besieged by major and controversial planning applications - Tesco, the cinema, Luton Airport and the recently-determined rail freight (sorry, road freight) depot - yet the Government's rules prevent the very people we elect giving us their views right up until the decision is made.... as they stand the rules would even prevent someone who is speaking out now against Tesco voting on the issue if they stood and got elected at the May elections - assuming the final decision was made after May."

Ian Langford, of Orient Close, St. Albans wrote the Herts Ad to ask:

"Does St Albans really need a 55,000 square foot Tesco? We already have a 45,000 square foot Sainsbury - yes, the proposed Tesco will be 22 per cent larger than Sainsbury in Everard Close - a 37,000 square foot Morrisons, a 22,000 square foot Waitrose and another 20,000 square feet from Iceland, Marks & Spencer (food only) and Tesco Metro combined. That's a total of 123,000 square feet of supermarket retail space, excluding the large Sainsbury a couple of miles down the road at London Colney. Does St Albans really need the 45 per cent increase in supermarket provision that a 55,000 square foot Tesco would give?

Matt Phillips of Inkerman Road wrote the Herts Ad to query Tesco's claim that "50 percent" support their plan:

"As an Inkerman Road, St Albans, resident, the current view from my bedroom window is that of a detatched period house at the end of a pleasant cul-de-sac in a Conservation Area. Under Tesco's current proposed plans, that would be replaced by the second tier of the new Tesco's car park. I'm rather fond of the privacy, community and lack of pollution we have here, so clearly I am not in favour of the development.

But what stuck me was Tesco's remarkable claim that 50 per cent of residents consulted are in favour (Herts Advertiser, February 15).

I for one have not met one resident who wants this store. So presumably when Tesco's come round to officially submit their planning application they will also submit clear evidence and proof that half of St Albans residents are in in favour as they say?"

The St. Albans Observer last week launched it's own "Save Our Shops" campaign, kicking it off with an article and online discussion where many weighed in with their opposition to Tesco's plans.

Market trader Julie Crumpton says:

"I live and run my business in St Albans. I trade on St Albans market and have done for the last 3 years. From a business point of view the town centre has been suffering for a long time... shops have closed down, traders on the market have left and small independent traders who add character to the town have had to leave, yet the rents have gone up the parking fees have risen St Albans town centre is slowly disappearing... If the new tesco site goes ahead it will strangle independent traders especially as tesco's nowadays don't just sell food you can buy clothes, stationery, electrical products, flowers and the list goes on the shoppers won't need to go into town if they can buy everything under one roof not to mention the roads will not be able to handle the volume of traffic it would create. It will just be another blow to St Albans."

Graham Ward said:

"...With fewer specialist shops, there is little to attract a shopper to St Albans that they cannot find better in London Colney or Watford. A Tesco superstore would simply add to congestion, and take further trade away from the Hight Street."

Tony and Barbary Billings write:

"It seems fairly obvious that St Albans, having come under prolonged and sustained roadworks in its city centre for two years, Herts Highways must take a very large proportion of the blame. The latest signs "shops open and business as usual" comes far too late to save many traditional and family-owned businesses. As a result St Albans will have an added-on "Anytown" image and the (probable) inevitability of Tesco coming here will provide the final nail in our coffin."

[Please Note: The above have been quoted to make them available to a wider audience. No permission has been requested or granted by the authors of the above who may or may not support our campaign.]