The Consultation is On - Please Let Tesco Know What You Think Now!

Tesco announced to the local press today that it started consulting local people again about the London Road store yesterday (26th November). It has mailed 15,000 local people and businesses and updated its website www.tescostalbans.co.uk. (The website seems to be going up in parts but we assume it will be up in full today (27th November) - we're not sure at the moment if anyone has yet received a leaflet - the streets closest to the development have not!

Tesco has told the local press that consultation will end on 10th December. That gives less than 2 weeks for the people of St Albans to make their opposition to Tesco clear. To help us, please do the following....

1) Read through Tesco's site and materials and then enter your comments into the Tesco website by following this link or sending back Tesco's leaflet.

2) Please be very clear about your views on the site - don't leave Tesco any 'wriggle-room' to claim that you support the idea of a store. We suggest the following replies...

1. Do you agree or disagree with the findings of the Council's retail report that highlights the need for a new food store in St Albans - Undecided - there has been significant growth of food stores since the report that may meet needs.

2. Do you agree or disagree that this is the best available site near the town centre to meet the identified need for a food store? - Disagree - the best site would be near the police station from where people could feasibly walk into the centre.

3. The proposed store has been designed to be broadly hidden behind the houses that surround the site. Do you agree or disagree with the proposed design? - Disagree - the design is not in keeping with the surroundings and will take away green spaces entirely.

4. How beneficial do you think up to 3 hours free car parking at the store will be to:

A: Shoppers visiting London Road retailers - Not beneficial - as the stores will be badly affected by competition and may close

B: Shoppers visiting any St Albans shops - Not beneficial - noone is going to walk up London Road into town, and St Albans shops will be badly affected by loss of business, reducing consumer choice.

5. Do you agree or disagree that the proposed measures to aid traffic flow on London Road are appropriate - Disagree - there is no attempt to improve poor public transport and the sheer volume of additional traffic will gridlock the area at key times during the week, especially Saturdays.

Further comments:

You may wish to suggest there are better alternative uses such as housing or a school; complain about Tesco's allowing buildings in the area to become derelict; point out the huge local opposition; or mention the increase in pollution the store will bring.

3) Let us know your views by emailing tescocampaign@yahoo.co.uk or sending us a copy of your leaflet to 39 Alma Road, St Albans. Please let us know immediately of any feedback you get from Tesco, or if there are 'problems' with their website (during the last consultation exercise the website was repeatedly out of action).

4) Let others know of the importance of opposing Tesco - the company has chosen to mail 15,000 people presumably in the hope of getting a low turn-out.

5) Let us know by email if you can help us in other ways - especially if you'd be prepared to deliver leaflets to your local area.

6) Watch this space for updates!

PS - here are two photos of Tesco's new plans.... what seems to be missing is the traffic jams and associated pollution! There's also no view from Bedford Road - what will these residents see? And there's no accompanying image of the green belt housing that will be needed if this key site in walking distance of the Thameslink station is lost to a supermarket!