3/05/2010

Tesco getting their just desserts in Sheringham

For almost as long as I have been involved in Norfolk politics, Tesco have been trying to bully, buy, threaten and harrass their way in to the town of Sheringham. After numerous failed applications, constant "tweaking" by Tesco so as to constantly resubmit plans and wear North Norfolk's planning department down, the planning committee held their nerve and opposed Tesco's latest plans whislt accepting a rival plan from Waitrose. All I can say is good.

I have been at planning meetinga when Tesco have been there. Their arrogance is shocking. They make sweeping statements, rubbish valid data, sometimes choose choice data from those sources that they choose to rubbish at other meetings, and whilst doing this they constantly like to bandy round threats of legal action, whilst letting it be known they have the most expensive lawyers and can "break" councils.

To Tesco it appears that local planning rules and locally elected officials are secondary to their aims.

So I say well done to North Norfolk District Council for having the nerve to ignore threats and provide a new shopping experience through Waitrose which will support local businesses thus avoiding the inevitable and well recognised Tesco methods of driving local indepdent butchers, bakers, greengrocers out of business before raising prices.

17 comments:

Null said...

Thank goodness that Sheringham planning committee have turned down Tesco's application. One only has to look at Fakenham to see how the Tesco's has ripped the heart out of the town centre.

Nich Starling said...

I opposed Tesco in Fakenham, as local councillor, on traffic grounds.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately because of the nature of the planning system (i.e. local democracy can be overriden by an inspector from Bristol) the likelihood is that Tesco will appeal and win and Sheringham will end up with both a Tesco and a Waitrose.

Nich Starling said...

Sadly the planning system is heavily biased in the developers favour.

dazmando said...

In Bracknell a local Tescos agreed to not open on a sunday or too late. It was given the go ahead. Later they applied to be open late and on sundays. there were local protest, it also cost the council £40k in legal fees, they also where open during these eraly and late hours and on sundays when the case was ongoing. Tesco won the case and the council paid a price and so did the local residents who have cars parked all up the road and they themselves cant park there

Johnny Norfolk said...

I would hold on before you start crowing about this. It will go to appeal and Tesco will win. Mark my words. Something like this should go to a local referendum. The people should decide,not a London based planning inspector.

Anonymous said...

Sdaly though the Tories want to further remove the right of local councillors to make plannign applications with their stated plans to remove planning powers on new things like schools from council and hand it to central government.

Johnny Norfolk said...

The Tories want local councils to have more say not less. just wait till you see their manifesto.

Anonymous said...

Just repeatedly saying something does not make it true. The tories have already pledged to remove some planning powers away from councils. So you are wrong

Jono Read said...

Pop over to my blog to see that the council are already falling apart over this decision http://tescosheringham.blogspot.com/

Nich Starling said...

I see no evidence in your blog of the council falling apart over this.

What I do note is a very one sided view of the Tesco application and no right to post comments to your blog. That, sadly, apears to be the Tesco way.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to NN. Tesco sell rubbish food at greatly over-inflated prices. Because it all goes off within 2 days you end up having to buy everything twice.

OK at Waitrose the prices are a little higher, but you do at least get what you pay for!

Really hope this one survives an appeal - high time somebody stood up to them.

PS declaration of interest - I do not shop at either Tesco or Waitrose, because they're both stupid expensive for different reasons, and I have no brief for either.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Nich Starling said...

And to the person who sent me a personal e-mail claiming I should remove this posting because he disagreed with me, I would say it is called legitimate free speech. I am sorry you don't agree with me Mr Batchelor, but the nature of society in the UK is that we can hold different views and can write about them.

My views on Tesco are based largely on my personal experience from being a councillor in the past, not from being an outsider to the process.

To call my views "crass" are in themselves crass because you do not know the half of it.

Null said...

"And to the person who sent me a personal e-mail claiming I should remove this posting because he disagreed with me, I would say..."

It is laughable that someone should demand that a post is removed because he doesn't agree with it's content. Are you sure he is not a Cabinet minister?

Mermaid of Moorgate said...

Yeah, Tesco is doing the same in Lambeth, sneaking behind people's backs with the nuLab dominated council to tear down the Streatham Ice Rink and build a Tesco.
It's not even as if Streatham needs another super-store: within 30 seconds' walking distance either side is a giant Sainsbury's and a large Morrisons. Not to mention Iceland, Tesco Express, Co-Operative, two Lidls, a sainsbury's local (x2)... the list goes on.
Tesco - every little f***ks you over.

Andrew said...

I couldn't agree more with this blog. I have recently begun a We DON'T Want A Tesco In Sheringham Facebook group to show that even us heavily in debt students don't think we should sacrifice our town's future for the sake of a 5p tin of beans. I would be grateful if any of you would join.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=331249073573

Cheers,

Andy Lawn

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