New Tesco in Calow

[Scimitar]

Just been to local shop and got presented with a petition to sign against the new proposed Tesco Express where the Somerset House Pub is.
I guess it was only a matter of time.....
Feel sorry for the local shops who will undoubtedly suffer - businesses that have been established many years which could quite literally face ruin overnight.
OK, theres 20 jobs up for grabs, but as many people could lose there jobs from existing shops.
Are Tesco as rampant all over the UK, or is it just Chesterfield?

[therealjr]

I'm surprised they are going for the Somerset site given the opposition they have faced over the Crispin. Would have thought it far easier for them to take over the CMC site.

[Scimitar]

Cant understand it - the pub has recently got new owners and seemed to be doing very well. Meal times particularly.
They must have had an offer they can't refuse - or is it possible that some subterfuge has gone on here?

[Old Cruser]

The Tesco, Pets at Home and Discount uk have killed the main street in Clay Cross. Shame on the council for taking the bread and butter from businesses that have been their a long time.
Doubt a petition will make any difference.

[Scimitar]

Can the council stop them though?

[Old Cruser]

Don't the council have a say in who can go where I thought they did?

[therealjr]

To a degree yes but not totally.
What you have to remember is that a Planning committee is effectively a court of law and as such the planning application is treated in the same way as a defendant in a trial ie innocent until proven guilty. In other words you have to pass a planning application unless you can find specific grounds under planning law to refuse.
So if Tesco were to apply to build another supermarket lets say for the sake of argument on the site of the AGD the council can't simply turned round and say No we really don't want another Tesco. They can say that building a supermarket there would cause chaos on the roundabout or perhaps that building it there would be to the detriment of the post office buildings or some such but no just a flat no.
Now in the case of turning ex pubs in Tesco Express outlets the council have even less power. The building is already classed as being a retail outlet all be it of a certain type. Tesco merely apply to change it from class A4 (drinking establishments) to A1 (Shops) and the council is powerless.
In the case of the Crispin it's not this swap that has been turned down (because as I say the council can't do that) it's the various planning applications that Tesco have put in to change some of the layout, access routes etc.
The councillors themselves also have to be very careful about what they say and do re planning applications. Let's assume for a minute that Slacker was on the planning committee. If a planning application for ANYTHING was submitted and someone at his community forum raised it and wanted it debated Slacker would immediately have to excuse himself from the meeting. If he stayed in the meeting or worse still actually took part in the debate he would disqualify himself from being able to take part in discussions or votes when the application reached committee. Also quite often in the case of major planning applications the planning officers will arrange a site visit on the day of the planning committee meeting so that the councillors can be made aware of the site of applications and the proposal. If Slacker doesn't turn up to the site visit he's not allowed to contribute to the debate or take part in the vote when the application is discussed in committee.
Finally I go back to my court analogy. If the application is found innocent i.e. passed then that is the end of the matter for anyone who might have objected to the application. But if the application is found guilty ie refused then the applicant has the same rights as in any other court to appeal the decision right up to effectively Government level and the Planning Inspectorate. I was involved in an application on Chatsworth road that various residents, councillors and the community forum all opposed. The applicant was turned down 3 times and eventually it found its way to a public enquiry where it was passed. That was the end of the line for the objectors, they had no right of appeal anywhere.

[Scimitar]

Thanks JR - very informative.
I wonder if they will consider the possible impact on Emergency Vehicles to & from the Hospital, on what is already a very busy road specially rush hour. I'm sure they will, but again, it may not be enough.

[Slacker]

Thankfully I am not on planning, too many daytime meetings.

CMC site would have been better but bureaucratically life is easier for Tesco if they take over a pub with a current licence.

[Scimitar]

Seems like a petition is virtually pointless IMHO

[therealjr]

I'd agree. As the Crispen is proving it IS possible to delay the process but not stop it completely. The only thing objectors can hope to achieve is to delay the process so long that T**** seek alternatives

[Scimitar]

Is there not a monopolies commission anymore to stop this type of overwhelming spread of Tescoland?
My employers (Stag@@ach) can't muscle in on someone else's territory without an investigation (allegedly) otherwise they would have obliterated every other bus operator in the land (or tried to).so they are regulated in some way, unlike Tesco which is buying every pub it can find to sell its stuff.
I may be sounding thick here, but i think we also need a monopolies commission to regulate on major retailers like Tesco taking over village shops, and driving the small shop owner out of business.
Conversley, and I'm not racist, how long before most locally run shops by foreign nationals go bust.
Go back to India/ Pakistan. Not likely, because they've lived here for long enough to claim from our benefits system, and quite rightly will do so.
By the way, hypocrite that I am, I will shop there. I will most unlikely have a choice not to.
Cant wait to see the articulated lorry trying to reverse in to the former somerset House car park to deliver its goods whilst the ambulance on the way to the hospital trying to save the life of a critically ill patient whose life is on the line....
Doesn't bear thinking about does it :!
 

[jake]

Why does everyone seem to hate Tesco more than ASDA or Sainsburys?
It seems a good idea to have a new store in Calow,whats wrong with a bit of competion?
Is it even definite that they are even going to open?

[Old Cruser]

Hi Jake and welcome to the forum 
I am a bit fed up of Tesco's - even though I shop there  because they seem to be everywhere taking over any  place they can get.
Have been shopping with them for many years more because of the choices they have which suit my shopping trolley.
However I have seen quite an increase in their prices over the years maybe more so than others - but maybe someone else will come along and and say different on that one.
I take it you shop at Tesco's then? and I suppose people in Calow may welcome them as not as far to travel for their shopping

[Pete]

Cross posting, but going to say it anyway.

>>... whats wrong with a bit of competition?

Nothing at all, but at the rate they are opening up stores and driving other stores out of business, we could be left in a situation where Tesco has no competition hardly and then start to increase their prices.

Point being that competition can lead to no competition - a dangerous situation for the ordinary person. We've got enough companies, like the energy suppliers for instance, that can raise prices without any thought to the quality of folks' lives, with politicians doing very little for people and a lot for big business - and we've seen enough of what happens when big business gets itself into trouble - it's us that bail them out to the tune of billions.

Oh, and welcome to the forums, jake.