Public Meeting

Last night (28th September) around 90 local people attended a public meeting to begin a new campaign to oppose plans to build a 140,000 square foot Tesco on Chester Road in Gorse Hill.

The majority of people at the meeting were local residents from Gorse Hill, Stretford, and Old Trafford with a handful of people coming from Chorlton and further afield. The meeting started with visitors from Kirby who told the meeting about their fight to stop a similar scheme in their area. Kirby residents campaigned for 18 months against plans for a large Tesco superstore linked to a new stadium for Everton football club, providing the meeting with a taste of what we may have to deal with ourselves. In our circumstance there is also a linked development, with a new cricket ground being tied to a Mega Tesco.

The meeting went on to air the concerns of local traders, both in the immediate vicinity of the proposed site and from other shopping areas, such as Ayers Road and Chorlton, both of which are easily within the catchment area - i.e. anyone living or working within a 10 minute drive of the site. Local traders are already considering selling up, such is their concern about the impact such a massive store would have on their trade.

The overwhelming feeling at the meeting was that the needs of local residents are not being considered; if they were then a store would have been built meeting planning consent obtained in 2004. Many local people want to see a supermarket built on the site, which has become an eyesore since the land was purchased by Tesco. What is also clear is that the scale of this new proposal is wrong and would have a negative impact on the area, threatening other shopping centres and drastically increasing traffic congestion with a supermarket of this size located between two international sporting venues. Residents fear a scenario where 'every day will be a match day'.

There was much discussion about the change in Trafford Council's position on the store - as they had opposed Tesco's application to expand the size of the store, a decision that was then upheld by the Planning Inspectorate at a public inquiry. People were not happy that despite the most recent ambitions to build an even bigger store the Council appear to have changed their position and support the development of a mega Tesco. All the local and national planning tests that were not met in 2006 (when the appeal for a larger 88,098 square foot was refused) still apply, yet now the Council appear to be in favour of it.

The link between the re-development of the Cricket Club and the supermarket was discussed at length, with people suggesting that other sources of finance should be investigated; other cricket grounds have been re-developed without requiring a mega Tesco as part of the deal.

Local councillors informed the meeting that a planning application for the store is expected next week. Once this is submitted there is a limited time frame for local people to object, and the group scheduled another meeting on 5th October to discuss what to do next.

Details of next meeting: Gorse Hill United Church, Wesley Street, Off Chester Road M32 0GL, 5th October at 7.30 pm

The Mega Tesco - It's Just Not Cricket

The list below raises some of the concerns we have with the development proposals for Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

1. Tesco already have permission for a store on the Chester Road site (adjacent to the Stretford Leisure Centre) for a 48,000 square feet store. This is bigger than the new Sainsbury’s store in Urmston Town Centre and this can go ahead irrespective of the current proposal
2. Tesco have already failed in a bid an extension to the Chester Road store which would have increased its size to nearly 90,000 square feet. This was refused by the Council and an appeal by Tesco against this refusal was dismissed by a government inspector only a couple of years ago – chiefly because of concern over its effects on nearby shopping centres.
3. The current proposal would result in a store of 140,000 square feet. This proposal goes against policies designed to protect existing shopping centres in the Council’s Development Plan and against proposed policies relating to town centres in the Council’s emerging Core Strategy document which will eventually supersede the existing Unitary Development Plan. It also goes against national planning policy guidance, which aims to protect and strengthen existing centres.
4. The proposal, because of its scale and because it would sell non-food as well as food items, would undoubtedly have a seriously harmful effect on local shops in Gorse Hill, Old Trafford, and Firswood, as well as the shopping centres in Stretford, Urmston and Chorlton (and possibly even Sale). The planning inspector at the recent appeal did not accept Tesco’s claims that it would have no harmful effect on existing shops and shopping centres, and common sense would back his views up.
5. A shop of this size would have significant implications for traffic along Chester Road and surrounding roads, as well as the probability of large lorries loading and unloading at all times of day and night.
6. There is a proposal by the government to introduce new guidelines relating to assessing the need for and implications of large new out-of-town shopping facilities. If Tesco can get their proposal dealt with before this is formally introduced, it would undoubtedly assist them in avoiding a full assessment of how their store would impact on the area.
7. The argument for the Tesco store is that, without finance from Tesco the proposed development of Lancashire County Cricket Ground could not go ahead. In effect the planning arguments against the proposal could be “outweighed” by the desirability of improving the Old Trafford Cricket Ground. This is effectively “buying” a planning permission for a massive development which in every other respect could be disastrous for the local community.
8. Remember, there is already a permission for a very large Tesco store - a Tesco store WILL be developed on Chester Road. The question is – do we want a store 3 x the size (one of the biggest in the country), with the disruption it will cause to local shops and local communities.
9. Tesco make great play of the number of jobs they will create in the new store. They do not make mention of the jobs lost when existing shops close down.
10. Even if it is felt that it would be good for Trafford to have a test match standard cricket ground again, how do we know that this is only possible through the financial support of Tesco? Why does the store have to be so big? What other forms of financing have been investigated? Note that other Cricket Grounds have achieved the standards necessary for international status without selling their soul to Tesco.:
    • Headingly, Leeds has funded improvements through money from the Regional Development Agency and through partnership with Leeds Metropoitan University that will result in direct benefits to the local community
    • Sophia Gardens, Cardiff has funded improvements through Council loans (which presumably it will pay back)
    • The Rosebowl, Southampton was funded partly by the Lottery fund. It went through traumas during the development, but it is completed and has hosted international test-match cricket.
    • Bristol Cricket Ground hosts one-day internationals with no significant improvements required.
11. So, even if Old Trafford achieves international test-match status again, there is competition and no guarantee that test matches will be held every year - whilst limited-over one-day internationals can be held here anyway. So does the possibility of 5 days of international cricket once every now and again warrant sacrificing the local shops and facilities in Stretford, Gorse Hill, Old Trafford, Urmston, Chorlton and Sale to the steamroller of Tesco?
12. The application for the proposed Tesco mega-store has not yet been submitted. It is expected this month. Once submitted, it will be advertised in a local paper and by a site notice outside the site. There will then be 21 days in which to submit comments or objections tot eh Council. It is important that everyone who is concerned about the possible impact of the proposal writes in to the Council. Individual letters are better than petitions. Sample letters can be provided. Public meetings will be arranged to allow for information to be passed on and discussions held.

Campaign Launched

We, the residents of Trafford and South Manchester, are concerned about the development of Old Trafford's Cricket Ground. We're worried about the impact that a Mega Tesco (seemingly the largest ever) may have on our area.
A large Tesco will be built on the site. Permission has already been given for a store plenty big enough to serve the needs of local people living in the vicinity. Why should we sacrifice our existing shops and shopping centres, not to mention our local identity, just so that Tesco can take over as sole provider of goods in the area. Once we have lost our existing local shops, we are subject to the monopoly of Tesco.
Here is a map of the site: