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.
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Have "we the people of South Manchester and Trafford" actually been to Old Trafford shopping? Try Seymour Grove - a wonderful choice to be had at Iceland OR Aldi - or maybe for your delight you could grab a bargain in Superdrug? If not why not try one of the wonderful sandwiches from the many clutural eateries along Seymour Grove - Nedd a bite to eat for lunch? Try a sandwich there are 3 outlets to choose from so you should find something to fit your taste or budget - mind you if you actually LIVE here then don't expect to see a sandwich after 2pm! As most are closed for the days business by then. If you're still a little peckish why not try a snack on the way home from one of our 3 newsagents/corner shops - just the thing before a long wait on the tram stop after a hard days work. Out on the tiles tonight? Bingo? Toll Gate Pub? or the Throstle Nest? got those munchies? Try some take away food - hot style - food from around the world - you can choose from kebabs, burgers (yes we even have halal ones!) chinese takeaway or Italian style pizza - cooked - not quite like in Rome! but as about as cheap as one from Iceland - but cooked.No problem there about kicking out times as you can grab something to eat until at least 11pm most days - or 2am at weekends. I know it's not ALL like that what about Ayres Road? yes there are some fine (and not so fine) shops along Ayres Road - but they are very adaptable - I supose they have to be to survive the likes of Unicorn on their doorsteps! Never mind if Tesco come to town I'm sure you'll find some of their stock on Manchester Superstores shelves (and at a much better price I must add! - just like their local resopnse to Asda Hulme).
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly pro-Tesco but I'm a long way from being pro-local shops when local shops are Aldi, Iceland, Currys, Dfs, B&Q, Halfords, Harry Ramsdens, Pizza Hut, PC World - where EXACTLY do you live in Old Trafford? The Chorlton end maybe? Or the Stretford Arndale end? If Chorlton, Urmston and Sale are so worried about Old Trafford I am suggesting right now it might be good to see a local Old Trafford branch of Unicorn, Barbakan, Battery Park, Richards Cakes, Silver Sparkle, anything really to show the committment local business have to Old Trafford. Otherwise I'm not sure your arguement holds much water - not enought to sink Tesco and the jobs it will undoubtedly bring to the area (not high skilled jobs - but jobs all the same) and the benefits it will bring to Old Trafford residents who will at last be able to by pesto in a jar and have a choice of ham off the deli!
I am a local resident, and cannot wait for the new Tesco superstore to be built, as like many people who live round and about the area do not have transport,even a trip to stretford arndale with my children cost me £6.20 thats before I have even done any shopping.Although I would still use the local shops(which are few and far between,unless you are wanting a takeaway, I could not afford to do my weekly shopping there,and especialy on football match days, when the price of things are put up.I wonder if Tesco,s is not built on this land, would we get yet another empty office block, or should we just leave the land for people to walk there dogs and foul as it is now ?.So all I can say is hurry up Tesco and start building.
ReplyDeleteThis is Tescos' stratergy taken from: -- http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/community/ -- "As well as customers, we must also consider the impact of our decisions on the community, on our people, on finance and on operations. This therefore ensures that in all the decisions we make we take into account impacts on the community. ****** The Community Plan in each country is based around our community promises - actively supporting local communities; buying and selling our products responsibly; caring for the environment; giving customers healthy choices and good jobs for local people - and reflects the needs of the local communities we serve."
ReplyDeleteMay I ask Elaine and Jean, the first two bloggers, have they ever been consulted about this proposal, since they live in the "local community"? The proposal is a large project which, according to the map, includes, as a minimum the following plots of land:
Lancashire County Cricket
Trafford Council -- Town Hall
GMP -- Police
Kellogs
Trafford College
Stretford High School
Stretford Baths/Library
B&Q
Kwikfit and all the other businesses
Residential houses
and more!!!!
For the plan to get to a submission stage, all the above must have already been consulted which will include financial agreements ---- yet the community who lives here all the time -- NOTHING!!!
We in the community who live around the area have had to accept all the destruction of our communities by Manchester United and Lancs C.C.C. The destruction includes:
Noise pollution
Vehicle pollution
Human pollution -- filth, noise, oral, abuse
Crime
Children unable to play on the streets
The clubs and local authoritiy are making alot of money, yet the community PAYS higher local taxes, higher insurances etc
The local community is nearly Grid locked every time there is an event held at either ground.---- AND YOU WANT ANOTHER MAJOR RETAIL DEVELPOMENT.
For Jeans benefit, you won't even get near it on match day and the cost to get there will be about the same.
For Elaines benefit there are Tescos in Chorlton, Whalley Range, Strtford, Trafford Bar, Sale to name a few. The first two mentioned are within 500yards of my house and my mums house and neither of us or other locals were consulted on there building!
Oh and by the way, in the area, Media City will soon be opening--- WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT ALL THE TRAFFIC!!!
Victor A.
Thanks all for your interest and comments.
ReplyDelete@Elaine
The majority of people at our public meeting last night were from the Gorse Hill area. We're happy to include the views of people from further afield - after all this is set to be the biggest Tesco in the country!
Indeed many of the local shops are part of national chains. We're hoping to stop the problem getting any worse. We're hoping for a development that doesn't dissuade the sort of independents you mention from setting up in Old Trafford.
The new Mega Store may indeed bring jobs, but how many will be lost in the process?
@Jean
We're not opposing a new Tesco store - indeed they've had planning permission for a 'Tesco Metro' scale store for 6 years. We're opposing a MEGA Tesco - one that will dominate the local area and put other shops out of business.
@victor
Indeed 'consultation' doesn't really mean 'we will ask for your views and take them into consideration'. I'm reminded of Authur Dent dealing with the bulldozers directed at his house:
Mr. Prosser said, "You were quite entitled to make any suggestions or protests at the appropriate time, you know."
"Appropriate time?" hooted Arthur. "Appropriate time? The first I knew about it was when a workman arrived at my home yesterday. I asked him if he'd come to clean the windows and he said no, he'd come to demolish the house. He didn't tell me straight away of course. Oh no. First he wiped a couple of windows and charged me a fiver. Then he told me."
"But Mr. Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."
"Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."
"But the plans were on display..."
"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
"That's the display department."
"With a flashlight."
"Ah, well, the lights had probably gone."
"So had the stairs."
"But look, you found the notice, didn't you?"
"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display on the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'"
- Douglas Adams, Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
@ Victor
ReplyDeleteLike I said I'm not that big a fan of Tescos - other than I know that a Tesco 24hr superstore does not have the full range of goods that a Tesco mega store would have. Tesco 24hr stores are one of my annoyances I must admit (but that's another gripe!).
As far as consultation goes - well I'm a resigned resident of Trafford (and I'm sure you over in Manchester feel the same)to NOT being consulted on anything. The horrendous change in our recycling service being a recent prime example! I do sometimes check palnning applications but only when I see an A4 paper notice on something that I feel will directly effect me - it's not part of my daily routine!!! As I don't even get the free papers where we live (Old Trafford loosing out again) I don't even get told when things are happening - never mind consulted! (Mr Dent I'd be with you and I have a towel to hand at all times).
Yes I live close enough to MUFC and LCC to suffer from not being able to park on my road on any match or event day - noise pollution - yes, vehicle pollution - yes, human pollution - I get lots of liter dropped by humans (with goods from our local shops - mind there aren't many bins around!) but I've not seen much filth or had an excessive amount of abuse from LCC or MUFC fans. As for crime - I think local residents take care of the majority of that unfortunately - and kids playing out on the street - well one of mine managed to make £20 out of fans one afternoon!
I don't really mind about "another major retail development" but I do care about having access to the same level of shopping facilities that other people benefit from.
@ TMT it's just NC
ReplyDeleteYes it's great to have inclusion from different areas other than that on the doorstep - hear differing views etc. But it's motivation that I'm interested in. For example if all the shop keepers in Chorlton suddenly have interest in a shopping development in Old Trafford I'm sort of suspecting it may be because of the negative impact it will have on their incomes - not the impact on local residents or local shop keepers.
Mind you what do I know I'm probably a newish resident - I've only been here 9 yrs. And I might add in all that time I haven't seen the independents putting any faith into Old Trafford (other than the sandwich shop and a couple of takeaways I've mentioned previously - and I can't bare any more of them to tell the truth)I can only imagine they've already been dissuaded by something else!
Loss of jobs? I don't know about that I'm afraid - I'm not sure how many local people are emplyed by local shops. I know there's a few shops on Seymour Grove owned by people who aren't local to the area - Iceland and Aldi and Superdrug employ a lot of local people - again I'm not sure what effect a mega Tescos would have on them - I'm guessing that a mega store would employ a lot more people than Aldi/Superdrug and Iceland combined?
I seem to remember all this `opposing Tescos huge superstore' several years ago and the "locals" won - well maybe not, as it looks like they returned with a bigger idea - maybe if everyone had said yes last time?
As for local identity - come to Old Trafford the home of :- MUFC, LCC and the Trafford Centre (well it's got Trafford in it's name which makes it as good as ours) - and maybe the biggest Tescos in the country!
I live within the area highlighted on the map for redevelopment, i.e. between Warwick Road, Chester Road, GreatStone Road and Talbot Road.
ReplyDeleteContrary to Tesco's claim this area does NOT have a high concentration of residents. We are sandwiched between office blocks and sports establishments.
Nor are we in 'Old Trafford'- we are in 'Stretford'. Warwick Road forms the border between Stretford and Old Trafford so most of the redevelopment is in Stretford and Stretford already has a Tesco Supermarket.
Ten years plus ago, at a meeting with Trafford Council representatives prior to the sale of the playing field to Tesco, residents were asked to give their opinion on the future use of the field. The options being social housing, office development or Supermarket.
I do not remember exactly how the voting went but I do remember that Trafford agreed to ensure that a children's play area would be incorporated into any future development as, historically, this field had been used by local children.
The company drawing-up the 'masterplan' for Lancashire County Cricket Ground, Tesco, et al have never even heard of this agreement and no mention of the promised playing area is incorporated into their plans.
The majority of people using this Mega-Tesco will come from outside this area so how is this going to benefit the local community? If they can drive here they can drive into Trafford Park. Why not put it between the Bridgewater and the Ship Canal. Those roads are generally pretty quiet.
The Competitions Commission have advised me that their recommendations will be too late to prevent this carbuncle from being built so everybody who objects to the latest application needs to write, individually, to Trafford Council. Individual objections letters have to be listed. Please write!
I wholeheartedly support Lancashire County Cricket in their desire to improve their ground but their failure to plan for their future should not be rewarded at the expense of the local community. Why didn't they negotiate with Trafford Council years ago? Why try to force their solution to their problems onto us.
Last week I attended a meeting of local residents, hosted by L.C.C. on Talbot Road.
During the course of that meeting the request to local residents to view L.C.C's plans with an 'open mind' was made five times by their representative. The suggestion inherent in these requests to 'keep an open mind' being that we, the local residents, were unable to see the full picture and the implications for the area!
It must be possible to find a middle-way that does not allow Tesco to railroad their plans through local opposition.
I regret that even though I live in the area I knew nothing of the meeting called to oppose the new Tesco development. Hopefully your blog will allow me to keep more up-to-date.
TESCO MEGASTORE NOT PLANNED FOR 'OLD TRAFFORD'
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to put a 'banner' headline for our neighbours in Old Trafford and Chorlton.
If you would like a superstore in your area why not campaign? Stretford residents directly affected by Tesco's plans for our neigbourhood would, I'm sure, be supportive.
After all we shouldn't be greedy. Stretford is already home to Manchester United, Lancashire County Cricket Ground and, possibly, the Imperial War Museum of the North - However, I do need to check their address.
Joan - excellent advice there - yes Old Trafford shold have the Tesco Mega store. An area near the ship canal would be a brilliant solution- lots of room around Pamona(Oh yeah - but I think they are going to build a Trafford college extension somewhere there! - but a Tesco would be more useful and then the current planned Tesco site could become the college site). This would mean less angry residents and LCC and Stretford High school could get their funding too.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "them and us" Stretford, Old Trafford thing - apparently I am living in Longford & Stretford ward now - I was interested to know about the Warwick Road boundary. (My annoyance of living in Stretford is not about Stretford but about polotics, as I think issues in Old Trafford are more relevant to me than those in Stretford).