Tesco / ASDA !!!

[Marple Business Forum]

One of the lovely and unique things about Marple is the variety of small local shops. and although I do the bulk of my shopping in Sainsburys, I visit the local butchers, fishman and greengrocers weekly, as well as the deli for special cheeses, gifts etc. The quality of meat and fresh veg is a million times better than from supermarkets.

Couldn't agree more.  The quality of produce from your local independents is far better than that usually found in the supermarkets.

[Marple Business Forum]

If Tesco is pure speculation ( which I very much hope it is ) why have Littlewoods Butchers started a petition in opposition    I do not go to Littlewoods as I am a veggie, does anyone know where they gained their information from?

It is our understanding that the petiition in Littlewoods Butchers was placed there by one of their customers - it is not being run or managed by Littlewoods themselves.

[rsh]

Tescos wouldn't bring any more traffic - the same number of people will do the same amount of shopping ... they just won't have to drive into Stockport or Hazel Grove to do it. I can't imagine many people from outside deliberately driving into Marple because a new supermarket has opened there. Nor can I imagine any decent small shop in the centre of Marple suffering: the supermarkets simply don't sell the same things.

Agreed with that. It's strange that a village the size of Marple has had that single Co-op for so long. While I'd hate us to be overrun with chains like Hazel Grove, it probably ends up being to the detriment of Marple and its local shops that so many people end up driving out of the town to do their shopping.

Having said that, because the land is raised from the road anything built there would really dominate the environment. One of Tesco's standard white boxes (like at Whaley Bridge, about the size I presume they'd want for Marple) would look absolutely terrible, for example. Hopefully if any of this is true, people wouldn't waste too much energy on an outright "no" (which might get overturned) but push 'em to design something with at least an ounce of building quality...

[amazon]

All planning applications succeed eventually. Planning is exactly like playing poker. Only when you give up do you fail.

While I appreciate his candid opinion on the proposal, it's heartening to see the Poynton folk weren't quite so defeatist as the councillor.  Local folk should be entitled to a say in their environment and the success or failure of a development shouldn't just come down to who has the fat wallet.

After they won their battle with Tesco, their campaign website was taken down, but it's still possible to view a copy of it via archive.org here.

Dont they now have a lagest waitrose now in Poynton .

[Barbara]

Well said moorendman!  We all shop in the big supermarkets from time to time - but the Co-op is not at all bad, and often has offers to rival the others.  Plus free delivery, and local staff that you get to know over time.  I shall be very interested to eventually find out what is the actual truth, rather than all these rumours!!

[Miss Marple]

If Tesco is pure speculation ( which I very much hope it is ) why have Littlewoods Butchers started a petition in opposition    I do not go to Littlewoods as I am a veggie, does anyone know where they gained their information from?   I am still awaiting replies from councillors, planning and our MP but to date the only person who has had the decency to reply is Andrew Bispham.   Would it not  seem more environmentally friendly to address the failings of the Co op by speaking or complaining about their poor stock and second rate veg ? Than to have huge lorries transporting goods into Marple which are already in abundance in other small local shops.    I sometimes think the worlds gone mad because on one hand we are recycling like crazy to protect the environment and then we fail to consider the effects to the place we live in by allowing unnecessary developments such as allowing a multi billion land grabbing company like Tesco to bully their way in.
What I also dont understand is if the population is growing and more housing is required why do we not require schools and colleges in Marple !  Oh I have got it now !!!  We close the schools and college, build more houses and a new supermarket !  Then have to take our children to an out of area school by car ?  THATS WHY I AM NOT IN POWER I CAN NOT THINK LOGICALLY !  SHAME 

[chicken lady]

I agree Moorendman, a tesco (or any other large supermarket) will undoubtedly impact on local traders, and on the traffic.
In my humble opinion, Marple is getting too big, and has lost the "village" feel that it had when I moved here 22 years ago. One of the lovely and unique things about Marple is the variety of small local shops, and although I do the bulk of my shopping in Sainsburys, I visit the local butchers, fishman and greengrocers weekly, as well as the deli for special cheeses, gifts etc. The quality of meat and fresh veg is a million times better than from supermarkets.
And I use the co-op for extras at least weekly, ok so it's not huge, but it stocks the basics and I have never found the staff to be any worse than in any supermarket.
Just my opinion though

[Harry]

there's a lot of guessing going on in this thread

There certainly is. I have no idea why people are saying 'Tesco'. That is pure speculation. There are quite a number of possible options.

Some people seem to think that our college is not in a similar position to others. It may not be in as much debt, but it will be in debt.

See http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/news/s/1423020_100-workers-face-the-axe-as-stockport-college-faces-5m-debt-crisis

[moorendman]

Anyone who believes that a Tesco would not impact on our local shops is kidding themselves. Most people who shop locally also make  a weekly trip to another out of Marple Supermarket. But although there is a strong desire in many cases to use local shops, a Tesco in Marple would suckup some of that local shop income. The two delis would undoubtedly suffer, at least one more baker would close, the butchers would suffer, the fish van would probably stop coming twice a week, the bookshop would lose trade and so on.

Traffic would increase in Marple as people from High Lane, Disley, hayfield and New Mills would all have an alternative to the Tesco's at Glossop or Whaley Bridge. What is the problem with the Coop? Whilst they dont always have the range of the largest Tesco's their prices are not unreasonable and are probably a saving taking into account petrol costs. I personally have never had a problem with any staff in the Coop and actually recognise many of them. My wife and I shop at Tesco's on a regular basis but also try to spend locally as we recognise that a balanced society needs its local shops too. If everyone in Marple and the surrounding areas made a conscious effort to spend £5 or£10 a week locally then local businesses would thrive.

[Tricky]

there's a lot of guessing going on in this thread

 

[Victor M]

The land is already designated as housing, it would generate a considerable amount of money for the college to continue to operate on 2 sites (Marple & Cheadle). At the end of the day the land originally belonged to the people of Marple, do you not think that the college has got a moral obligation to make sure that any land they dispose of does not destroy Marple?
Also Tesco would want more than 600 car journeys a day to make the site viable, more like 9000 a day.

[Harry]

Not if they sell the land for a housing development, OK will cause an increase to the local traffic but it is the lesser of the two evils.

Wrong.  A housing development would not realise anything like the return that a supermarket would. That is why they want to sell it to a supermarket.

We are already going to have more traffic when the development on the Klondike site is finished. I understand that is about 99 homes, so probably about 200 cars trying to get out of Marple in the morning and back in the afternoon.

If the Hibbert Lane site was sold for housing I should think they could squeeze something like 300 hutches\\\\\\ houses on there. That would be another 600 cars. All trying to get out and back at the same times.

At least a supermarket spreads the traffic throughout the day. And some of us would walk there instead of driving to Bredbury or Hazel Grove.

[Victor M]

Not if they sell the land for a housing development, OK will cause an increase to the local traffic but it is the lesser of the two evils.

[Harry]

Re the posts from hollins and marplex:

Good points, well made. I'm in full agreement with you both.

[Harry]

1  By going to the local shops in keeps Gregg's etc in business, without the student income they would close.

If the college can't sell the land to build a supermarket then the college could close. You have a self defeating argument.