Well said Howard. If we can't have reasoned debate where would we be?
On a different note, I find the comments of one of the ex-governors intriguing. He wants to see affordable housing on the site, and notes that one of his main objections to a supermarket is traffic. Let's be honest here, Marple's congestion problems are almost exclusively peak hour based, so another wodge of housing would only exacerbate those issues, as the new residents sought to travel in and out of Marple for work.
I really don't see a new Supermarket on Hibbert Lane having any discernible impact on this main traffic congestion during these peak times. It's very unlikely that people will choose to specifically travel into Marple to do there shopping at these times. To get a little bit technical here, studies have demonstrated that new Supermarkets actually don't create very much 'new' traffic at all, but most movements are either
1. 'pass by' trips - I.e. You were going padt the store and dropped in
2. 'diverted trips' - I.e. You were travelling close to the store and decided to drop in
3. 'transfer trips' - I.e. You now choose to shop in the new store rather than your previous shop (rather pertinent to Marple, where I suspect that most supermarket users currently travel out of the town)
4 'linked trips' I.e part of a chain, of other local trips
I'm sure the supermarket operator will run the argument that there is a good chance that the 'net balance' in traffic is unlikely to have a minimal impact on traffic flows in Marple as a whole. I think this argument has merit.
Of course the real crux of the traffic matter comes down to the Stockport road lights by travis perkins and church lane mini. I have no don't that work will need to be done here and my suspicion is that some propert purchase would be necessary to improve matters. This could be very interesting to see what transpires given that Smbc are so opposed.
In many respects the local traffic issues at the lights and the mini would be shared by the so called alternative site on the sorting office car park. It has to be said that this alternative is not at all attractive in traffic terms, given it's restricted access and the potential for knock on parking issues. In my view this could end up being the crux of the fight. I'm sure that the supermarket lot will be able to demonstrate a need for a new store, to me that is self evident, it may all come down to whether a realistic alternative exists. I remain unconvinced by the sorting office site and if an inspector was too, this could potentially lead him to have much more sympathy for retail development at Hibbert Lane. If I was MIA the potential for feasible alternatives is where I would be directing attention, if there are other options in the sequential test, Hibbert Lane may suddenly appear far more attractive in planning terms.
