would you use Tesco / ASDA or any other supermarket if it came to marple .

[Dave]

You are pretty much undoing your argument that Marple needs a large supermarket. Already you acknowledge there is competition in price & quality within the town. That competition is within walking distance of the 3 car parks. I'd suggest all is needed is the parking meters to be removed and there is no need at all for a Tesco/sainsbury/Asda/Morereasons

I take your point Duke, but if that were really the case, why do so few people come here to shop, and why do so many Marple residents drive out of Marple to do our weekly shopping?  Your implication is that if there were free parking in Marple, people would flock here to shop - nice idea, but I don't believe it!  Whether we like it or not, the big supermarket chains are successful because they provide what people want. 

The Market street area will become like Edgeley, new mills etc. with a lot of empty shops or temporary leases.

That's an interesting observation, but I think it supports my view rather than yours.  Edgeley and New Mills are indeed run down, but that's not because they've got a supermarket nearby;  on the contrary, they haven't got a supermarket nearby, and that's at the root of their problems. 

[Duke Fame]

If everyone was inclined to act as you believe they will act, they will look in the Co-op, buy the basics, cross the road to the bakery and then if they want some cheap deals, walk up to Iceland & the pound plus.

Funnily enough, that's more or less what I already do myself, except I tend to walk past Iceland and go to John Neal's greengrocer's. 
[/quote]

I do walk from almost exactly the distance of the Tesco site into the town but i will at times take the car if I'm going to have bags / lazy. I suspect you & I are the exception. People even drive their kids to school now, we are not the most obese nation in Europe for nothing.

You are pretty much undoing your argument that Marple needs a large supermarket. Already you acknowledge there is competition in price & quality within the town. That competition is within walking distance of the 3 car parks. I'd suggest all is needed is the parking meters to be removed and there is no need at all for a Tesco/sainsbury/Asda/Morereasons

[Dave]

do you live on. The main route to the college or in the immediate vicinity ?   

No, and as I have said elsewhere, I agree that potential traffic congestion is an issue of real concern.

If everyone was inclined to act as you believe they will act, they will look in the Co-op, buy the basics, cross the road to the bakery and then if they want some cheap deals, walk up to Iceland & the pound plus.

Funnily enough, that's more or less what I already do myself, except I tend to walk past Iceland and go to John Neal's greengrocer's. 

[Duke Fame]

I honestly believe that if we get this right, it could turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to Marple.  We've got lots of excellent local shops - I won't make a list of examples because I'm bound to forget one or two and inadvertently offend someone.  But we all know which they are.  What they need most is more business, which means attracting more people to shop in Marple, both from the surrounding area and from within Marple itself.  Let's be confident and believe in our local shops - they are really good, and when more people discover that, they will want to come and shop here, instead of going to Stockport, Hazel Grove, Glossop etc.  

How to do that?  Attract what developers call an 'anchor tenant' - a major store with a national profile which will draw new shoppers into the town.  A supermarket could fulfill this function.  People would drive here, park, do their weekly shop, then have a stroll down Market Street, have a coffee, discover some of our other excellent shops, maybe have a walk along the canal, and than a drink and/or a meal at one of our excellent pubs, cafes and wine bars.

There is a principal (there especially for you Dave ;-)) of the anchor tenant attracting other retail establishments but the idea is that the anchor is central to the development whilst all the shops feed off. THis is what the Metro Centre & the likes did in securing the big M&S's & debenhams fbefore attracting all the other retailers.  The Hibbert lane site is not central and people are very lazy, they will not walk to the town from a supermarket on Hibbert lane they will see it as 200 yds too far.  I’ve seen people shop in Morrisons and drive to Homebase, they will not walk around Marple.
If everyone was inclined to act as you believe they will act, they will look in the Co-op, buy the basics, cross the road to the bakery and then if they want some cheap deals, walk up to Iceland & the pound plus.
The Market street area will become like Edgeley, new mills etc. with a lot of empty shops or temporary leases

[Miss Marple]

Dave can I. Just ask will the additional traffic and noise cause you problems IE do you live on. The main route to the college or in the immediate vicinity ?   

[Dave]

I honestly believe that if we get this right, it could turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to Marple.  We've got lots of excellent local shops - I won't make a list of examples because I'm bound to forget one or two and inadvertently offend someone.  But we all know which they are.  What they need most is more business, which means attracting more people to shop in Marple, both from the surrounding area and from within Marple itself.  Let's be confident and believe in our local shops - they are really good, and when more people discover that, they will want to come and shop here, instead of going to Stockport, Hazel Grove, Glossop etc.   

How to do that?  Attract what developers call an 'anchor tenant' - a major store with a national profile which will draw new shoppers into the town.  A supermarket could fulfill this function.  People would drive here, park, do their weekly shop, then have a stroll down Market Street, have a coffee, discover some of our other excellent shops, maybe have a walk along the canal, and than a drink and/or a meal at one of our excellent pubs, cafes and wine bars.

[amazon]

I would use another store if it was not on the Hibbert Lane Site.  Hey has  anyone  bothered to ask the large cluster of elderly people who will be most effected by the development due to living at the side and across the road from it.  Oops!  most of them havent got acsess to the internet, blimey most don't own a car either to get to the meeting. Strange old world that the people who it will directly affect are the ones least likely to have a voice.  I don't live as near to the development as they do !  Do you   

A Tesco would be ide ;)al for them just bob across the road .

[Catwoman]

Here, here Miss Marple

[Miss Marple]

I would use another store if it was not on the Hibbert Lane Site.  Hey has  anyone  bothered to ask the large cluster of elderly people who will be most effected by the development due to living at the side and across the road from it.  Oops!  most of them havent got acsess to the internet, blimey most don't own a car either to get to the meeting. Strange old world that the people who it will directly affect are the ones least likely to have a voice.  I don't live as near to the development as they do !  Do you   

[Catwoman]

Hibbert Lane is too far to walk into Marple, and there is nothing interesting along the way, no other shops, so I can't see many if any people shopping at a supermarket there bothering to go into Marple.

So I think it would have an effect on other shops in Marple. If footfall along Market Street, the Hollins etc declines, its bound to have a knock-on effect.

I know most people think that only shops that are directly in competition with supermarkets suffer, and they do initially, but if shoppers get used to not visiting Marple centre because they are drawn to Hibbert Lane, then eventually all shops will suffer, niche or otherwise.

If we need another supermarket in Marple, then it should be located in the centre, where it would be an additional attraction for shoppers and within easy distance of the existing local shops. Hibbert Lane is the wrong place to put a supermarket.

I know this doesn't solve the problem for the College, but what's wrong with building some housing there?
 

[amazon]

I'm willing to bet that some posters who swear they would never shop there on principle (or in Duke's case, on principal) would eventually do so, occasionally at least.  There are times when you need to buy stuff and you simply haven't got time to drive further away. 

I think this is a really interesting and complex issue, and the more I think about it the more uncertain I become as to what the best outcome might be.

On the one hand, there are clear benefits to the community if the college sells the site for a supermarket:

1.  The college gets a shiny new building, purpose built and energy-efficient.  That is a major boost for the quality of educational facilities for our children and grandchildren.
2.   There is an unhealthy monopoly of supermarket provision in Marple.  The Co-op has two, and apart from Iceland, that's all there is.  This scheme would provide some much-needed competition. 
3.   Many local residents drive to supermarkets outside Marple to shop, causing traffic congestion elsewhere, and environmental pollution.  A supermarket in Hibbert Lane would be within walking distance, or a very short drive or bus ride, for most of us.   

And on the other hand, there is one clear disadvantage: an increase in traffic congestion within Marple, and especially around the Hibbert lane/Church Lane and Hibbert Lane/Stockport Road junctions, which are already clogged up at times.  Also on Marple Ridge and Windlehurst Road, as people from Disley and High Lane drive to shop here. These are both narrow and winding lanes, unsuited to lots of traffic.

Apart from these factors, there remains one big uncertainty: the effect on local shops.  Some posters on this forum seem to assume that the arrival of a Tesco or Sainsbury's in Marple would automatically drive local shops out of business, but I'm not so sure.  Ask the people at Hollins Electrical or Archer's or the toy shop what they think of having a supermarket across the road - I bet they don't mind a bit!   No, the reality could be more complex - some shops might be affected, and may even close, but others would thrive, and new shops open, as many more people shop in Marple, instead of going to Hazel Grove, Bredbury or Stockport.   But it's a free market - ultimately competition drives standards up and prices down: small local shops which continue to provide personal service, and quality at a competitive price, will survive and even thrive. 

excellent post  .

[Dave]

I'm willing to bet that some posters who swear they would never shop there on principle (or in Duke's case, on principal) would eventually do so, occasionally at least.  There are times when you need to buy stuff and you simply haven't got time to drive further away. 

I think this is a really interesting and complex issue, and the more I think about it the more uncertain I become as to what the best outcome might be.

On the one hand, there are clear benefits to the community if the college sells the site for a supermarket:

1.  The college gets a shiny new building, purpose built and energy-efficient.  That is a major boost for the quality of educational facilities for our children and grandchildren.
2.   There is an unhealthy monopoly of supermarket provision in Marple.  The Co-op has two, and apart from Iceland, that's all there is.  This scheme would provide some much-needed competition. 
3.   Many local residents drive to supermarkets outside Marple to shop, causing traffic congestion elsewhere, and environmental pollution.  A supermarket in Hibbert Lane would be within walking distance, or a very short drive or bus ride, for most of us.   

And on the other hand, there is one clear disadvantage: an increase in traffic congestion within Marple, and especially around the Hibbert lane/Church Lane and Hibbert Lane/Stockport Road junctions, which are already clogged up at times.  Also on Marple Ridge and Windlehurst Road, as people from Disley and High Lane drive to shop here. These are both narrow and winding lanes, unsuited to lots of traffic.

Apart from these factors, there remains one big uncertainty: the effect on local shops.  Some posters on this forum seem to assume that the arrival of a Tesco or Sainsbury's in Marple would automatically drive local shops out of business, but I'm not so sure.  Ask the people at Hollins Electrical or Archer's or the toy shop what they think of having a supermarket across the road - I bet they don't mind a bit!   No, the reality could be more complex - some shops might be affected, and may even close, but others would thrive, and new shops open, as many more people shop in Marple, instead of going to Hazel Grove, Bredbury or Stockport.   But it's a free market - ultimately competition drives standards up and prices down: small local shops which continue to provide personal service, and quality at a competitive price, will survive and even thrive. 

[JMC]

I maybe would. We use Tesco online shopping (coming from Stockport store). We top up in marple and use shops regulary. Co-op is expensive but handy. Staff are more friendly than they used to be which is good.

I worry about the effect on local shops, though.
If the college remains active on the Buxton road site, I would worry that places like Gregs would get less trade as students would possible go to Tesco (or whatever store) for lunch. Also, stationary/pound plus type of shops may suffer if it is a large store. Another thing is, parents with prams may find it easier to go there rather than struggle round local shops. I also worry about traffic. It's the worst place to cross at that roundabout for kids. Imagine trucks coming round those bends!

From a totally selfish point of view it would be handy for us but I wouldn't prioritise that over the wellbieng of the community.

[Dave]

If they were forced to improve the roads and help the college financially as a condition of coming here then all the better: I don't recall the Co-op doing either.

Good point: local authorities have the power to place that kind of condition on a planning consent - it's called a Section 106 Agreement.  Such a condition has to be necessary to make a proposed development acceptable in planning terms - so I don't think it could go as far as 'helping the college financially' - but it could certainly include paying for road improvements. 

[BidingTime]

Doubt it the Co-Op is within easy walking/carrying shopping home distance and i like the store,don't see the need for another supermarket in Marple to be honest.......now a health club is a different matter