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Bishops Waltham Action Group Newsletter #4
Website: bwactiongroup.org.uk
Email: info@bwactiongroup.org.uk
Dear [FIRSTNAME]
Apologies if you have received this newsletter already, we have been having some technical problems but hopefully all is resolved now.
Bishops Waltham Action Group was formed following the Annual Parish Meeting on 22nd April 2009 as a response to the proposal for a new Sainsbury's store at Abbey Mill.
Our aim is to campaign against the proposed development as inappropriate to the site and the needs of the village.
The action group believes that the plan for a Sainsbury's in Bishops Waltham is not a done deal and that residents of this community can make a real difference in determining the future of Bishops Waltham.
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NEWS
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TAVISTOCK SENDS SUPPORT
We have received a fabulous message of support from the campaigners in Tavistock, and the Chairman of the Brook Campaign Nigel Eadie.
“Fighting the supermarkets is no easy task, it requires a resolute attitude and most importantly commitment from the local community. The battle won't come cheap, but with a good planning consultant and appeals to your local councillors, you can prove that your town centre needs to be protected. Good luck with your campaign.”
SAINSBURY'S lost its fight to build a supermarket on the outskirts of Tavistock. A Government inspector said it would have an adverse impact on the town centre, adding: "I fear for the effect on its vitality." Andrew Pykett, the inspector, was particularly critical of the location, which he said would attract largely car-borne shoppers who would be unlikely to walk, drive or use buses for linked trips with the town centre. Jane Hart, chief planning officer for West Devon Borough Council, said: "We are so pleased that the inspector recognised the adverse implications of the scheme on the quality of Tavistock's very special town centre."
Closer to home we have also had news hot off the press that the application by Tesco to put a large store on the outskirts of Alton has been refused on the following grounds:
1) The applicant failed to demonstrate a need for the amount of floor space proposed.
2) It is considered the site is an out of centre location and that the proposed site would increase reliance on the number of trips made by private car, which is contrary to key objectives of the local plan.
3) The failure to utilise alternative means of transport to the private car would result in an unacceptable increase in the number and length of car journeys to the detriment of the environment and the locality.
4) It has not been demonstrated that the local road network is capable of operating sufficiently with the additional traffic likely to be generated by the site proposals.
This news from Tavistock and Alton must surely give us the impetus to continue and it shows that what we are doing really can make a difference. So next time you are chatting to someone who thinks the Sainsbury's proposal is a done deal and our actions futile, remind them of these stories and that local communities can decide their own future.
MARK OATEN
Members of the action group met with Mark Oaten MP and prospective candidate for the Meon Valley, Liz Leffman, last week to discuss the Sainsbury's proposal and were pleased to discover that Mr Oaten is behind our campaign. Mr Oaten has already met with Sainsbury's representatives to ensure that any data they collect from their consultation document is broken down by ward so that we can see a true representation of what local residents think. People are concerned that with 12,000 questionnaires going out from Sainsbury's, to areas as far as Bishops Sutton, that any conclusions that they draw will be skewed in favour of people who live outside of the village. Liz Leffman has declared the public consultation 'a sham' on her website stating that people are not being given the true facts about the development, particularly the traffic impact from 35,000 cars per week that could be drawn into the town (Sainsbury's own figures). Mr Oaten has offered further support to the action group and we would like to thank him for his time.
SAINSBURY'S PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Thanks to all of you who have completed your Sainsbury's public consultation leaflets and to those who attended the public consultation last week at the Bishop's Waltham Free Church. We have had many emails from those of you who attended and it seems that most of you are of the opinion that the public consultation was nothing more than a publicity stunt, as your questions were left unanswered. Make sure you return your questionnaire opposing the store before the deadline of 7th August.
KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE BWAG WEBSITE
CPRE (The Campaign to Protect Rural England) published a Fieldworks magazine last year that had a very interesting article regarding supermarkets. The magazine can be found as an attachment on the website http://www.bwactiongroup.org.uk/. There are a lot of statistics in there that give us an idea of the likely impact on Bishops Waltham should Sainsbury's (or any other large supermarket) be successful in opening a large store in the village. Here are some key facts;
# Nationally, small shops are closing at a rate of 2,000 a year.
# Money spent locally in independent shops is re-spent three times before it leaves the area.
# Over 90% of the money spent in a supermarket leaves the area immediately.
# More supermarkets result in fewer independent shops. The town of Fakenham in Norfolk lost 64% of its convenience stores and Warminster in Wiltshire 75% after a superstore opened.
# During a two-year period following the opening of 93 superstores, the net job loss in food retailing alone averaged 270 jobs within a ten-mile radius for each superstore opened.
# Typically, only 1–2% of supermarkets’ turnover comes from locally produced food.
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WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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Every Newsletter we hope to provide you with a couple of quick things you help us with:
CONTACT A COUNCILLOR
An important part of objecting planning applications is appealing to the city councillors so that they know how we feel, and not just because they've read about it in a newspaper or that a Sainsbury's questionnaire concludes that 'most' people want the development, as we are sure their survey will decide. We want you to write to the councillors who will be making the decision that will affect our future. Whilst they can't offer support as they have to remain impartial, it is very important that they know how the people of Bishops Waltham and the surrounding areas feel.
You can write or email the councillors. Let them know how you feel about the proposal. This letter can be emotive and persuasive. You may want to let them know how long you have lived in the town. Maybe you are a new resident who moved here because of the beauty of the village, or perhaps you have lived here for years and don't want to see your home destroyed. Here are some tips on the areas you might want to talk about:
• The High Street – local, independent shops will lose their trade as people are encouraged to the new Sainsbury's and its free car park. If the shops in direct competition are lost as a result of the undercutting powers of a huge store like Sainsbury's, the other shops will suffer from reduced footfall around the High Street. Who will want to do their shopping in Sainsbury's, leave their frozen peas to go soggy and wander into the High Street just for a coffee?
• Traffic – Sainsbury's representatives at the public consultation conceded that up 35,000 cars could be entering BW per week, this increase will affect noise and safety of the surrounding area and not just Bishops Waltham, as the traffic will have to come through the surrounding smaller villages such as Upham, Swanmore, Curdridge, Droxford and Meonstoke. That is not to mention the 8 lorries per day that will be delivering and travelling through routes from Fareham, Eastleigh, Winchester and Basingstoke.
• Environment – Despite their 'green store' claims, no new store can be environmentally friendly simply due to the amount of energy required to build it. From the consultation document it is clear that the 'eco friendly' proposals are vague with no stated commitment to the performance of the building in terms of energy use. The area by the pond is home to many different species of wildlife that will have their habitat systems drastically changed by the building of such a superstore.
These are just some points to consider and from most of you who have emailed us, you already have your issues to bear. So please, let the councillors know that their decision will have a huge impact on you and your family’s life.
Winchester Planning Committee Contacts
Ernest Jeffs (Chairman) ejeffs@winchester.gov.uk
Roger Huxstep (Vice Chairman) rhuxstep@winchester.gov.uk
Karen Barratt kbarratt@winchester.gov.uk
Neil Baxter nbaxter@winchester.gov.uk
Georgina Busher gbusher@winchester.gov.uk
Alexis Fall afall@winchester.gov.uk
Robert Johnston rjohnston@winchester.gov.uk
Barry Lipscomb blipscomb@winchester.gov.uk
Raymond Pearce rpearce@winchester.gov.uk
Laurence Ruffell laurenceruffell@winchester.gov.uk
Ian Tait itait@winchester.gov.uk
If you would prefer to write to them at the City Council the address is:
Winchester City Council?City Offices?Colebrook Street?Winchester?Hampshire?SO23 9LJ
DONATIONS
BWAG have now met with several planning consultants and the good news is that they are positive about taking on our case. The bad news is that their help won't come for free. We still need your donations coming in.
If you would like to make a donation then you can either do this by credit or debit card via the Paypal donate button on the new website http://www.bwactiongroup.org.uk/ (Paypal will handle the payment securely, BWAG does not receive any card details). You do not need a Paypal account.
Alternatively you can also donate via cheque. Cheques should be made payable to Bishops Waltham Action Group or BWAG. Please send these to; BWAG, 2 Merlin Mews, Houchin Street, Bishops Waltham, SO32 1AR
A local chartered accountant is BWAG's treasurer. All funds are held in a bank account with Barclays Bank in Bishops Waltham. Five committee members are signatories to that account and everything to do with the account has to be authorised by two people.
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SUCCESSES AND THANK YOUS
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Many thanks for all the donations received so far, it is fantastic to know that people are still prepared even in this economic climate to help towards the cost of this campaign. We have received lots of positive comments with the donations, and here is one we think you should see:
"When I thought deeply about how much I valued the character and way of life in the village it occurred to me that it was difficult to put a price on something that has taken centuries to evolve influenced by change, largely subtle in nature, on an ordinary human scale; the kind of slow swell of progress with occasional breaking waves that most people find reasonably comfortable and perhaps moderately challenging but non-traumatic. My fear is that in contrast Sainsbury’s will unleash a tsunami of hard, dramatic change within a short period of time, bearing with it jagged and harmful debris that will crash discordantly against the shores of our community and wipe away many of its endearing features - once lost, irreplaceable. Money: how much can be placed on the opposite scale to balance against the quality of what is at stake?”
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