Tesco presses ahead with Shrewsbury expansion plans
Wednesday 24th August 2011, 12:37PM BST.
Controversial plans by Tesco to extend its Extra store in Shrewsbury by a third have finally been submitted to planning chiefs, officials said today.
Proposals to extend and improve the store in Harlescott have been lodged with Shropshire Council following a public consultation.
It comes after the supermarket giant last month rejected claims made by its own representatives that the plans would result in £2.7 million trade being lost from the town centre each year.
Tesco said it did not accept the figure provided by its representatives to town councillors at a June meeting, and claimed the loss would equate to £480,000 per annum.
Bosses say the store handles “substantially” more trade than it was originally designed for and the application is designed to improve the shopping environment in response to customer needs.
Tesco corporate affairs manager Sophie Akokhia today said: “Our application reflects many of the views expressed to us during our two-month public consultation exercise. In particular, local people were keen to maintain the banking services along Harlescott Lane, so we have adapted our original plans to include separate units that could be occupied by the banks, if they chose to do so.
“We have also looked hard at improving the traffic flow into the store car park from Harlescott Lane and our proposals include a new slip road coming directly into the Tesco car park.
“We would also like to create a dedicated lane off Battlefield Road for customers using the petrol station. Both of these ideas were widely welcomed by visitors to our public exhibition in June.”
Officials say the plans would safeguard 420 jobs and create new part-time positions.
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It’s toooo big now. What an eyesore. Don’t let it happen. Where’s your b##lls Shropshire Council? Show them who runs the town.
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Only half a million quid?
Oh well, that’s all right then. Carry on. Stock up on your Value range items while you’re at it. Some former shop town centre owners will be needing them in a year or so.
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That should have been “town centre shop owners”!
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Good!
Much better than shopping in town, over priced goods, over priced parking, too much traffic, not enough shops, I can go on…
Lets face please, out of town stores are the future and that’s it, much better for our lives.
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“out of town stores are the future”
Only until there’s no town left for them to be out of.
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Absolutely Jake, how short sighted of you glyn. You clearly have no sense of pride in Shrewsbury and should be ashamed. Out of town shopping will actually become very out of fashion in the future when no one can afford to drive anywhere and need their local shops to walk to. Tesco are only interested in total domination of a town, closing down the competition and when they gain a near monopoly they will put their prices up and you will have no choice at all. Wake up and smell the coffee, every industry that allows a bully to dominate it ends up in hot water. Just look at the Murdoch situation in the media, Tesco is the Murdoch of the retail world and needs to be stopped in its tracks before any more damage is done. The future of retail will be local shops for local people, not driving food for hundreds of miles and keeping it in storage for months before you buy it in an ugly warehouse on the outside of a town centre.
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Glyn
How very short sighted, better for our lives, what rot ,so building on green field sites in order that some can use loads of fossil fuels to travel to such establishments is good, as for the town having too much traffic, what about the area around Tesco,
In the town centre you have choice and help the local economy and farmers if you shop in the market , is it right that produce from Shrophire goes to Norwich to be packed and then transported back to the same place it came from to be sold in Tesco, is that good for the planet and our lives , think not.
When all the shops have gone in the town the prices will go up, the busses will not run so frequently as number going to town will drop, but more the case, you will have no choice, Glyn enjoy your life sat in your car waiting for a space at Tesco, and make sure you park close to the door so you legate any exercise.
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Glyn, you say not enough shops, main reason because of out of town developments, and people like you not supporting them, they close. end of.
You never know,may be once all the shops have been closed down, these out of town places start charging money for parking and push there prices up.
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The proposals to alleviate the traffic problems is definately a good thing. It should have been done before the store first opened!
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If people didn’t shop at Tesco then it wouldn’t be extended.
If the council wants to make the town centre more attractive to shoppers it should be concentrating on making parking easier and more affordable, whilst giving as much planning support as possible to the redevelopment of three shopping centres.
As much choice as possible is good for the town and shoppers.
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The whole thing is far too big already…how about giving the smaller shops a chance??
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I wish someone would explain which town centre shops are threatened by Tesco. As I walk down Pride Hill and High Street, all I see are specialist shops -Jewellers, about five mobile phone shops, banks, book shops, Coffee shops, outdoor equipment shops, Past Times, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, etc. How does Tesco threaten these?
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We also have three supermarkets, three delis, three wine shops, a large vegetable shop, discount food shops and a terrific indoor market selling high quality produce. The shopkeepers and friendly and the architecture is (mainly) stunning.
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John, you must never have actually been into Tesco then?
Tesco sell, mobile phones, they operate a bank (which will have far less competition when they knock down the small bank branches on Harlescott Lane)
They sell books, clothes, computing equipment etc etc in fact there is not much they don’t sell.
Really, they don’t need this expansion – they sell pretty much everything now but leave us with the small banks which are really useful if you live on this side of town.
Harlescott Lane and the Whitchurch Road cannot handle any more traffic regardless of how they change the entrance and exit from the store, give our children a chance to breathe clean air!
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Very sorry Jake, must rephrase – stores of this nature which are positioned in un-crowded areas with easy access for vehicles – are the future.
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In-Town, Out of Town.
Catholic, Protestant.
Moot & virtually indistinguishable points if you’re atheist or don’t venture into the church of materialism.
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The real threat to our town centre and Tesco investing so much in their barn at Harlescott is internet shopping, the price of fuel , parking, public transport are all factors that make internet shopping so attractive , cheaper products without the hassle
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Let’s just hope they sort out the awlful traffic system at this store (or lack of it). At peak it took me 40mins just to get out of the car park last xmas. Have not been back since.
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Tesco Is three miles away from Shrewsbury town centre. That is a six mile round trip plus parking costs. Do you honestly think that the residents of Harlescott cant walk to Tesco? What about the other residents of north shropshire, do they not matter? I didn’t hear too many voicing their opinions regarding the expansion of Sainsbury’s or the development of Asda, all on the South side of Shrewsbury I might add.
If you want shoppers in the town then provide adequate parking.
They managed it in the 60s with a foot bridge to the back of Wollworths. How come all of a sudden it seems like nuclear physics?
Check out some automated parking facilities the Japanese have had these things for over twenty years.
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When oh when will shropshire council begin to learn that retailers such as the mighty Tesco is much much bigger that itself?
Do we all really believe that a small fry, speed ramp council can even hope in its wildest dreams to stand in the way of a steamroller?
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