In the News

TESCO

At a meeting of Broxtowe Borough Council Development Control Committee on 11th June, an application by Tesco Stores Ltd for a Foodstore/Unit Shops of 9,185 sq.m with decked car park for 440 vehicles, was approved.  This Society, along with other groups, residents, businesses and some Councillors, had strongly opposed this application.  The following is the text of a presentation made by our Chair, Joyce Brown, at that meeting;

 1. We believe that this store is too big for a town the size of Beeston. It is too big both in mass and retail capacity. In size it is two thirds the size of the  Long Eaton store, and much bigger than either Sainsbury’s or Lidl. Sainsburys is 2800 sq. m. compared to the proposed store which will be 9185 sq. m, that is 3.3 times the size of Sainsburys. The Station Road aspect of the store including the decked car park will stretch from approximately the edge of the building line of the old fire station on Middle Street up to almost the top of Station Road and through to Acacia Walk. This is not only a prominent site in the centre of Beeston but a very dominant one.

 2. The design of this store has allegedly been tailored especially for Beeston, but in reality would appear to be one of Tesco’s standard designs. We believe it has no architectural merit and shows little or no recognition that it is situated in a prominent town centre site, no attempt has been made to reflect its surroundings. We are also concerned that allowing this design could set a precedent for future development in the surrounding area. The dominant view through from the High Road will in fact be of the two storey car park full of cars, a reality which is not mirrored in the indicative cross sections supplied by Tesco with the application.  Policy 1 of the East Midlands plan March 2009 speaks of promoting good design. Policy E1 of the Broxtowe Local Plan 2004 states that planning permission will not be granted for development which does not have a “high standard of design” and we robustly dispute that this proposed building is of a “high standard”.  In many places – e.g. Oakham and Dorchester , to mention just two – supermarkets have been much better designed and Beeston deserves nothing less. I have with me a picture of a Tesco store in Amersham if anyone wishes to see it.

3. Although the application incorporates the opening hours we understand from our discussions with Tesco representatives that the intention is for it to be a twenty four hour store. We feel this to be entirely inappropriate given the proximity of nearby residential properties. We are also concerned that should permission be granted this would give rise to both noise and excessive light pollution not just from the car park but also inevitably from the store as well, given that it has been designed with large expanses of glass.

 4. We are still concerned about the amount of traffic this store would generate and the ability of the already overburdened Wollaton Road/Station Road corridor to cope with this extra traffic. We are all aware of the frequency with which the traffic backs up from the Middle Street junction. The Council’s study exploring traffic management in Beeston has not yet been completed, but the fact that they have commissioned one surely indicates that there is an awareness that there could be adverse effects from both this development   and others which will increase traffic flow through the centre of Beeston which already sometimes seems to be at saturation point. The proposed car park is for 440 spaces. which, gleaned from the committee report are for the public. Where will the 480 proposed staff park?

 5. Much has been said about the impact of a large store on the viability and vitality of town centres such as ours and facts and figures can be manipulated to suit the occasion, but the Long Eaton Chamber of Trade has recently stated in a communication with the Green Party  that many small retail outlets have closed since Tesco opened there.  In his book Real England; The Battle Against the Bland, Paul Kingsnorth tells us that in the past decade some 30,000 independent food, beverage and tobacco retailers have been lost and 13,000 independent newsagents have closed. Not all due are to the advent of giant supermarkets, but they have played a major part in that loss.  We hear very little of the enhancement of town centres due to the coming of a large superstore, only from the stores themselves.

 6. Given that permission has already been granted for a smaller store surely this application should be looked at in the light of the Government Report “High Street Britain 2015” and the questions that Councillors should be asking themselves tonight are not how to ameliorate the impact of a store of this size, but can Beeston sustain a store of this size and survive? Will it lead to an increase in the range, provision and diversity of services in the town centre or the eventual slow death of our smaller, local businesses?  Does it improve our environment or worsen it?  Can the Council be sure that if they take a decision to introduce car parking charges in the future and this remains a free car park it will not lead to it operating at over capacity and causing yet more traffic problems? Your decision tonight will shape the future of our community.

 7. Not enough weight has been given to all the objections raised – 7 from prominent organisations, 566 from members of the public; some may have used so called “standard” letters, but objections none the less and a petition containing nearly 1400 signatures. How many of you have read the full content of those objections? In addition a recent meeting about the proposed store called by our M.P. Dr Nick Palmer well was attended by many objectors.  The planning recommendation flies in the face of overwhelming local public opinion, the opinions of those you have been elected to represent. Recent national events have shown conclusively that public opinion cannot be ignored, even when it is alleged that all the rules and regulations have been followed to the letter.

Our earlier attempts to influence the Council regarding Tesco can be viewed further down this page.

Civic Trust wound up after 52 years

The trustees of the Civic Trust, which acts as an umbrella body for more than 700 local civic societies across the UK, have decided to place the charity in administration.  Our committee members, and those who hold personal membership of the Trust, were told by an e-mail from Philip Kolvin QC, on behalf of the trustees.

The charity, founded by Duncan Sandys, has been running since 1957, and organised the Civic Trust Awards to recognise outstanding buildings that meet the needs of local communities. On behalf of English Heritage the Civic Trust also organised the annual Heritage Open Days, which have proved tremendously popular around the country.  English Heritage have since confirmed that thay have taken full “ownership” of the HODs to ensure that the annual event will take place as usual this September.

At a regional level the East Midlands Association of Civic Societies, to which we belong, will be able to carry on for at least a year.  Supporting local civic societies may not be glamorous or catch the headlines, but it can be vital in helping new groups start up.  At our own inaugural meeting, on 27th November 1973, Arthur Percival, an officer from the Civic Trust, was  the main speaker.  In our day-to-day work, members of our committee have often asked the Trust for advice and information : this recourse will no longer be open.

We understand that the Trust failed to gain renewal of its contract to run the Green Flag Award.  Other initiatives such as Purple Flag, High Street UK, and BizFizz were also funded on a contract basis.  Severe funding constraints on local authorities, due to the credit crunch, and the failure of a fundraising appeal to members, caused a dramatic shortfall in the Trust’s budget.  Though the trustees agonised over their decision they felt that it had to be taken quickly.

Gideon Amos, the chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, praised the work of the Trust.  ‘The closure of the Civic Trust is a major loss to the charitable sector, one which deserves support if it is to deliver the quality we want to see in our towns and cities.’

One thing is certain: this will not be the only closure of its kind.  The National Council for Voluntary Service reports that one fifth of those who lead charities are planning to cut the numbers of employed staff, and 50% think that their body’s financial situation will get worse in the coming year.  Charity income from donations and bequests is falling.  The credit crunch means that investments are bringing in less revenue, as interest rates have fallen, but it also means that more and more people are calling on charities for help.  

The Beeston and District Civic Society will continue to function and continue to welcome your support. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tesco has also begun a public relations campaign, including a dedicated web site.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESCO - Will the grass be greener . . . . ?

TESCO has submitted revised plans for their proposed development in the heart of Beeston.  Details of the planning application can be found on the Broxtowe Borough Council web site.  This Society has submitted objections relating to the scale, the design, the likely traffic increase and the suggestion of 24 hour trading, in the following letter;

 

Directorate of Planning & Community Development

Broxtowe Borough Council

Foster Avenue

Beeston

Nottingham NG9 1AB                                                      

3rd November 2008

Dear Sir

Re: Tesco planning application, number 08/00833/FUL

Following our planning sub committee meeting and further consultation with representatives of Tesco, we make the following comments and objections to the above planning application: 

  1. This new plan is still too big for Beeston town centre. We understand that the proposed store is 2/3 the retail capacity of the Long Eaton store. To put it into perspective, the Station Road aspect of the actual store will stretch from approximately the edge of the building line of the present fire station on Middle Street to the last turning into the bus station, going up Station Road towards The Square.

  2. The previous application was approved after certain design amendments and although the present application has allegedly been tailored especially for Beeston, it is marked with a design number, so presumably it is a Tesco standard design. It has no architectural merit, it is a contemporary standard “any” supermarket design – usually on the outskirts of a town, on a retail park. This is a large, important site in the centre of Beeston and any development here could set a precedent for future development of the surrounding area which is also presently being considered.  The artist’s impression of the plan does not properly reflect the finished reality; this building looks little better than the Tesco store at Long Eaton.  There is a missed opportunity here to achieve something better.

  3. Although the application incorporates the opening hours, we understand that there may be an application for 24 hour opening. This is inappropriate, given the proximity of nearby residential properties.

  4. We are extremely concerned about the amount of traffic this proposal, Lidl’s new supermarket and Sainsbury’s existing supermarket, will generate along the Wollaton Road /Station Road corridor which is already overburdened and the left turn into Tesco from Station Road will be an additional hold up.

  5. Middle Street is also a very busy town centre road, especially at peak times and despite a new road layout it is likely to remain so. The crossing at the junction of High Road and Wollaton Road is particularly hazardous for pedestrians and the hazards will increase with the increase in traffic. It is not unknown for highway considerations to be completely underestimated; it is in fact all too common.

  6. We trust that the Broxtowe Borough Council Art and Events Team will be consulted about any artwork on the proposed car park walls and we would be willing to assist in this

 We trust you will consider our comments when reaching a decision.

 Yours faithfully

 Joyce Brown.

= = = =

 

We previously wrote to Ruth Hyde, Chief Executive of Broxtowe Borough Council on the 14th March 2008 and published our letter on this web site, see below.  We have received a reply saying that the Council feel that there is little that they can do.  We also received the following message from Tesco  acknowledging that it is an eyesore;

subject: Tesco

Dear Chairman

I was concerned to read the comments regarding Tesco on your website.

Bowmer and Kirkland have been employed to carry out the necessary 'Enabling Works' on the site - this basically entails clearing the site ready for planned future development. The main elements of the works undertaken to date are as follows-

* Construction of the new Pearson Centre on Nuart Road; this enabled the  demolition of the old building on Station Road. 
* Construction of the new 'Beeston Old Boys Association' building on Middle Street; enabling the commencement of the demolition of the old building. 
* Construction of a new Job Centre on Acacia Walk; the Department of Work and Pensions are currently preparing to move into the new building and vacate their old premises (once this process is complete the old building will also be demolished) 
* Demolition of a number of buildings across site including the former Hi-Q, Smart Car, Conservative Club, Be-Wise, Salvation Army Hall and a number of residential properties at the junction of Acacia walk and Middle Street. 
* Some alteration to services within the public highway have also been undertaken. 

Much of the material that has been created by the demolition has been crushed and retained on site for re-use. Our contractors appreciate this is something of an eye-sore but in Construction, as in most other industries these days, contractors are asked to adopt (and happy to comply with) environmentally friendly practices. They would rightly be heavily criticised if the demolition materials were removed from site and taken to landfill, only for stone to be then imported back onto site from a local quarry.

Of late the amount of work being undertaken has reduced; this is because the limited amount of demolition work that remains cannot progress until the necessary legal permissions and agreements are in place. The paperwork side of this is close to being concluded.

Once this has been done Tesco will be able to appoint a main contractor and set a detailed timetable for construction. 

I do hope this clarifies matters and perhaps we can explore the possibility of using your website to keep people informed once a timetable has been established. 

Regards
Tony Fletcher
Corporate Affairs Manager Tesco

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The following is the letter sent to Broxtowe Borough Council.

___

 

Ruth Hyde

Chief Executive

Broxtowe Borough Council

Foster Avenue

Beeston

Nottingham NG9 1AB

14 March 2008

Dear Ms Hyde

Re: “Tesco” site Station Road/Middle Street, Beeston

The Beeston & District Civic Society is becoming increasingly concerned at the state of this site in the very heart of the town, more so as nothing seems to be happening of late.  This is an eyesore of huge proportions by any standard.

We appreciate that there is bound to be mess and rubble while development is taking place, but this is taking far too long.  Where is our civic pride?  We feel that we must insist that some action is taken on behalf of Beeston citizens.  And who better to make representations on our behalf than our local representatives!

It is virtually impossible for anyone to make contact with the developers and their agents and learn anything from them, as the whole site seems to be shrouded in mystery and secrecy.  We also appreciate that the council does not own the site, but it is in the centre of Beeston and we local citizens have to put up with the resulting chaos, and most people are fed up with the whole thing.

We hope, therefore that you or one of your colleagues can help on our behalf.

Yours sincerely

Joyce Brown

c.c.  Michael Rich

BEESTON TOWN CENTRE REVAMP

Last year there was an opportunity for the public to comment on a proposed major improvement scheme, designed to "inject new sparkle back into Beeston".

 

Two public consultation events were held in the Council Offices a few months ago to provide an opportunity to view and comment on proposals for the area.  These included new paving, street furniture, cycle facilities and public art - including a possible new home for the much loved Beekeeper. These improvements - which were designed to build on the success of the Broadgate scheme - aim to make Beeston town centre an even better place to visit.

 

“The current town centre paving and street furniture was largely installed as a result of pedestrianisation in the 1980s and has served the town well” said Councillor Ken Rigby, Broxtowe’s Cabinet member for Planning & Community Development.  “But other towns, which are effectively our competition, have invested money in improving and updating their street scenes, so it’s important that we try and do the same.”

 

The final plans seem to be less ambitious than originally proposed, or wanted, with the Beekeeper proving too much of a challenge to be moved.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR OBJECTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING ON GREEN BELT AT BRAMCOTE

expressed in the following letter sent to "Nottingham Regeneration"

Nottingham Regeneration Ltd

Shire Hall

High Pavement

Nottingham NG1 1HN

20 March 2008

Dear Sir

Re: Proposals to build on Green Belt Land at Bramcote

As the late Stephen Crow pointed out in his last report on the Nottinghamshire Green Belt; at this point, to the west of Nottingham, the green belt is at its narrowest, therefore it is more critical to retain it than to the east, north and south where there are no nearby large towns for developments to spread into.

Whilst acknowledging that there is a constant need for more housing; on behalf of our members, the Executive Committee of Beeston & District Civic Society makes comment and objections to any proposal to build on green belt land in this area as follows:

  1. You should be aware of the extent of local opposition

  2. Our locally elected representatives should be allowed to speak on our behalf

  3. This particular area of green belt has always fulfilled its objective as it was set up to do – namely to separate the districts of Bramcote, Chilwell, Toton and Stapleford and to preserve their separate identities – and it has been successfully defended on many occasions.

  4. If allowed to be developed, it could set a precedent making it difficult to defend future plans and gradually the green area separating this side of Nottingham from the conurbation of Derby would be even more eroded.

  5. The extra traffic generated by new developments would have considerable traffic implications for all the areas named in 3, but especially on the A52 itself and at the junction with Bardill’s island, where it is proposed to construct a park & ride for NET.

  6. Chilwell Lane and Town Street, Bramcote are not of the required standard to cope with extra traffic.

  7. If development takes place on either side of the A52 in this area, the noise levels to the residents will be totally unacceptable and difficult, if not impossible, to control

  8. Only 11% of agricultural land in the county is grade 2 whereas most of the agricultural land in this area which would be lost to new development is grade 2.

  9. Potential flood risk. As we are all now more aware, especially in the light of Global Warming and climate change, the run off from surface water in developed areas could well pose a threat in this area.

  10. This particular area of green belt is attractive and popular with walkers, especially local families and present government health strategy urges us all to exercise more and stay healthy. It would be loss of a local amenity should it disappear.

  11. Finally we would submit that there reasonable alternatives to using green belt land in this area, for example the old Stanton & Staveley ironworks site near Ilkeston, the Nottingham (or Tollerton) airfield at Gamston and the old RAF Newton site.

We trust that you will give due consideration to our objections and proposals and refuse consent to build on green belt land in this area.

Yours faithfully

Joyce Brown

c.c.   Broxtowe Borough Council. Planning Officer and Chief Executive

Notts. County Council Planning Dept.

Dr. N. Palmer

Councillor S. Heptinstall

 Bramcote Conservation Society

NET PHASE TWO

In April 2007 Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council jointly submitted an application for the powers to buy land, build and run NET Phase Two - part of which is intended to run through Beeston and Chilwell.  Following a six-week public consultation period, the Department for Transport announced that it would hold a Public Inquiry.  This was held during November and December 2007, when evidence was heard from over 100 businesses and residents (including Beeston and District Civic Society). 

Mr Robert Barker, from the independent Planning Inspectorate, was appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport to chair the Public Inquiry and consider the evidence, is said to have taken more than one thousand pages of notes, which indicates the scale of the inquiry and the evidence.  He also carried out site visits after which he produced his report and recommendations for presentation to the Secretary of State for Transport.  The decision, finally announced on 30th March 2009 is to go-ahead with the Government to fund 75% of the cost and the proposed City Workplace Parking Levy covering much of the remainder.  However, it seems that there are still some questions over both parts of the funding, and these may not be answered for some time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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