Thursday 25 November 2010

Full meeting details


Saxonvale – Let The People Speak!

After decades of painstaking work the plan to re-develop the semi-derelict Saxonvale area of Frome, agreed between Mendip District Council and the development company, Terramond, fell through recently. A national development company, St James Investments, has stepped in.

S.J.I. has strong links with Tesco and it is feared that they may be interested in constructing a ‘Tesco Extra’ hypermarket on the Saxon Vale site. Accompanying a store of this size would be a car park roughly twice the size of the current Market Yard car park. This is the size of store and car park that many hold responsible for the ‘ghost town’ feeling in Shepton Mallet’s High Street.

Many Frome residents are concerned by the prospect of an enormous supermarket at Saxonvale and the threat that their town could become as dead as Shepton. Many people and businesses have moved to Frome precisely because it is not like other towns. One friend of a Frome resident who had been planning to move here is so alarmed by the prospect of a hypermarket arriving in the town centre that he is now revising his plans.

To air the issues around the possible arrival of a massive Tesco store in Frome a public meeting is to be held at The Cheese & Grain on Wednesday 1st December at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend, whatever their views may be.

There will be a number of speakers at this meeting, including the eminent journalists Elisabeth Winkler and John Harris who have followed the rise of supermarkets in general and Tesco in particular for several years.

Elisabeth Winkler lived in Frome for ten years in the 1980’s. She was editor of the Soil Association Magazine for eight years and her ‘Real Food Lover’ blog was short-listed for a Guild of Food Writer’s award.   A passionate supporter of independent shops, she has been involved in the ‘No Tesco in Stoke’s Croft’ campaign in Bristol, where she now lives.

John Harris is a Guardian columnist, contributor to BBC arts review programmes and a Frome resident who has written extensively about the future of British towns, cities and villages. He also takes a close interest in what he refers to as, “the mess of issues surrounding supermarkets”. He has recently made a film about Frome for the Guardian website.

Graham Burgess, local architect and active member of Frome Civic Society, will explain the history of the Saxonvale redevelopment plans, but at the time of going to press the developers, St James Investments, have not responded to an invitation to speak at this meeting. Mendip District Council planning officers have also been invited, so their should be a wealth of knowledge available regarding the future of this site.  Audience members will be able to ask questions and to express their opinions.


Wednesday 24 November 2010

Poster for Cheese & Grain meeting

Useful article

Hat-tip to warriet for this article from The Guardian: a warning from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment about the damage that could be wrought by supermarkets in hard economic times.

A quote:


"CABE is afraid that, due to the economic slump, supermarket developments are likely to be the only regeneration available to British towns in the near future, and "short-term economic gain will not compensate for the loss of local character and ability to change and adapt easily".
The warning comes after a shift in planning policy away from the giant out-of-town supermarkets now common to greenfield sites and on ringrounds in British towns and cities. The latest policy encourages development in town centres first, in order to promote sustainable economic growth. But the new in-town supermarkets are not being sufficiently well-designed to account for local context, according to CABE.
"Many schemes are simply repeating old out-of-town proposals – typically big, plain buildings in a large car park, which are unsuitable for town centres," said Richard Simmons, the CABE chief executive.
Sounds familiar, eh?

Wednesday 17 November 2010

More meeting details


NEW HYPERMARKET FOR FROME ON YOUR DOORSTEP?

We believe that a giant new TESCO supermarket is being planned for Saxon Vale in Frome (the site between Lidl and M&S, bounded by the River Frome).

The previous plan that was agreed with Mendip District Council for Saxon Vale has fallen through. St James Investments (who work on behalf of the main supermarket operators) have stepped into the vacuum. 550 car parking spaces are being suggested (twice the size of the Market Yard car park). Garsdale will be the main access and exit so huge traffic increase is predicted through Wallbridge, Portway and Christchuch Street. 24 hour lighting and deliveries may also affect residential areas. We believe that a large hypermarket on the scale of a TESCO Extra (the size of store that many blame for the decline of Shepton Mallet’s High St) would have a significant negative impact on independent local shops and the character of Frome.

If you are concerned about this prospect and the many other issues associated with a giant supermarket arriving in the heart of our town you can act early rather than waiting for a fully formed planning application. Find out more and voice your opinion. Come to the first public meeting ~

The Cheese & Grain, Wednesday 1st December at 7.30pm
For more information see our blog at:  http://www.saxonvalesupermarket.blogspot.com or email saxonvalesupermarket@gmail.com

Friday 5 November 2010

First post

Plans are afoot for a a new supermarket in Frome: for more details, go here.
In order to air the issues at stake, a first public meeting is to be held at the Cheese & Grain on Wednesday December 1st starting at 7.30 and ending at 9.00pm. 
This meeting has been organised by concerned local people from various walks of life and all are welcome. Those who wish to read up on supermarket planning issues may like to visit the TESCOPOLY website before the meeting.
You can contact us at saxonvalesupermarket@gmail.com. More details and information follow...