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Tesco wins support in spite of fears for future of small traders
PLANNERS and residents are backing plans for a new Tesco in Hornsea, despite fears it will be the death knell for some local traders.
The supermarket retailer already has seven major outlets in East Yorkshire; the new store will give it a presence in nearly every major town in the area.
While controversy has dogged some other Tesco applications, in this case objections have been outweighed by support from residents welcoming the chance to shop closer to home.
However according to butcher Brian Scaife, who trades in Market Place, it will inevitably mean some shops closing down.
He said: "No doubt about it it will shut some shops down. I've done it for 50 years and the Market Place is not what it was. Twenty years ago there were seven butchers in Hornsea now there are three. (In five years' time) there might be one.
"You can come into Market Place and there's no one about. Where are they? Tesco, Morrisons and Asda.
"We can beat them with quality and price but you can't beat that convenience."
The plans are for a 36,000sq ft store, about the same size as one in Market Weighton, with a petrol station, which Hornsea has not got at the moment, on an open space off Southgate.
It is claimed that as many as 270 jobs will be created. Some 77 per cent of the store will be dedicated to food sales while the rest will be for household, clothing and electrical goods.
Clad in larch, the building will incorporate environmental features like rainwater harvesting and recycling.
Hornsea Town Council gave its approval to the plans, with conditions, and the Environment Agency made no objection.
Out of 141 written responses, 122 were in favour with only 19 against, some of whom raised concerns about the impact on the town centre, saying they could not see people walk the 15 minutes from Tesco into the town centre. Others were worried about the extra traffic and light pollution.
Other objections came from the two main traders on Newbegin, the Co-operative and Heron Frozen Foods. The Co-op said Tesco would take too big a slice of people's spending, commenting: "The scale of the store is disproportionate to the size of Hornsea.
"The proposed convenience store turnover represents 82 per cent of the total expenditure in the catchment area."
Ward councillor Barbara Jefferson said most residents she spoke to supported the plan as they would no longer have to drive to supermarkets out of town. However she added: "My concern is the shops which are already in Hornsea and which already do a really good job for residents. The small shops are a helpline to elderly people and that's one of the things the big shops can't do because they haven't got the time."
However a study by England and Lyle – employed by the council as independent retail consultants – said two other potential sites closer to the town centre on Newbegin would not be big enough for the store and were in any case earmarked for other developments.
Planners say that despite the concerns about need, location and the links with the town centre, and use of an open site, they believe there would be "considerable economic and social benefits". They added: "Considerable support has been received for the proposal from the local community with local residents willing to undertake their weekly shopping locally and thus travel less."
The planning application will be discussed at a planning committee meeting at County Hall in Beverley next Thursday.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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