Sad News
24th August 2010
It is with great regret, that we have to announce that Tesco’s 2nd planning proposal has been approved by the planning inspector Nicholas Hammans.
More details will appear here in the next few days, as certain conditions have been imposed on the plans.
A BIG thank you to everybody who attended the photo call and to all the messages of support we have recieved.
Gillian Russell Spokesperson for S.A.V.E. (centre) with Paul Le Versha Chairman of ARA (left of Gillian), Chris Hunt Conservative Councilor (right of Gillian) and supporters of S.A.V.E Ashtead outside Tesco site
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel sick to my stomach that this has been passed.
I can’t believe that so much public opposition against Tesco’s plans has been ignored.
This is truly a sad, sad, day for Ashtead.
A black day for Ashtead. Tesco should hang their heads in shame.
I used to live in Ashead many years ago – sorry Ashtead – wrong move by Tescos and Hammans. Clearly Planning is not in the best interests of the community
Many years ago Ashtead had “The Street” to be proud of. It was a vibrant hub of the community with many brilliant shops. Toady’s Street is very different. You can not judge what is best for today’s community on idyllic memories of yesteryear.
Todays Street lacks variety, there are six estate agents and nine food venders within 60 shops. There are also four hairdressers and two framing shops, two dry cleaners. It is easy to see why people go else where, there just is not a big enough core of quality basics to make people automatically choose to shop in the Street. Consequently the excellent speciality shops in jewellery, fashion, flowers, giftware, etc etc just do not get enough passing trade.
Tesco’s will bring people to the Street, look what it has done for Craddocks Parade.
We have had enough hostility in the last two year, petitions , banners, street canvassers…. isn’t it time Ashtead was left in peace to make something of this opportunity to grow.
As to the Car park, the council said right back in February they already had a plan for the long term parking and an idea where to move it to. Did none of you actually listen to the debate and really hear what was being said.
Steve, Tesco won’t hang their heads because they have no shame; they will just rub their hands together with glee and not spare one single thought for what they are doing to our community. After all, as their barrister said, the opposition was ‘galling’.
I feel so awful for those poor people in Pound Court and Woodfield Lane.
This is just WRONG.
Good luck to Tesco – they won the war!!!
Look out for the end of the Peace Memorial hall, as they will no longer have a car park.
However the “quislings” are Mole Valley council and their planning department, regading they total contempt for the weight of disapproval from Ashtead residents, should hang their heads in shame.
Also, the Councilors who voted on both occasions for the proposals, again againsts the obvious local oposition. Ashtead councilors should speak to there Leatherhead colleages about their lack of support and remind them that they serve their communities that elected them. Also, whatever happened to party loyalty?
(Quislings = Collaborators)
I agree, the only way we will get local decisions across Mole Valley is for all areas to support one an other on a ‘quid pro quo’ basis’ – eg. your local councillors support us re Tesco’s in Ashtead and we will support you re ‘Unwated Large Supermarket application’ in Dorking, Fetcham, Leatherhead etc. We have to start asking our friends throughout Mole Valley to pressurise their local councillors on our behalf, it is the only way that we are going to make this ‘local’ democracy work for the people.
Right, it is plan B – they shall not have the use of our car park ….
Cathleen and Martin, you are both right!
I believe that Surrey council still owns the car park, without it the Tesco store would be scuppered. We must get the whole of Surrey to demand that the council refuses to sell Tesco the car park.
Hi
This is a tremendous shame for Ashtead what people need to be doing is everything they can do to disrupt this plan. We need to do the same as the French not just moan. Encourage every local person by to shop elsewhere such as Alldays post every peice of infantry we have to make it not viable for Tesco to stay open. Don’t give up this is just the beginning We will win.
This news is very sad, unfortunately not enough people have voted with their feet.
The two existing Tesco stores, Ashtead and Leatherhead have seemingly continued to be busy, it would appear that most people will sacrifice steadfast opinion for convenience ! if people didn’t want Tesco then don’t use Tesco.
‘if people didn’t want Tesco then don’t use Tesco’
thats the problem, the same happened at Milford, everytime I go past it the place its busy, people should never go in – it would soon close it down.
I will never go in the Milford store.
I am also bitterly disappointed by the Inspectors decision, especially as he recognises that the Woodfield Lane/The Street road junction is defective and that traders in The Street will be adversely affected. (At least he refused the larger scheme.) Reference the comments from Martin, could I correct the error in that he states that there are councillors who voted for both schemes. In fact the first (larger) scheme was recommended for refusal and ALL councillors on the development control committee voted against it. The second scheme was of course recommended for approval with no objections raised by Surrey County Council as the Highway authority. All Ashtead councillors on the committee and Cllr David Sharland (Leatherhead South) voted against it. Lobbying of councillors by other councillors in planning matters is not allowed, and if an applicant felt that it had been undertaken then the councillor concerned would not be available to take part in the vote anyway. The call to use other traders is timely – Alldays want new shopfront signage – presumably they want to ‘up their game’ – but their planning application is going to the next development control committee as the report states that the Ashtead Residents Association have raised an objection to the proposal. The Officer recommendation is to permit.
After all the hard work that you and ARA have put into this, I feel really sorry that the council have not listen to your and our views. Keen to see what the conditions are and hope that it is at least a smaller store and shorter opening hours.
This is so wrong and councillors should never have passed this with such local opposition.
There is a Tesco in Leatherhead and one in Lower Ashtead why is one needed in Upper Ashtead?
I do hope the local residents do not use this shop when it is built however convenient it might seem to them or one day you will only be able to shop at Tesco and will wonder where your choice has gone.
I do, however, hope the other local traders continue to thrive although it will be dificult for them.
One point I believe we are all able to address is the concern for the possible demise of local trade. Well that depends on US.
WE must still keep the local traders alive as we have been doing to date, so hopefully the increase in people visiting Ashtead as a result, will also spin off onto the independent retailers, where our independent traders offer greater choice and quality, just as they do in Craddocks or even Banstead.
I do believe the issues of parking, traffic and noise have not been sufficently addressed by Hammans in his report and decision, but am pleased to see restrictions placed on opening hours.
I find it completely inexplicable that the inspector could come to this conclusion when there was such a wealth of feeling in Ashtead against the development. We would all have been happy with a smaller development with access onto The Street. Why on earth weren’t both the applications rejected to force Tesco to resubmit plans with which the people of Ashtead would have been happy?
That said, the plan can still be scuppered by persuading the Council not to let Tesco have use of the car park. We need to have an even larger letter writing campaign to try to persuade the Council that the car park cannot be handed over to Tesco.
In addition, the inspector (in paragraph 53) has concluded “that permission should be granted only on condition that development is not commenced until proper provision has been made for the relocation of 74 long-stay parking spaces”. While Tesco would have to pay for these (a “Grampian” condition), the inspector says “As the Council manages the car park, it is for the Council to find the necessary provision.”
Now, unless, the Council plans to put 74 parking spaces in the middle of Wood Field, or the recreation ground (or plans to knock down some houses), I just don’t see that there is anywhere in Ashtead that 74 long-stay parking spaces can go. I’m sure this is wishful thinking, but maybe the inspector has tried to keep Tesco happy, but at the same time imposed a condition that means it is near impossible for the current plans to go ahead…
I hoped that the our local MP and council members would have acted in the interests of local people here but clearly not. It’s virtually impossible to think that these sorts of decisions can be made without palms being greased and crooked work going on in the background. This shop will not inject money into the community, quite the opposite. It won’t employ local people (just see the store in Lower Ashtead, virtually all of the staff come from Croydon, Norwood etc) and none of the proceeds will be put to use in Ashtead. Not that i have anything against these places, but i do resent being told by Tesco that it will benefit the community. The only thing left to do is boycott the store when it is finally built. Protest outside it if need be, encourage customers to use local shops instead. We just need to remember that this isn’t the end of the fight by any means.
Thank Goodness common sense has prevailed, maybe now the regeneration of Ashtead can begin. This long awaited development will improve facilities within the village, encourage current businesses to revamp their business plans and offer better services and bring an urgently needed transfusion of new blood into a tired, depressed and financially unviable shopping area. Maybe the local residents, who screamed so loud to preserve their “village” and keep Tesco’s out, will, once the supermarket is open, actually SHOP in The Street and stop going to Leatherhead, Epsom and further to get the goods their really require. If they are in The Street for their food shopping, maybe, just maybe, they will take the time to explore the community they speak poetically about, but seldom actually patronise.
Hopefully the members of SAVE will now focus on the real issue…. if they want to SAVE The Street, they need to put their money where their mouth is and actually purchase goods and services in The Street each week. The local traders can not go on surviving, not only the economically downturn, but the lack of interest in their goods.
Equally the current Businesses need to wake up and smell the coffee. They have a small window of opportunity to prepare for the arrival of Tesco’s in our community. They need to polish up their displays, revamp their stock, consolidate their business plans and ensure they are really offering the people of Ashtead a service to be proud of. How about starting with ensuring all traders open proper hours and have customer service foremost in their minds?
Survival is tough, both the residents and the traders need to pull together and recognise this for what it is, an opportunity to create a great Street that really does become the heart of its community.
Opportunity always comes disguised as hard work, that why is it always easier to lament and weep about a situation rather than rolling up the sleeves and making something work.
A splendid analysis by Winnie. After a great deal of money wasted on a rather hysterical campaign largely financed by our now very politicised Ashtead Residents Association, we can perhaps turn to revitalising The Street, just as Craddocks Parade was lifted by the smaller Tesco there. We wanted Waitrose but they were chased away by the ARA. Even the Co-op’s wish to rebrand Alldays with new signage is being thwarted by the ARA yet we need to have competition for Tesco to keep prices in check. As WInnie implies, small businesses are not charities – we will use their services if their offerings are of the right quality and fairly priced. That formula is working extremely well for the butcher, baker and greengrocer in Craddocks. Let’s see that happening now in The Street. Whether we like it or not a ‘major brand’ is a key requirement for a vital shopping street – just as it is for the builders of those huge malls – it draws in customers. We can also please our green chums in Transition by ceasing our 8 mile round trips for our weekly shop in Leatherhead or Epsom. Thank you to our merry protesters for 5 years of scrubland in the centre of our village. Let’s get cracking and create a busy village once again.
Some key points that Winnie and Alexander are failing to understand.
It’s the size of store that’s the issue – the need by at least some traders for increased footfall has been recognised. A smaller store was asked for so that we could get the benefits of a small supermarket without the excessive traffic , delivery lorries , parking problems and unacceptable environmental damage that come with the store that has been passed. The larger the store the more people travel and this store is designed to pull in people from outside of Ashtead. A green solution would be a smaller store reducing both pollution (Tescos would have had room to make it properly sustainable) and travel whilst increasing footfall from local people to both Tescos and the rest of the high street. Lets hope that your celebrations continue when the true impact is visible – there’s countless places that have learned the real impact of a store thats too large the hard way.
This is just such an awful thing to happen to Ashtead. It makes me feel that there is not hope for the towns and villages who hang on to their soul through their independent shops. Is there anything we can do to try to continue to save Ashtead despite this decision? I already don’t shop in tesco and shop locally at every opportunity. Can I write to someone about stopping tesco have the car park? Where is the hope for our country if this is allowed to happen?
This is fantastic news for the village of Ashtead, the upper village is a ghost town and very few residents shop their.
It’s time for the traders to improve their ramshackled shop fronts and look at this as an opportunity to improve their businesses. The community bustle on the parade is a direct result of the express and the neighbouring traders obviously benefit.
It’s coming and we should get behind it to help make “The Street” something to be proud of.
Meredith Worsfold’s words:
“It is not easy to conjecture in what way Ashtead will change in the next century. Let us hope that successive generations of Ashtead residents will continue to care about and safeguard the best interests of our village.”
Sad times!
Wonderful news about Tesco! I totally agree with Winnie and Paul and hope the Street now gets a much needed rejuvenation. I am still waiting to see the 6,000 people who signed the petition against Tesco shopping locally….as always, not much footfall on the street this morning. Where are these people who love the Village so much and what are they hoping to preserve?
Unfortunately it is pure fantasy to expect authorities to take any regard of what the local community wants. It is quote clear that TESCO have got to Mole Valley and the promise of improvements to be carried out in Ashtead by TESCO has been accepted in return for this development going ahead. In any other arena this would be called blackmail and bribery and I have no doubt certain individuals at Mole Valley have submitted. I suspect the true reason will never be made public. And they say Nigeria is corrupt!! Pot and Kettle?
To expect people from surrounding areas to rush to Ashtead to shop at TESCO is crazy. I live in Bookham and shop at Sainsbury in Leatherhead, or in Epsom. I do have the choice of TESCO in Leatherhead, but frankly and more especially now, I would prefer to go hungry that to shop with TESCO. The people of Ashtead could easily reverse this by simply not shopping at TESCO in Ashtead…either at Craddocks Parade or in the Street.
I lived in Ashtead for 40 years and it used to be a pretty village. TESCO have turned it into nothing more than a suburb of Epsom. I feel sorry for those who worked so hard to stop this, but angry that yet again a community is ruined by giant business.