SAVE is an Independent Non-political Campaign Group, which works to help preserve the Village Environment and Character of Ashtead. The views on this website & in our publicity material are those of SAVE alone, we do not represent the views of any other group or organisation.
Early deliveries at a Wimbledon Village supermarket are causing morning misery, residents have claimed.
Merton Council has already taken action over planning and parking infringements by the Tesco Express store in Wimbledon Hill Road – but residents say the problems are still going on.
They say deliveries before 8am create excessive noise and cause traffic chaos in the area around the shop. One neighbour, who asked not be named, said: “Where I live you can hear these lorries early in the morning. It bothers me more at weekends and on bank holidays.”
He added: “It’s dangerous during rush hour. It just doesn’t work – it’s as simple as that.”
A council spokeswoman said wardens had issued tickets and spoken to the company about its suppliers, asking them if they could deliver in smaller vans or at times which did not interrupt the local area and traffic. She said in the past Tesco had breached a planning condition…
Judy Smale from SAVE – Video message to Councillors
Anti Tesco campaigners are urging councillors to vote against supermarket plans next week.
This comes after planning officers at Mole Valley District Council recommended that proposals to build a supermarket at the former Esso site be approved.
The final decision will now be made by councillors at next Wednesday’s development control committee meeting.
Gillian Russell is from Save Ashtead’s Village Environment (SAVE) which has gathered more than 5,500 signatures against the proposal and received more than 1,000 letters of objection.
She said: “They stress that it is a choice for our councillors who will be voting on our behalf, and that in making that choice our councillors are able to recognise the overwhelming desires of the villagers.
“SAVE thus calls upon the councillors, as our representatives, to reflect this opposition and reject the proposal.”
Paul Le Versha, the chairman of the Ashtead Residents’ Association, added: “If agreed, this proposed development will fundamentally change the character of our village centre and be a major milestone in the process of creeping urbanisation from which we are already suffering…
Residents living in the shadow of a major new superstore have slammed plans for a 24-hour booze licence.
Tesco have asked for permission to sell alcohol open round-the-clock at the complex, which is currently being built off New Road, West Durrington, Worthing.
The smaller store it is replacing, situated just 100m to the east and still trading, has permission to sell wines, beers and spirits 24 hours a day only in the three week run up to Christmas and one week after.
At other times, it can only do so between 6am and midnight Monday-Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.
But now the retail giant wants the licence to cover the entire year despite concerns about antisocial behaviour in the area…
BREAKING NEWS – Officers recommend acceptance of Tesco’s proposal
The Planning Department are recommending acceptance of Tesco’s proposal. However, we understand the recommendation is marginal and finely balanced. The Councillors’ final decision on February 3rd 2010 could thus be swung by the very high level of local opposition. In this final week it is therefore essential that we maximise the demonstration of the strength of local opinion, as this could be the deciding factor.
There are already over 1100 letters of objection, many more than last time. We have 5,500 signatures on our petition. Our aim is to exceed the 6,318 reached last time. We now urgently need help in collecting as many more signatures as possible.
What you can do
Send a letter of objection if you have not already done so via here.
Collect signatures and return them before 10 a.m. on Monday February 1st 2010 (16 Woodfield Lane, the white house next to the Peace Memorial Hall)
Please pass this information on to anyone who might be interested.
Your help could really make the difference.
Below is a list of councillors’ email addresses:
Thank you for your support, but to ensure that our objections to Tesco’s proposed plan gets through.
Please keep your messages to the councillors below short and to the point, otherwise it may back-fire on us.
2:30pm Saturday 23rd January 2010
By Thais Portilho-Shrimpton
Opponents of a new Tesco store in Ashtead appeared on BBC London news after being interviewed by television crews on Wednesday.
Residents said they collected 5,000 signatures on a petition last weekend for their campaign, Save Ashtead’s Village Environment (Save).
They claimed a new Tesco store would be out of keeping with the area, and create extra traffic. What would be acceptable, they said, is a smaller store with only one entrance.
Recently they accused Tesco of misleading residents about the size of the store but the company said it was a genuine error…
Judy Smale, Gillian Russell ('SAVE Spokeperson') Local MP Chris Grayling and Sue Williams
ASHTEAD’S MP Chris Grayling has joined more than 4,500 other people in signing a petition opposing Tesco’s latest plans for a new store in the village.
He has spoken out against the revised proposals for a supermarket in The Street, submitted after the rejection of a 1,115sq-m development in March.
Tesco has already had to accept errors in the new application, admitting the plans were for a 24% smaller store rather than 32% as it had stated.
Now it faces opposition from Mr Grayling, the shadow home secretary having also opposed the earlier plans.
“I have got a number of concerns,” he told the Surrey Advertiser.
“The biggest one is that Tesco are putting forward plans for a site in Ashtead while they do so for a separate site two miles away in [Upper High Street] Epsom.
Mr Grayling described this as a “huge and unnecessary”…
