Redevelopment of London Road

What do residents think about plans for another supermarket?

By Peter Crowhurst, North Laine resident

A brighter London Road?

On 23rd April 2008 I went to an event called 'Bright London Road'.  I could have been forgiven for thinking it was going to be about the regeneration of London Road. However, soon after I arrived I got talking to one of the people involved in the event and he was a representative for Tesco's, or at least for one of its subsidiaries. Looking at the displays on land ownership in London Road and talking to other people on duty it became clear that what was on offer was the development of a Tesco superstore to be built on land now occupied by Vantage Point.

Who are St James's Investments?

The exhibition was organised by St James's Investments who have been buying up land in the London Road area and who currently own Vantage Point, the parade of shops nearby and many other properties in the vicinity. 'What is this to do with Tesco?'  you might ask. Well, St James's Investments is a company that works with Tesco to acquire land that Tesco leases for its stores.

Tesco would like to build a superstore on the corner of New England Hill with London Road and to do this they want (through St James's Investments) to buy up the land between Vantage Point and New England House. Some of this land is owned by the Council, who would have to sell for the scheme to go ahead.

Local councillors organise a meeting to test local opinion

On 9th May 2008 I attended a meeting organised by the councillors of the area affected to discuss the proposals and what could be done by opponents of the scheme. The meeting discussed the good points about London Road (its community feel, the variety of small shops, the existence of a market, the importance of bus transport to the area and the appeal of the area to less wealthy groups within our society) and also what is lacking in the area (a thriving open market, green spaces for all, pedestrian friendly areas).

Will Tesco encourage other shops into the area?

Tesco suggests that a superstore could help to revive the whole area and attract other shops into the area. They argue that a department store is what the London Road area needs after the closure of the Coop. It is certainly the case that London Road was at its most vibrant when there was a Mark & Spencer, Woolworth's, Boots and Sainsbury's. Opponents of the scheme, however, maintain that a Tesco superstore would turn London Road into another cloned high street, destroying the soul of the area and, by forcing rents up, making it very difficult for small, independent shops to exist.

The NLCA discusses Tesco

The question of Tesco building a superstore was discussed at the May 2008 NLCA meeting and there was general condemnation of the project given Tesco's dominance of the retail sector and the way that small independent shops tend to suffer and often close down. There are already two supermarkets in the area - does the area really need a third? The generation of traffic in an area of already poor air quality was another concern raised. But does the condemnation of Tesco nationwide just reflect the concerns of a middle class group and have nothing to do with what a lot of the local residents might want. After all Tesco does provide a one stop shop.

What do you think? Let us have your views.