“ANCHOR STORES”: REGENERATION OR DEGENERATION?
6th February 2015
Tesco’s profits crisis means that plans for 49 shiny new stores have been ditched. Where does that leave places such as Kirkby, Bridgwater and Wolverhampton, where regeneration schemes linked to the supermarket chain now lie in ruins?
Tesco’s profits crisis means that plans for 49 shiny new stores have been ditched. Where does that leave places such as Kirkby, Bridgwater and Wolverhampton, where regeneration schemes linked to the supermarket chain now lie in ruins?
John Harris wrote a lengthy article in the G2 section of this week’s Guardian about two intertwined stories connected to Tesco’s financial crisis.
The first concerns the demise of what has effectively become Britain’s only viable model of regeneration, staking everything on an “anchor store”. This is the one size fits all policy EDDC uses. Does anyone out there have a clue what might replace it?
The first concerns the demise of what has effectively become Britain’s only viable model of regeneration, staking everything on an “anchor store”. This is the one size fits all policy EDDC uses. Does anyone out there have a clue what might replace it?
“Anchor stores”: regeneration or degeneration? | East Devon Watch
'We feel betrayed': the towns abandoned by Tesco
John Harris
Tuesday 3 February 2015
Tesco’s profits crisis means that plans for 49 shiny new stores have been ditched. Where does that leave places such as Kirkby, Bridgwater and Wolverhampton, where regeneration schemes linked to the supermarket chain now lie in ruins?
'We feel betrayed': the towns abandoned by Tesco
John Harris
Tuesday 3 February 2015
Tesco’s profits crisis means that plans for 49 shiny new stores have been ditched. Where does that leave places such as Kirkby, Bridgwater and Wolverhampton, where regeneration schemes linked to the supermarket chain now lie in ruins?
'We feel betrayed': the towns abandoned by Tesco | Business | The Guardian
Things have not been going very well for the supermarket giant...
Last year, Tesco's received the booby-prize for architecture:
Futures Forum: Woolwich Central and the Carbuncle Cup: "We worked and consulted with local communities and [the] developments have had a positive effect. We've created more than 1,000 jobs and built much-needed homes..."
The District Council has put considerable faith in supermarket-led 'regeneration' in East Devon.
The Tesco's development in Seaton has been controversial from the start:
Futures Forum: Tesco's in Seaton
Promises have been broken:
Tesco says it will sell Seaton ‘hotel site’ for flats
October 28, 2014
In May, developer McCarthy & Stone held an exhibition in the town of plans for 43 retirement homes on the regeneration site in Harbour Road owned by Tesco. No plans have as yet been submitted.TESCO has confirmed that is has an agreement with a developer that if it secures planning permission for retirement flats on its land in Seaton it will sell them the land.
But a petition with 900 names has recently been presented to East Devon District Council by Seaton residents against potential plans for retirement flats. The signatories of the petition believe a hotel is much needed in the town, which is the subject of extensive regeneration, instead.
The prospect of flats is a second blow connected to the regeneration site – last August Tesco first reduced its offer of 40 per cent affordable housing at the site to 25 per cent, then withdrew it completely.
Tesco says it will sell Seaton ‘hotel site’ for flats | Exeter Express and Echo
Meanwhile, in Sidmouth, proposals for a Morrison's raised a few hackles:
Futures Forum: The future of the Alexandria Road Industrial Estate
Futures Forum: Nice posh Sidmouth has a Waitrose: but could it do with a more down-to-earth Morrison's? Perhaps not...
In Honiton, another supermarket seemed to break its promises - lowering the price it was going to give for a District Council owned site:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: volte face: the District Council will not be moving to Skypark: "Development at Knowle and changes to destination to be considered by cabinet"
Futures Forum: Supermarket saturation point: Is there really room for more in Sidmouth and in Honiton?
Meanwhile, the hopes for developing the Skypark industrial estate have been further dampened:
Sainsbury's confirms it will not progress with huge distribution centre near Exeter
August 05, 2014
The development, that would have created hundreds of jobs, was heralded as a huge boost for the region's economy.
Things have not been going very well for the supermarket giant...
Last year, Tesco's received the booby-prize for architecture:
Futures Forum: Woolwich Central and the Carbuncle Cup: "We worked and consulted with local communities and [the] developments have had a positive effect. We've created more than 1,000 jobs and built much-needed homes..."
The District Council has put considerable faith in supermarket-led 'regeneration' in East Devon.
The Tesco's development in Seaton has been controversial from the start:
Futures Forum: Tesco's in Seaton
Promises have been broken:
Tesco says it will sell Seaton ‘hotel site’ for flats
October 28, 2014
In May, developer McCarthy & Stone held an exhibition in the town of plans for 43 retirement homes on the regeneration site in Harbour Road owned by Tesco. No plans have as yet been submitted.TESCO has confirmed that is has an agreement with a developer that if it secures planning permission for retirement flats on its land in Seaton it will sell them the land.
But a petition with 900 names has recently been presented to East Devon District Council by Seaton residents against potential plans for retirement flats. The signatories of the petition believe a hotel is much needed in the town, which is the subject of extensive regeneration, instead.
The prospect of flats is a second blow connected to the regeneration site – last August Tesco first reduced its offer of 40 per cent affordable housing at the site to 25 per cent, then withdrew it completely.
Tesco says it will sell Seaton ‘hotel site’ for flats | Exeter Express and Echo
Meanwhile, in Sidmouth, proposals for a Morrison's raised a few hackles:
Futures Forum: The future of the Alexandria Road Industrial Estate
Futures Forum: Nice posh Sidmouth has a Waitrose: but could it do with a more down-to-earth Morrison's? Perhaps not...
In Honiton, another supermarket seemed to break its promises - lowering the price it was going to give for a District Council owned site:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: volte face: the District Council will not be moving to Skypark: "Development at Knowle and changes to destination to be considered by cabinet"
Futures Forum: Supermarket saturation point: Is there really room for more in Sidmouth and in Honiton?
Meanwhile, the hopes for developing the Skypark industrial estate have been further dampened:
Sainsbury's confirms it will not progress with huge distribution centre near Exeter
August 05, 2014
The development, that would have created hundreds of jobs, was heralded as a huge boost for the region's economy.
Futures Forum: The Exeter Gateway intermodal logistics site ... Sainsbury's "has finally killed the plan to build one of the largest logistics plots available in the South West"
There are fears that planning decisions are too skewed in favour of the large-scale developer:
Futures Forum: 'Planning gain' - the replacement for S106 cash from developers - the Community Infrastructure Levy - but is it still 'bribery' by a different name?
- and yet the 'localism' agenda seemed to promise greater democratic input:
Futures Forum: LOCALISM restated >>> "Power should be decentralised down to the lowest appropriate level - to councils, to community groups and to individual taxpayers"
When it comes to supermarkets, the District Council has not wanted to balance the retail market:
Futures Forum: District Council decides against the Local Retail Levy
And yet it is clear from the reaction in the latest Herald letters pages that local people prefer the 'independent' retailer:
Futures Forum: New Economics Foundation: Clone Town Sidmouth? >>> "The towns most dependent on the biggest chains and out of town stores have proven to be most vulnerable to the economic crisis."
Futures Forum: In defence of Sidmouth's independent businesses
In the long run, however, it seems that supermarkets are an unsustainable business model anyway:
Futures Forum: Can supermarkets ever be sustainable? ... 'Localising economies is a better way of making an economy more transparent and giving people more control.'
.
.
.
There are fears that planning decisions are too skewed in favour of the large-scale developer:
Futures Forum: 'Planning gain' - the replacement for S106 cash from developers - the Community Infrastructure Levy - but is it still 'bribery' by a different name?
- and yet the 'localism' agenda seemed to promise greater democratic input:
Futures Forum: LOCALISM restated >>> "Power should be decentralised down to the lowest appropriate level - to councils, to community groups and to individual taxpayers"
When it comes to supermarkets, the District Council has not wanted to balance the retail market:
Futures Forum: District Council decides against the Local Retail Levy
And yet it is clear from the reaction in the latest Herald letters pages that local people prefer the 'independent' retailer:
Futures Forum: New Economics Foundation: Clone Town Sidmouth? >>> "The towns most dependent on the biggest chains and out of town stores have proven to be most vulnerable to the economic crisis."
Futures Forum: In defence of Sidmouth's independent businesses
In the long run, however, it seems that supermarkets are an unsustainable business model anyway:
Futures Forum: Can supermarkets ever be sustainable? ... 'Localising economies is a better way of making an economy more transparent and giving people more control.'
.
.
.
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