We have just been passed this press release from the “No Tesco in Stokes Croft” campaign from Claire Milne.

Campaign Update!

STOP PRESS!

Imminent opportunity to stop Tesco from opening on Cheltenham Road.

Last week representatives from the No Tesco in Stokes Croft campaign met with Bristol City Council (BCC) to discuss the proposed Tesco on Cheltenham Road. The main outcomes of the meeting were:

Imminent opportunity to stop Tesco from opening up on Cheltenham Road

–        Tesco are due to apply for final planning permission w/c 23 March.

–        This process is called PAN8 and concerns the impact of a Tesco shop front on local heritage.

–        BCC have been meeting with Tesco to help tailor their architectural plans to be accepted through this final planning process

–        Thanks to the strength of your campaigning the decision will be made by a Committee at a public meeting in May /June rather than by a case officer behind closed doors.

–        Officially the Committee will only take into consideration issues regarding the impact of a Tesco shop front on local heritage.

–        The Committee is made up of Councillors who are human beings who can’t help but be influenced by the overwhleming strength and breadth of our concerns.

Current planning law is failing the local community

–        Planning law says BCC is not allowed to discriminate bewteen the impacts of an independent retailer and that of a supermarket.

–        This means BCC did not consult the local community on whether they want a supermarket

–        We pointed out that current planning law is therefore preventing BCC from delivering on its overarching objective of meeting the needs of local communities.

–        Efforts continue at the local and national level to lobby for planning policy change but so far the corporate lobby has managed to ensure planning law continues to serve the needs of big business rather than that of local communities.

96% of 700 surveyed believe we don’t need another supermarket

BCC sent letters to 55 local residents back in October asking them how they felt about a retail unit opening on Cheltenham road. They received absolutely no response. This may come as no surprise conidering we have been unable to find anyone who received the letter, despite visiting all the addresses the letters were sent to.

Our own door to door surveys however show that 96% of those 700 we surveyed believe Cheltenham Road does not need another supermarket.

What’s more, more than 2000 campaign postcards will this week be delivered to BCC by local traders shining the spotlight on the community’s resounding ‘No’ to Tesco. This some 2000 is in addition to the overwhelming number of cards BCC have already received directly.

TAKE ACTION!

**Use this final planning process to tell BCC why you don’t want a Tesco on Cheltenham road.

We will be producing new campaign postcards for you to feed into this final planning process and holding another public meeting to explain this stage of the planning process and how you can be most effective.