The public meeting at Roundhill School to discuss Tesco’s plans was packed on Monday evening with standing room only and around 250 people attending. There was overwhelming concern about the detrimental effect the enlarged Tesco store will have on our community, both in terms of traffic congestion and the damage it will do to our smaller retailers. Issues of road safety for pedestrians was raised as well as concerns for the character of our town being irrevocably changed.
Dr. Matthew Frost, a civil engineer who teaches Highway Engineering at Loughborough University, was on the panel and fielded questions about road capacity. People wanted to know how the problem of congestion could be alleviated if the larger store is built. He stated that the remedy to overcome the traffic problem is not straightforward, especially given that the Middle Street/Station Road junction is already at capacity. Alternative routes for traffic could be looked at, for instance Queen’s Road, and traffic light timings could be changed at Middle Street/Station Road as well as junctions further afield. The proposed left turn off Station Road into the proposed double deck car park may alleviate the junction and the tram should increase the junction’s capacity if people change from car to tram use. However, he stated that Tesco’s Transport Assessment has only looked at the Middle Street/Station Road junction and not at the knock-on effect of congestion on Broadgate and Chilwell Road. He concluded that the new store will inevitably bring more traffic to Beeston and that traffic congestion will worsen, despite all the potential strategies he mentioned.
Steve Carr, County Councillor for Beeston North stated that the County Council had concluded that the Middle Street/Station Road junction “will not work”.
One audience member asked whether the land, which is currently designated for retail use, could be re-designated when the Local Plan is updated with the new Local Development Framework. Nick Palmer MP said that re-designation was possible and in that event Tesco would have to be compensated. However, he stated that future generations may thank us for it.
Nick Palmer asked for a show of hands on whether people would prefer a Tesco or for the site to remain derelict, hypothetically, for the next ten years. The response was overwhelming. People would prefer an empty space and no development at all if it meant Tesco would not build!
Everyone was urged to write an objection to the council if they hadn’t already done so. No deadline has yet been set.
Dave said
In my view if Tesco and local planners resolve the Middle Street/ Station Road traffic flow issues then I can’t see how the council can prevent the development.
Beeston has been a mess for years with its 60′s designed concrete eyesore shops (quite a few charities). Come on Tesco and NET don’t lose heart in our little town make it a better greener environmentally friendly place for us all.
Banks, along–side politicians and the government have been demonised following the credit crisis, with a further 50% of respondents claiming that they have little trust in them.
Banks are reluctant to loan money to small businesses in Beeston and help them during the financial crises that they created. The local council is stagnated and sits on the fence so the Greens can have there day and save the world.
Last month, Tesco’s financial director Andrew Higgins announced the retailer’s plans to enter the mortgage and current accounts markets following the nationalisation of leading financial institutions, asserting that customers are ‘looking for a service they can trust’ (Marketing, 28 October).
Asda has also said that it is considering expanding its financial-services operation, which already comprises credit cards and personal loans, into the mortgage market.
Tesco should be given the chance to develop on this site and show the planners they are here to unify Beeston and help the businesses of Beeston.
Do the people of Beeston want the site to become a farmers market site as the Greens would want- society hasn’t collapsed just yet maybe after 21/12/12 who knows.
Michael said
Personally I would sooner see a Morrisons but all this delay seems a waste of time.
Roll-on Tesco, build it like yesterday, stop the moaning and lets have a bit of healthy competition to Sainsburys. GET ON WITH IT – or tell Tesco to clear off but do something. It’s high time the land was put to some useful purpose, it is a major eyesore.
I have lived in Beeston all my life (over 50) and would love to see something modern and new – IT WILL BE AN ASSET TO BEESTON – apart from Somerfield and Sainsburys I feel that local retailers will not suffer. Also because of the new Tesco’s pulling power I reckon there is a very good chance that it will actually BENEFIT other retailers by bringing people into Beeston.
As for traffic there could be a problem but at least Tesco are doing all they can to help. GIVE THEM A BIT OF CREDIT. Most of what I have read about this subject on the Internet makes me think that people just love the high and rocketing prices that the other two stores impose – or maybe they work there?
It’s time to shut up and get on with something. Look on the bright side for once – this world does not have to be all doom and gloom. Admittedly there is a good chance that when Tesco (and Lidl) are built Somerfield will most likely fall by the wayside, this would unfortunately be a loss to their workers but on the otherhand Tesco will end up creating many more jobs too.
Think how it could benefit our little town center instead of ways to completely stop it! Let’s stop being so damn negative about everything! progress and change make the world go round.
Well, that’s my four pence worth. I expect someone somewhere will end up condemning me for supporting the new Tesco but they are entitled to there opinions just as I am to mine.
All the best to you all – Michael xx
Lisa said
Tesco plan to build a store 3 times the size of Sainsbury’s, can Beeston really accomodate a store of that size with custom and other high street stores, Hallams, the Family Butchers, The Bean, really not suffer? I personally don’t mind some healthy competition in Beeston for the other major supermarkets, but of that size it’s not competition, it’s a take over.
They will not only be dominating the high street trade but the roads too and despite their attempts to resolve traffic congestion at Middle Street/Station Road junction they have not looked at the broader effect this will have. To get into Beeston traffic will need to enter via Chillwell Rd, Wollaton Rd, Queens Rd or Middle Street, as it does now, however with the introduction of the Tram the Cuncil wish to restrict the traffic coming in along Chillwell Rd and Middle Street. Leaving two ways in, with both Wollaton and Station road already taking a huge amount of traffic. It has been suggested in some of these plans that traffic will arrive at Tesco via Queens Road and Station Road. The irony here is that the Council won’t install a cycle route along Station Road because it’s too busy and yet it’s supposed to take more traffic!
The development of Beeston is necessary and over the last 65 years my family has already seen it change immensely, however so we really want to be a part of the Tesco world takeover and have all vistors to beeston met by traffic congestion and an immense store? The original plan when the Council brought the housing sites and offered to redevelop was to build smaller retail units and an open space, what happened to this and how do we know they won’t keep changing their mind in the future until Beeston is nothing more than an out of town shopping centre.
Lisa