The latest News
14th May 2011
Silence
As far as I can find out Tesco have gone quiet in respect of Meadows Edge. I'm still watching and listening but I can hear nothing. This does not mean Tesco have given up, quite the contrary, it probably means they are deciding there next move; what will it be?
1st October 2010
Another move from Tesco
It appears that Tesco have purchased the Riversdale Surgery, Lloyds Chemist and the associated car parks. This gives them the possibility of building a store which is as large as they previously proposed but with direct access from the Bridge Street (A6) and more ground upon which to build.
The width of the newly purchased plot is such that there would be no problem with lorries and cars turning into and out off the store. As such the planning people would probably be able to get some money out of Tesco to help with the traffic management, etc. However, it is probable that they would be able to get planning permission with no other involvement with the town. That is apart from the new surgery complex that they presumably have contracted to provide for Riversdale.
So it is possible there would be none of the benefits that have previously been put forward as good news for the town. No sports club improvements, no library, no bypass, no improvements to the access to the town centre and worst of all a large increase in traffic on Bridge Street.
The only problem I can perceive from the Tesco perspective is the increase in traffic on Bridge Street might be considered unacceptable by the panning department.
Remember the site is classified as brown field which makes the planning application easier and more likely to succeed. Further, Amber Valley already seems to have accepted the basic idea of a Tesco Super Store on this site.
The yellow block is the corner of the site Tesco already owned, the red area is the chunk I think they have now purchased. Riversdale, Lloyds, Bridge Street and Field Lane are marked to help you locate the site boundaries.
7th July 2010
The route of the bypass may be unacceptable
The proposed route of the bypass goes over the meadow between the church and the football club and this area is below the level that is acceptable to the Department for Transport. Thus it would have to be raised or another route found and both of these may not be acceptable.
Personally I find this a little silly, if built, the new section of road would end up elevated to a level above the road at the Triangle to alleviate the possibility of flooding. However, should the road be built it would end up feeding into an area that would probably already be flooded. Crazy mixed up thinking if you ask me!
1st February 2010
Interesting!
Two groups exist on Facebook supporting “Tesco for Belper” with a total membership of 645 whereas BATS “Belper against Tesco” has a membership of 276.
1st September 2009
Tesco Belper on the web?
No not yet! - Tesco are supposed to be putting up a site that will track the situation and give us there latest news and views. However, I have heard nothing from them to give me any indication of when or where the site might be on line. If you spot it before I do please let me know.
31st July 2009
Wearing a Tesco hat!
There is an old saying about knowing your enemy and although I am not sure Tesco are the enemy. I am going to try to understand the proposal from there perspective, simply because I don’t like the current proposal.
Why have the proposals been drawn up as they have?
The store will have been sized to provide enough floor space to accommodate the goods required to satisfy the catchment area. I don’t have the figures but one thing for sure that side of the equation will have been well researched by Tesco. Having defined the number of customers the number of car parking spaces is a simple calculation, again I don’t have the figures but Tesco will know how many spaces they need for a particular size and type of store.
The store sales define the number of delivery vehicles that have to arrive in any and almost every twenty four hour period. This in turn defines the service area and the number of unloading bays needed.
Tesco like all the other supermarkets will always build a garage with each store, if they can, because as we all know although the margins are small garages can make enormous amounts of money from petrol sales. On top of that the cross promotion of petrol and foodstuff is now extremely common.
Clearly as all the supermarkets now build long feeder roads into the store there is some requirement pertaining to queues on arrival and departure. These probably result from the inevitable bottleneck caused by someone reversing out into the traffic flow or something similar.
We now have three rectangular blocks and some interconnect to shuffle into the space available. If they were all just laid out flat on the floor they would fill the whole site without the addition of any extras like the bypass! Further, I expect Tesco consider Derwent Street immutable and would therefore cut something in half.
So the choices are, make it smaller or go multi-story!
All the supermarkets are totally convinced that the store should be one floor and no more I don’t know why but I would guess that people don’t wander for one part to another in the same way if they are on differing floors. So logically (remember we are being Tesco) the store has to stay one slab, the match between store area and car park area is pretty close. If we stack the store on top of the car park the problem is solved and it has advantages, i.e. the car park is covered and dry, something I would love on a cold wet day in the middle of winter.
Now placing the combined car park and store on the site gives the layout Tesco have chosen. From that point on the layout of the site that Tesco have selected makes perfect sense.
Can another layout be found that satisfies the requirement set out by Tesco?
Simple answer not that I have found.
19th June
Spot the Store
Time for a new game let’s play spot the new Tesco store. Can you find it in the picture at the top of the page?
Did you find it?
PS I have tried to be reasonable and fair, I think the size is about right and I have used colours from the background picture which are in the correct part of the spectrum. I cannot get it completely correct as I don’t have the sophisticated software or the time necessary but you get the idea.
17th July 2009
A more considered first reaction
The presentation is very pretty but extremely short on detail so some of my reaction is still based on guesswork. To be honest some of the images presented don’t appear to be consistent so I worry about the work behind the presentation.
So accordingly what happens?
- The Triangle has been destroyed gone are the big tree, the telephone box and Pyms. The good news is there is no suggestion of an island, just good old fashioned traffic lights.
- Pyms is not the only building to be demolished a number are shown as being removed unnecessarily. Or as in the case of Firestone House omitted from the video and buried under the new road.
- The Morrisons Island stays just as it is no sign of a rearrangement or any improvement. Presumably Tesco think that is somebody else’s problem.
- One local business that is almost certain to go is the Lion Garage it’s no longer on the main A6 but on a side road and to top it all off a new Tesco petrol station is on the new road. I understand this is inevitable but they deserve a replacement site on the new road.
- It’s very difficult to tell but the site seems to contain in excess of half the number shops on King St. So presumably most of the shops that can afford to move from the top end of King St will move to the revitalised Bridge St, the new Courtyard and associated shops. The Market Square and the top of King St will become quite unappealing quite possibly derelict.
- Presumably some of the shop units will be occupied by new midsized business like Argos or Comet. So some growth will occur but will it be enough to restore the balance or will existing businesses close?
- The store is huge and as far away from town as is possible within the site. Calling it a food store is just a lie I bet about half of the floor space is dedicated to non-food items. Pedestrian access to the car park will no doubt be all the way around the outside of the building or through the store to discourage people from parking and walking into town. So the links from town work for Tesco and not the town.
- The improved Rugby club facilities are shown on an area which belongs to Morrisons and where they already have planning permission to extend the car park. A corner of the rugby field which is leased from Derbyshire County Council is shown paved over and linked to the Morrison car park. Presumably the stream is in a culvert but all this will generate more instant run off when it rains.
- This is probably a mistake but shows a lack of detailed investigation and checking. - Finally for the moment the old Sikolene site has been restored to its former glory the new homes and offices and derelict listed building have magically gone and the plant is open just like ten years ago wonderful!
- This is just wrong!
I have to ask what are “Live Work Units”? Are they homes with office space, or workshops with apartment over or what? As a euphemism the name conveys little information. The drawing seems to show a four story house with a garage forming the ground floor, a bedroom on the first floor and little discernible detail above.
I also have to say two small wind turbines on the top of a building does not make it environmentally friendly. It just makes it look silly!
I am not sure Tesco have actually been to Belper yet and certainly there agents don’t seem to understand the town or its people.
16th July 2009
On Public View
Well I got it very wrong, maybe I thought Tesco might have listened to what the residents wanted but they clearly haven’t. Or maybe they have but they haven’t told the architects. If you change the outer appearance of the plans this proposal could have been put forward ten or twenty years ago and sadly I see it as a cheap dig at Belper and the World Heritage Site.
Another brick, concrete and glass jungle, Oh! I am sorry and some wood cladding and stainless steel dressing. Very nice!
This design would fit into any city centre in the world but it does not fit Belper.
I never thought I would say this but I have to agree with BATS at this time I say
“OVER MY DEAD BODY”.
However, that’s my opinion, go see the exhibition and make up you own mind.
13th July 2009
Rumours
I am told that Tesco have not released any information yet and haven’t seen or heard anything, so anything you are hearing is just rumour. I am finding it hard to but until the information is public I cannot even consider what might be in the proposal. I have said what I think but I can be very wrong.
Read what I now think Tesco might do!9th July
Tesco proposals to go on display
OK! So Tesco said they would show us there proposals in July and they are now saying next week, mid July, so on the nail.
Firestone House, opposite the old Thornton’s factory, will be open for us all to view the exhibition on:
- Thursday 16th July from 2pm - 8pm
- Friday 17th July from 12noon - 6pm
- Saturday 18th July from 10am - 2pm
I am told there will be a lot of information about the proposals and I am sure they will have someone there to take note of your comments.
Personally, I don’t know whether to be excited because it represents a big opportunity for Belper or frightened because it could be a major disaster.
However, one thing is sure; they have my attention!
13th June 2009
REPARATION OF DRAFT SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING DOCUMENT
Well the report is out and I have read it, all 206 sides of A4. Not something I would recommend to anybody, I now have a lot more respect for the people at Amber Valley who have had to read through our letters, emails, etc and write the responses. Well what does it say I can here you all asking, a one sentence summer would go:
The document stands with many minor modifications and clarifications but no substantial changes.
Amber Valley assuming they accept the changes can now go forward to the planning stage with Tesco putting forward its proposals. The changes that were accepted mostly clarify the history and the surrounding environment and make points about the value of the existing buildings and the surroundings. One clarification I hadn’t picked up results from one interpretation of the report as being in favour of a new road. Clearly it is not allowed to be in favour of such a decision it must remain neutral and allow the planning process to decide the need or otherwise for a road.
The changes that were rejected were mostly expressing, in one form or another, our fears about scale, design, traffic, flooding, history or the environment, mostly the items that will be covered in detail in the planning application. The ten minute slot allocated in Monday nights council meeting points to them expecting to accept the modifications proposed.
I have learnt a number of things I didn’t know about the history of Belper. Yes, I like most of us now am an incomer and although I have taken a great interest in the town I am a novice when it comes to the history. A short list of newly learn things about Belper:
- The Thornton’s factory is known as the Castle
- Parts of it starting life as the Empire Theatre Hall and Cinema
- Gracie Fields sang there
- It was also Belper’s first cinema
- The Brettles Factory was a Grammar School
Personally I hope we can now all get on with the next step because I hate the long time it takes to get anything like this done and dusted.
8th May 2009
Informal meeting with Tesco PR
Two of us had a surprise meeting with a PR representative of Tesco today. Sadly he let very little out of the bag but there is one little nugget (later). However we did have two hours with him and the message is very clear. The sequence of upcoming events is as follows:
- Amber Valley Planning Brief due in the next few weeks
- Tesco Exhibition and initial plan release late June
- Planning application before Christmas
- Planning Application result from Amber Valley (target 13 weeks)
The dates can slip, if the Planning Brief is not what is expected or if we react very badly to the proposal and Tesco decide to reconsider the plan. So the earliest we can possibly know what will finally happen is March next year and that assumes all goes to plan and no appeals, etc. So it rumbles on and on, these things take forever!
Update 21st May 2009The Planning Brief will not go to committee until mid-June so the release of the initial plans will not occur until July some time. As I said above the dates can and have already slipped.
However, as I said above we will have a first release of the plans in June. What we say then is our best chance at changing the final outcome. What we are shown in June will not be the final plan but the first step towards the planning application and the real horse trading, if any, will take place between June and November.
So what was let slip, oh nothing much just that not all the buildings on site will be demolished and as was said many times in the discussion nothing is for sure until the planning application is granted and all the contracts are finalised. Just like buying a house it isn’t over until it’s over.