Comments on: Waitrose food store proposal

By: Gary.

Gary. — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:36:43 +0000

Since the proposals were made I have been looking around various areas in the U K at retail shopping facilities, especially bearing in mnd the size of Knowle in my deliberations. Two specific locations, although bigger than Knowle, have similar socio-economic groups to those of Knowle. These are Fleet in Hampshire and Kenilworth in Warwickshire. The former had a new Waitrose store two years ago and the later slightly longer.

Fleet has one shopping street with Waitrose positioned at the rear very close to residential property with a car park that can only accomodate 50 vehicles, which has never been full on visits because the largest majority of clientele walk for their shopping.

Kenilworth now has atriving High Street after being in the doldrums some five years ago. In fact one shop owner last week explained how pleased he was to see both a new independant grocer open and a W H Smith. He stated that also that Woolworths was under offer and all this is because of the arrival of Waitrose in the town.

Do we want our Highb Street to die? Think about the future more carefully before condeming any future development.

By: Bob James

Bob James — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:37:58 +0000

THE ATTRACTION OF WAITROSE ?

The proposals for Knowle are based on the premise that the current appearance of the village from St. John’s Close is cluttered and unattractive. So, what do we have at present? Looking from left to right: first we see the Post Office building; then the car park next to Village Hall and the view behind of the Precinct and another car park; then the Village Hall itself; next is the roadway leading to two small car parks; finally the row of Community Bungalows. Now, what are the wonderful changes that will enhance all our lives? The Post Office building will remain; also the car park (now next to the Store) with the view behind to the Precinct; the Hall will be replaced by the much larger Store; the roadway and the bungalows will be replaced by a large car park, with views beyond of new bungalows and new Hall squeezed into the far right.

This is supposed to be an improvement? To my mind the proposals do not address the issues of clutter or attractiveness, and will look much worse than the current street scene.

There are some who say that we must accept the proposals because we will not get a better deal. This is coercion by the back door. We should not be prepared to accept second best, but must work with the developers to devise a plan that primarily respects and meets the needs of the people who live in Knowle, rather than the grandiose schemes of investors.

By: marjie

marjie — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:40:34 +0000

Hi, I feel very disappointed and saddened at the proposal of another super-market in Knowle. I only shop there occasionally but I love the way Knowle has stood still in time. It’s lovely to see small family
businesses, everybody seems so helpful and friendly, which creates a lovely, friendly atmosphere. It reminds me of an old fashioned village, which are rapidly disappearing in this day and age. My real sentiments are: my home is in Ilfracombe, North Devon. less than five years ago the same thing happened there- A proposal of a big chain super-store was presented, which received a lot of support from the local residents, including myself. The plans went ahead, forcing the smaller businesses out. The high street now mainly consists of boarded up empty shops, restaurants, charity and second hand shops. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t got a problem with the latter but it’s nice to have a choice of shops…Also, because the shops have closed down- there’s not so much competition, which in return allows the super-market to put up their prices and charge what ever they like! and although it’s part of a big chain store, and One would think that prices would be the same, they are not!

So, please don’t just think about the near future for Knowle , but also the longer future. Because, once these changes go ahead there’s no turning back. You’ll just be left with the memories of how nice Knowle ones was!

Also, I’d just like to give my support to Mrs Hill, I’ve read all what she has to say, and yeah, I feel sorry for her, with all that business with the garden shed because it’s not just a shed! Plans were in progress for it to serve a much more needed cause, which would be of great benefit to the whole of the family. Thus, Mrs Hill has shown concern, not just for herself but to the whole of the community in Knowle, especially towards the old lady having her light blocked…So, I wish Mrs Hill and all those who are opposed to the developmental plans- good luck in getting them turned!!

By: sue

sue — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:16:16 +0000

There is a link/article on thesilhillian.blogspot.com today, well worth a quick read, saying that Caroline Spelman is questioning the development. This has to be encouraging.

By: Mrs Hill

Mrs Hill — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:04:37 +0000

Thank you, it means a lot to our family to recieve some support. I have just left a post on the bungalow forum bit too if anyone wants to read and add any comments to that. Have a good weekend all, We are keeping our chins up. I will send views to Diana Holl, thank you so much.

By: susan J

susan J — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:25:25 +0000

I read Mrs Hill’s letter in the Observer last week, I had a great deal of sympathy. I now have even more. This is not just about a shed, as we all know. I wonder whether these people are being deliberately obtuse, or are they really that unkind and insensitive? As far as supporters of the scheme go…… well, it takesall sorts, but I’ve been dissapointed in the small number of people who give an impression of having a complete and total disregard for others, including the elderly. No sign compassion whatsovever, but more worrying is the tone of anger.

I know this is a very worrying time, but I have a genuine belief that our councillors will serve us well, we must make them aware of our feelings. Ward Counciller Diana Holl Allen has a letter in the Solihull news this week asking for opinions to be sent to herself. Why not email all of these people…. dhollallen@solihull.gov.uk, jpotts@solihull.gov.uk,arebeiro@solihull.gov.uk. The post above about the Guild of Fine Foods is really interesting, another good argument to add to the already strong reasons to get this scheme kicked out!
Let’s stay positive, more letters to the papers too!

Congratulations on your new baby Mrs Hill.

By: Mrs Hill

Mrs Hill — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:21:21 +0000

I also read this on the internet and copied and pasted it as it may be of interest for some.

Waitrose has been the winner of many plaudits for its policies on local sourcing and environmental sustainability, and its customers have been happy to pay higher prices for their goods. But the growth of Waitrose, which aims to double annual sales in the next decade, poses a bigger threat to the future of independent delicatessens and farm shops than Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s, according to a report published this week.
A survey for the Guild of Fine Foods - whose 618 members represent around 25% of the deli and farm shop sector in the UK - revealed that two-thirds of the store owners said they considered Waitrose to be more of a worry than any other retail chain, and three out of five store owners thought that Waitrose’s programme of expansion was bad news.

The guild’s director, Bob Farrand, said: “Waitrose actively mimics delis and farm shops with speciality and locally sourced foods, but often at lower prices because of its buying power. There’s no doubt it’s more of a threat than, say, Tesco or Asda.

By: Mrs Hill

Mrs Hill — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:07:20 +0000

I wrote a letter to the newspaper last week (Observer) stating our objections as a family to this proposal. In that letter I wrote that our shed is vital to us, as we live on St Johns Close, and that the new proposed bungalows threaten our home and the safety and enjoyment of it. The plans for the bungalows are encroaching onto our boundary at the side of our house that we rent from Solihull mbc, these plans appear to cut through our existing brick shed. The first we knew of these plans was when planning notification came through the post.
We called Julia Sykes to voice our concerns,who visited our property and agreed with us that the plans are not clearly stating where they want to build in relation to our boundary.
We were promised a speedy reponse as to why the developers have put plans forward that encroach onto our home. This was on the 16th March and still we have heard nothing, despite ringing her several times. I know she has to go back to the developer with various questions but this is extremely frustrating.
We asked Julia Sykes if the council would be willing to let our shed go in favour of the development of the bungalows, to which she said she didn’t know. Well we want answers, and deserve to be treated with respect. We have waited more than two weeks now with no reassurance from anyone and no clarification of the plans which is such a deflating feeling.
We were told to send in letters of objection for the 6th April, but feel there is a bias here as we do not know exactly what we are dealing with. It is only fair that we should be given all the correct details in order to respond accordingly.
It’s sad that families can be messed around by multiple companies. They obviously think they can just move the village around to suit their needs, with complete disregard for existing residents. It is even sadder that the local council can put us through this stress. How can this be allowed to happen? We pay our rent, council tax etc, and my husband and I work hard, and enjoy our life here. We feel that because we do not own the house, it is thought by these people with the power that it is alright to push us around like we do not matter. As far as we are concerned the council have badly let us down. These houses were let out to give people the right to decent housing and to enable them to enjoy a decent standard of living, however the last few weeks have been a terrible worry for our family, and yet they’ve taken their rent as usual. We are just a number to them. It seems that the developers are dangling a big fat carrot in front of them. We want to know to what cost will the council allow this to go ahead?
As a family, we feel so powerless against this with noone to represent us and other unhappy residents that we have spoken with. I agree with what somone posted about the need for people to send in complaints and not just post them on here. Objections need to go to Julia Sykes, but Solihull mbc tenants also have to write in and object to the usual address at Meriden Drive, as apparantly they have been told that the tenants have no objections!! The chair man of Solihull mbc will raise our concerns in meetings but you must write in!
We went along to the meeting last week at Arden school, and I got up and spoke, but didn’t feel able to fully say all of our objections as we were told to keep it brief. There were people there that didn’t even get to have their say, despite having their hands up and waiting patiently. This is very unfair. Why be invited to a meeting if we are not given the opportunity to raise all of our concerns.
I am pleased that I wrote into the paper, and tried to highlight various views of many residents that we have spoken to that object to the plans. I raised some important flaws in the selfish plans, like the increased dangerous traffic this build would bring. I also raised the point of an elderly person’s window being completely overshadowed by the build, as well as what it would do to our home.
When the weekly paper arrived yesterday I was extremely saddened and offended by a response to my letter in the paper. This person clearly lacks empathy for others. We are baffled as to how anyone could write that they have read with ‘bemusement’ the objections, and to write that ‘ someone even wrote to protect their shed’ is simply heartless, and goes against the community spirit that exists in this village. If that person reads this, I would ask you to consider how you would feel if your home was threatened? Would you be happy to recieve plans that cut through your shed? Would you see it as acceptable for a multiple company to behave without consideration of you and your neighbours?
I just wish that people kept an open mind, and held back on sweeping assumptions without knowing the details. The person that wrote that obviously thinks it is just a shed, but they do not understand the full implications of how the build would upset us in our home. Firstly it’s the principle of it, that globalisation threatens Knowle in every way and plans to destroy all in it’s path. Secondly, our shed is not just a shed for us. This person mentioned the disabled and mothers. Well I’m a mother to four young children and one has a long term disability. Having had various assessments and meetings, Solihull mbc agreed to convert our shed into a bedroom on medical grounds for our child. This would have been built imminently had it not been for this build. Now the plans are on hold as we await a response. How do you explain to your children this injustice? How can greedy developers do this without care for people living within a boundary, and why have we not had any support on this matter from the local council. We have a six week old daughter, who we should be able to just enjoy, and we should be able to enjoy this Easter holiday as a family, but instead the weekend will be spent writing letters of objection, and wondering what the future holds for our family and this village.
We will fight this all the way, we are totally disgusted at the underhanded appraoch of these developers. Whether they are cutting into our boundary or just planning on blocking our light and invade our privacy, we will fight this. We have had no fore warning, departments of solihull mbc obviously didn’t as they have planned to convert our existing shed for us. Now our calls are not being returned as they have put the plans on hold as they wait to hear what is happening, meanwhile we still have a medical need. If they take our shed as part of the development we will still have a medical need for the extra room, so what will they do with us because we won’t be moved out for developers!
It’s heart breaking having a child with a disability, and it’s heart breaking this is now happening. We just want a quiet life in a peaceful village. I would rather wrestle the isles of tesco than the roads with the traffic. I fear for my children if this goes ahead as well as the wider village. Surely improvements could be made in other ways.
We would like to get get in touch with our local MP about this, if anyone has any contact numbers or supportive advice we’d be really grateful. Sorry for any spelling mistakes, our baby’s not yet sleeping through, and having to go through all this is rather draining.

Donna

By: Lynda Downes

Lynda Downes — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:14:28 +0000

Yes, Waitrose has a good brand image but do we need another supermarket in Knowle when there is already a branch of a major supermarket located in the ” commercial ” part of the centre.Yes, competition is good but if the proposal results in the closure of independent traders on the High Street and indeed the other supermarket, the result is a supermarket with no competition: indeed with a monopoly and with higher than average prices. I would not use Waitrose for my regular weekly shop as I wouldn’t shop at M and S for the same reasons. My main concern is the effect on the community, roads, pedestrians when the supermarket needs stock replenishment and we are bombarded by large delivery vehicles. All roads leading to Knowle will be affected and I echo other comments posted here: GRIDLOCK. It may actually drive the locals away to shop where they can park for free and have reeasonably sized car parking spaces.

By: Mr Robinson

Mr Robinson — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:49:15 +0000

Knowle is a large place, I am sure there are people from all demographics with different views on this issue. I am not sure it is fair for either camp to impose their views on others without some form of process to find out the true level of feeling.

I am not sure a Waitrose and a new village hall constitutes the rat race.