Comments for Knowle Society Forum

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by paul

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:31:33 +0000

I agree with Peter, and all those likeminded. The whole area is going to see a massive change but the great majority seem to be rather apathetic, or relying on the common sense of our Councillors. As Peter says, once this is approved there is no going back. Waitrose will be in place before we know it. Some are quite passionate about this. There is an interesting comments thread developing on thesilhillian.blogspot about the Dorridge development.
I hope we can all stay positive and gather some momentum against both proposals.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Peter

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:09:28 +0000

I contributed earlier in the year to this forum and have had time to reflect on the Waitrose application and the associated Sainsbury development in Dorridge. I remain of the opinion that both of the current applications are deeply flawed.

Many of the contributors on this forum have presented well structured arguments that demonstrate that the Waitrose application is inappropriate. I think all residents of the surrounding area need to realise that if the application is successful and the changes made there is no going back. The application, as with the Sainsbury application, seems to follow the current penchant for squeezing developments into very small, inappropriate areas. The problem with this type of myopic application is that once built it can’t be altered due to the nature of the immediate environment and effectively you’re ‘stuck’ with it.

The issues of increased traffic, pollution, noise, poor road structures etc have been well outlined and need no further explanations. The cynic in me would say that Waitrose are keen to progress their application ASAP as if building work does begin on the currently proposed Sainsbury store it will very quickly demonstrate the inadequacies of that plan. Local opposition to the Knowle plans will then strengthen considerably.

As I see it these two supermarket plans along with the potential trebling of flights from Birmingham Airport and the potential for a High Speed Rail link across nearby countryside, maybe even at Dorridge, will make B93 a lot less pleasant place to live in than at present.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Sandie

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:56:44 +0000

Thank you Nick! I agree it’s just too big. I can’t get my head around the sheer size of it, i’m not sure that everyone fully appreciates the scale. All twenty trees are going to be ripped out along Forest road to make way for this SUPERSTORE. What will be planted in it’s place, just 5 trees along the service yard wall and then nothing whatsover, just the building itself. That will be attractive won’t it? Councillors are under the impression that there is widespread support for this scheme in the community, apart from those living close by. Why do they think that ? Mostly general word of mouth i believe. This is not a NIMBY issue. We cannot leave it to the people who live directly in the village. Obviously the people directly inconvenienced wii object, (good to see the protest signs going up!) People of the wider community must join together, against both this and the Waitrose development, JOIN DROVS, get your message across.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Nick Cromie

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:22:01 +0000

No one can honesty object to the redevelopment of Forest Court in Knowle. The only issue is over the size of the supermarket that is located there. What is currently proposed is classified by the government as a superstore. At 2,462sq m it is about 5 times the size of the recently expanded Tesco in Knowle.
Sainsbury’s estimate 700 cars per hour at peak times and given that the store is likely to be open for a minimum of 13 hours, I think we can reasonaly expect something in the region of 6-7,000 cars per day making their way to this store from lapworth, Hockley heath and all locations this side of the M42. The impact on Dorridge and Knowle will be horrendous.
I understand the Sainsbury’s have stated that all delivery lorries will leave the M42 at Junction 5, travelling down the A4141 through Knowle and turning right at the Warwick Road/Station Road junction. They will then go along Station Road to Dorridge, passing through the very small roundabout at the cricket ground. We all know how large vehicles struggle around there already.
Finally, in the region of 1,000 local children walk to school along Station Road/Grange Road, as Arden, Dorridge Junior and Dorridge Infant Schools are all located along this road. Not only will they be subjected to the increased car traffic but to the delivery lorries as well. We all know that the children tend to wander as they walk, the risks are obvious.
I urge you to object to the size of the Sainsbury’s. On the scale currently proposed, it will change the nature of Dorridge, Knowle and Bentley Heath for ever. Contact DROVS@hotmail.co.uk or call 01564 230091.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by paul

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:59:10 +0000

I particularly like what Bob James did with the “waitROSE” tinted spectacles gag. Apart from that there is nothing here to smile about. The future for B93 land is looking very bleak indeed, unless you are one of those folk who puts the grocery shopping above their quality of life. This is a great place to live, sundays feel like a sunday should feel. It’s relaxed and peaceful. We have a great deal to loose. I fear that it won’t be valued until we have lost it for good. Knowle is beautiful. It should stay as it is. Anything wrong with it will not be put right by plonking a waitrose in the middle. I will be doing my utmost to prevent the Waitrose from going ahead. I am quite sure that the Knowle society will have a coherent plan. Will that be enough? I shudder to think what might happen.
What will it take to convince people that the proposed supermarkets are bad news for the whole of B93.
The most demoralising thing i’ve heard so far is that one of our three councillors has “no objection” to the plan for Dorridge.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Amanda

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:52:06 +0000

I am in total agreement with Sandie we all need to stop and think about the negative impact that the two proposed supermarkets will have upon Knowle and Dorridge.
If the proposed superstore for Dorridge gets the go ahead at the imminent planning meeting, I understand that the anticipated 17 delivery lorries each day will be making their way from the M42 through Knowle up the Warwick Road and turning right onto Station road between the hours of 5am and 11pm. Our local road infrastructure is not designed for so many lorries in addition to the vehicles of the large number of customers that these supermarkets are aiming to attract from outlying areas. If you have concerns about the SIZE of the sainsburys SUPERSTORE proposed for Dorridge then please email them ASAP to drovs@hotmail.co.uk

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Sandie

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:14:05 +0000

I implore the citizens of Knowle and Dorridge to just stop and think of the negative impact that the two proposed supermarkets will have on the B93 area as a whole. It is total madness to cram waitrose into the space suggested. The monolithic structure proposed for Dorridge is equally as bad being double the size. This will be going to planning and could be passed as soon as March. Thankfully a group of people have come together to object to the SIZE of the sainsburys proposal. They are not an anti Sainsbury group. Residents of Knowle,Dorridge and Bentley heath join Dorridge Residents Opposed to Village Superstore (DROVS) Email your concerns to drovs@hotmail.co.uk.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Bob James

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:08:41 +0000

Sue is kidding herself, and the rest of us. The Tesco store has 10 deliveries a day! These are from all Tesco suppliers, not just Tesco lorries. If the Waitrose store were to have only one they would not do enough business.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Sue

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:09:43 +0000

In answer to Bob James’ comments about there probably being 10 - 20 Waitrose delivery vehicles per day, there will only be ONE.

Comment on Waitrose food store proposal by Bob James

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:29:34 +0000

SIZE
People of Knowle, take off your WaitROSE tinted spectacles and lets look at some facts.
The Solihull Retail, Leisure & Offices Study of Nov. 09 forecasts that Knowle needs 800 square metres of additional Convenience Store space by 2026; this proposal is for 1,400 square metres! (For comparison, the Tesco store is 560 square metres.) The Knowle Conservation Area Appraisal states that any new development must be limited in height and bulk; the proposed store is large in relation to the village, occupying an area about 3 times the size of the church. Thus the proposed store is far too large in relation to the Study forecast as well as the Appraisal limitations. Also the proposed location places it right at the centre of the village, where the Village Hall should remain. If we are to have additional store space it should be appropriately sized and located for the village and not aimed at pulling in people from further afield. Waitrose are currently building new small stores of about 230 square metres, so they are quite capable of adhering to the Study and Appraisal requirements.

PARKING
An increased car park capacity of 180 is proposed. My count of the current 4 small car parks is 127, suggesting an increase of 53. However, (1) the proposal shows the grass and trees to the West of the Hall being removed; if we want the grass and trees to remain this reduces capacity by 18; (2) 18 cars can currently park on the road outside the Hall and the Community Housing and they will not be able to under the proposal; (3) 5 cars can currently park in front of the Hall and they will not be able to under the proposal; (4) cars can currently park close together around St. John’s Close, whereas the proposal shows parking bays with less dense parking, losing 10 spaces. Altogether there is a net gain of only 2 spaces, or 20 if we let the grass and trees be removed. (By comparison, Waitrose in Hall Green has over 50 parking spaces and these are exclusive to Waitrose.)

Where are any additional shoppers meant to park? Where are the Waitrose workers meant to park? Then there are the delivery vehicles to consider, probably 10 to 20 per day, using the same roads as the shoppers. Furthermore, let’s not forget that there are times when the current car park capacity is insufficient for the current shops. We have to face the fact that there is no way to create significant extra parking space in Knowle unless really radical measures are taken, such as an underground car park, beneath St. John’s Close.