Ledbury Sainsbury's plan rejected (From Hereford Times)
Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting HT NEWS to 80360 or e-mail us
Ledbury Sainsbury's plan rejected
10:02am Friday 3rd February 2012 in Ledbury By David Higgs
A CONTROVERSIAL planning application to build a Sainsbury's superstore in Ledbury has failed to win the backing of councillors.
Ledbury Town Council last night voted to reject the proposal for a 30,000 sq ft foodstore and petrol station off Leadon Way.
Members of the public on both sides of the debate spoke ahead of the vote at a packed Market House.
A final decision on the application will be made by Herefordshire Council's planning committee.
Comments(18)
Colin J Marschall
says...
1:31pm Sun 5 Feb 12
Hickson
says...
10:56am Tue 7 Feb 12
Colin J Marschall
says...
11:17am Tue 7 Feb 12
Hickson wrote:Hickson - The same reply goes to you as to your "over zealous" Mr Hadley, you remember the one told to "sit town" a number of times by the mayor, If as you say LESS are being run by a PR firm put the proof into the public domain ie "put up or shut up".
... and there you have it, GBW incarnate - straight from the horses mouth
Hickson
says...
12:10pm Tue 7 Feb 12
I imagine you scanning the net, daily, voraciously, checking what's written, making your points when necessary and doing a late night round just to finish everything off before lights out.
It's all so predictable.
Still, I'm off now and probably won't be bothering these pages again - I don't need the aggrevation.
Colin J Marschall
says...
12:53pm Tue 7 Feb 12
Hickson wrote:Probably because the LOTS members aren't posting that much.
I'm sorry Colin, I know it was naughty of me. I just couldn't resist .... it's been nearly 24 hours since anybody made an aggressive assault on the internet.
I imagine you scanning the net, daily, voraciously, checking what's written, making your points when necessary and doing a late night round just to finish everything off before lights out.
It's all so predictable.
Still, I'm off now and probably won't be bothering these pages again - I don't need the aggrevation.
Hilary Jones
says...
1:41pm Wed 8 Feb 12
Colin J Marschall
says...
1:54pm Wed 8 Feb 12
LOOTS supporter
says...
12:38pm Thu 9 Feb 12
There will be many more national and local organisations, parish Councils, businesses and private individuals who can and will send in their objections alongside Ledbury Town Council. I would suggest that people look at the evidence on www.saveledbury.com if they want more evidence on this planning application.
No outcome from this issue will suit everyone involved, but there is a compromise which suits most residents and traders that I have spoken with over many weeks of campaigning. That compromise is an enhancement of the present badly designed and managed Tesco supermarket.
The Planning Officer has expressed support for this plan and it would give ample space for more parking and selling space.
Valerie McLean
Valerie McLean
jmccabe
says...
1:23pm Thu 9 Feb 12
As an aside can I just point out, mainly for Colin Marschall's benefit, that it is made clear on the article on the www.saveledbury.com website that LOTS would not necessarily support an expansion on the Orchard Lane site of the size that's been discussed with Tesco.
I, for one, would almost certainly object to that plan. Expanding to that extent would still have the aim of drawing custom in from Malvern, Ross, and the Hereford and Gloucester directions causing traffic chaos in Ledbury.
If Tesco does decide to try to expand the Orchard Lane site then they must only do it to an extent that Ledbury's transport infrastructure (which, with half-a-bypass, and single lane roads in the town centre - New Street & Worcester Road) can support.
jmccabe
says...
3:48pm Thu 9 Feb 12
jmccabe wrote: (which, with half-a-bypass, and single lane roads in the town centre - New Street & Worcester Road)
Oops - forgot to finish that sentence... should've said:
"(which, with half-a-bypass, and single lane roads in the town centre - New Street & Worcester Road - is not very effective)"
LOOTS supporter
says...
4:11pm Thu 9 Feb 12
LOOTS supporter
says...
4:13pm Thu 9 Feb 12
Andrew Warmington
says...
5:38pm Thu 9 Feb 12
However, Anthony Peake's proposal shows conclusively that Tesco can do what it said at the outset it couldn't do, i.e. deliver a much bigger supermarket on its current edge-of-town site that could encompass all of the extra retail space needed in Ledbury by 2026. If they tried to do this and no more, I would be in favour.
RichHadley
says...
7:37am Fri 17 Feb 12
Like his PR handlers, Mr Marschall has a very flimsy grasp of the truth. I was not told to "sit down" several times by the mayor. I was shouted to do so by a baying crowd of LESS supporters. At the end of the allotted 30 minutes public submission time, anti-superstore speakers had been given eleven minutes to put their case, while LESS had occupied nineteen. Quite reasonably, I stood up to ask the Mayor for additional space, which was refused, unreasonably.
Mr Marschall will also recall the deplorable behaviour of his LESS colleagues as they coughed, snored, yawned, talked, and booed while anyone spoke with which they disagreed. It was as if we were sharing a room with a group of unruly fourth formers. The Mayor did nothing to rein back this unacceptable and infantile behaviour.
Meanwhile, the LOTS contingent, myself included, listened quietly and courteously to everything that was said - including the interminably rambling, ill-informed and misleading contributions from the LESS side. Mrs White's rant was particularly unpleasant , decidedly off-piste from a PR point of view.
Although the meeting went our way, it was a deeply depressing experience. You would have to go a long way to witness such a spectacular display of intolerance, incompetence and ignorance.
Finally, and perhaps most disturbing was the evident fact that so few of the town councillors, much less the pro-superstore people, had actually read the Sainsbury's planning application. To do so, it would be quite clear that the size of the proposed store is unsustainable in Ledbury without severely harming existing trading conditions in the High Street, never mind its out of town location.
Given now Herefordshire Planning Department's comprehensive rejection on solid planning law and policy, it remains for Sainsbury's to subject themselves to a humiliating defeat - or, much more likely a strategic withdrawal of their application on the eve of the committee, just like Tesco did.
Colin J Marschall
says...
5:31pm Mon 20 Feb 12
RichHadley wrote:While I agree with you that some of the things that went on in that meeting should have been stopped .. they do tend to pale a little when someone argues with the Chairman of the Council, and sorry Rich you were told to sit down by the Chairman on several occasions, irrelevant on the time issue, the Chairman clearly stated that he would allow 30 mins for the public to speak, he did not say 15 mins per side, as it was 4 people spoke from LESS & LOTS which seems pretty fair to me. I also note that you ingnored the Chairman asking for all mobile phones to be switched off as you timed each speaker.
Colin Marschall: The same reply goes to you as to your "over zealous" Mr Hadley, you remember the one told to "sit town" a number of times by the mayor.
Like his PR handlers, Mr Marschall has a very flimsy grasp of the truth. I was not told to "sit down" several times by the mayor. I was shouted to do so by a baying crowd of LESS supporters. At the end of the allotted 30 minutes public submission time, anti-superstore speakers had been given eleven minutes to put their case, while LESS had occupied nineteen. Quite reasonably, I stood up to ask the Mayor for additional space, which was refused, unreasonably.
Mr Marschall will also recall the deplorable behaviour of his LESS colleagues as they coughed, snored, yawned, talked, and booed while anyone spoke with which they disagreed. It was as if we were sharing a room with a group of unruly fourth formers. The Mayor did nothing to rein back this unacceptable and infantile behaviour.
Meanwhile, the LOTS contingent, myself included, listened quietly and courteously to everything that was said - including the interminably rambling, ill-informed and misleading contributions from the LESS side. Mrs White's rant was particularly unpleasant , decidedly off-piste from a PR point of view.
Although the meeting went our way, it was a deeply depressing experience. You would have to go a long way to witness such a spectacular display of intolerance, incompetence and ignorance.
Finally, and perhaps most disturbing was the evident fact that so few of the town councillors, much less the pro-superstore people, had actually read the Sainsbury's planning application. To do so, it would be quite clear that the size of the proposed store is unsustainable in Ledbury without severely harming existing trading conditions in the High Street, never mind its out of town location.
Given now Herefordshire Planning Department's comprehensive rejection on solid planning law and policy, it remains for Sainsbury's to subject themselves to a humiliating defeat - or, much more likely a strategic withdrawal of their application on the eve of the committee, just like Tesco did.
RichHadley
says...
6:04pm Mon 20 Feb 12
baboo2you
says...
7:02pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Hickson wrote:I have to agree with you Hickson, the newspaper seems to have recruited some new admin staff. I wish I had as much time to scan the internet, I get here on if the other half allows it, or shouts that I am more interested in the PC than her, mmmm better not comment. Apart from a few menswear items and other bits of clothing that people have always went to Hereford, Worcester or even Cheltenham (for years what will Sainsbury offer, s for if the Sainsburys was built would they stop going there? its not like everyweek people do a monthly shop for clothing is it, well I don't thats does not include the missus. Colin J Marschall my missus thinks you should get a job with Neighbourhood watch or the local Constabulary cause you are eagle eyed and picking up on more points that most other people do, take that as a compliment.
I'm sorry Colin, I know it was naughty of me. I just couldn't resist .... it's been nearly 24 hours since anybody made an aggressive assault on the internet.
I imagine you scanning the net, daily, voraciously, checking what's written, making your points when necessary and doing a late night round just to finish everything off before lights out.
It's all so predictable.
Still, I'm off now and probably won't be bothering these pages again - I don't need the aggrevation.
Hickson says...
11:28am Fri 3 Feb 12
thank you