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Magazine Issue 3 - Spring 1997
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| TESCO - EVERY LITTLE HURTS Tesco – bulldozing local opinion "Tesco has a tradition of involve-ment with, and support for, the communities in which it works", boasts Tesco's 1995 Annual Report. Sadly, the reality is some-what different. Tesco is indeed keen to be seen to "play an active role in its local communities", and gives money to a number of local projects. However, these activities are kept entirely separate from business: less than 5% of produce is sourced locally, and with a highly centralised distribution network there is little a store can do to respond to local consumers needs. Most importantly, the time when Tesco is deafest to local opinion is when that opinion happens to be "We don't want Tesco." The Bristol Case - When Tesco applied to build a store at Golden Hill, Bristol in 1990, 16.664 local people objected in writing. Both Bristol City Council and Avon County Council were strongly opposed to the development, as were the MP and MEP, plus all local political parties, the Bishop and many community groups. Planning permission was granted by the Secretary of State. During construction protestors first blockaded the gate and then occupied the site, and also visited the Tesco HQ and held national days of action. Eventually the store was completed in 1993. (Ethical Consumer, Nov - Dec. 1992) The Monmouth Case - In 1993 Tesco wanted to build an out-of–town superstore near Monmouth. Its favoured site was on some school playing fields, so it offered to build the school a £l.7m sports complex in exchange for the fields. However, out-of-town shopping facilities were ruled out in the county structure plan; and Monmouth Borough Council rejected the application on the grounds that it would damage the vitality and viability of the town Centre, and "would result in the loss of an important open space [in the Wye Valley] and would detract from visual amenities of the town's setting within the wider landscape" (planners' report, 1993). Despite all this, and despite strong opposition from local residents and traders (who campaigned under the banner STORM - Stop Tesco or ruin Monmouth), Tesco applied again for permission to build a superstore and a hotel on a nearby site on the same road. Once again, the Council refused permission; Tesco has appealed against the decision, and the case has gone to public inquiry. Colluding with Councils One of Tesco's favourite methods of ensuring its stores get built is a form of ‘bribery’, through the mechanism of planning gain. Planning gain is the requirement by a planning authority that a developer contribute to the public cost of its private development - eg the widening of a road to carry the extra traffic generated by the development. Though in theory a good tool, planning gain is sometimes abused, with a developer offering the authority an incentive to grant permission which is unrelated to the development itself. The Witney Case - In 1994/95 Tesco tried to ease its application in Witney by offering to wholly fund a link road to ease traffic problems in the town centre; the roads concerned would barely have been affected by the building of the store. The application was called in by the Secretary or State, who rejected it. Tesco appealed, and the Court of Appeal also ruled against Tesco. Tesco was persistent, and appealed to the House of Lords, arguing that the offer to build the link road was a "material consideration" and should provide grounds for planning permis-sion. The Lords also threw out the appeal. The Aberdare Case - In 1992 a partnership between the Welsh Development Agency (WDA), Cynon Valley Borough Council and Mid Glamorgan County Council was working on a joint regeneration venture and tried to sell some land near Aberdare. Tesco was allowed to bid late, then to re-submit a higher offer, and the company was eventually sold the land. Entirely coinciden-tally, Dr. Gwyn Jones, then chair of WDA, was a director of Tesco, and Tesco rnanaging director David Malpas was a WDA director. Robert Sheldon, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said "it seems at the very least that Tesco was on an inside track." (FT, 6/4/95, p.10). The Ludlow Case – This case illus-trates how far the law is weighted in favour of developers. Tesco applied to build a town centre store in 1993, which was rejected because the design was not sympathetic to its surroundings. Tesco re-designed the store and applied again in 1995. A strong local cam-paign led to the application being called in by John Gummer. After a public inquiry Gummer rejected it on the same grounds, despite Tesco spending a lot of money on expert representation. Unfortunately the retail impact argument was not heard. So Tesco is now preparing to redesign and apply again. Here is a list of Tesco stores currently under construction, together with their expected opening dates:
Tesco have also been trying to build in Sheringham on the Norfolk coast despite local retailers' opposition. Contact the Action Committee Chairman on 01263825720. Recommended reading: Off Our Trolleys by Hugh Raven and Tim Lang, with Caroline Dumonteil Institute for Public Policy Research, 1995. Article in The Ecologist vol. 24, no.4, p.124. SAFE Alliance: How to campaign against supermarket developments. 1996. The SAFE (Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environment) Alliance produces several excellent reports both on the problems of industrial food production and retail and on possible alternatives: Publications Officer. SAFE Alliance. 38 Ebury Street, London SW1WOLU, tel:0l71 823 5660, fax 0171 8235673, e-mail safe@gn.ape.org |
