Plans Approved
Many local people would be very pleased to have a new superstore if it was in the right place. The new town centre development plan was approved and some of it is good but many people are not happy about the Tesco plans, being out of proportion to the town and in a location that threatens the Showground, which Penistone people regard as sacrosanct. This 'food' store will be right on the edge of it and might affect the various activities that go on there, such as Bonfire Night, sporting activities, Penistone Parade and Gala and Penistone Show. Barnsley council disregarded public protests about Tesco's 'food supermarket' plan (and the 700-signature petition) and gave final approval (tv news 6th March 2007). Some of its deliberations were kept from the public eye.
'PAGE' protests against encroachment on the green area by 'Busy Bees' showed how strong local feeling can be. It was referred to in election leaflets in 2006 but in 2007, the leaflets mostly ignored anything to do with Tesco. Conservative leader David Cameron visited Penistone to whip up support for election time but said that Tesco plans were 'a local matter.' I don't suppose the election was, then. One election leaflet showed some interest (and the recent housing expansion) but others went blithely on about taxes and footpaths.
The new plans do nothing to expand our market-place. In fact it will be boxed in (nowhere to expand into) and smaller. Whoever negotiated with Tesco gave away a strong hand (why?), given that Tesco were the ones who wanted to build in Penistone. The car park should have been without strings, instead of limited to two hours for Tesco customers. How would established businesses benefit from that? What a daft deal! Even I could have argued better and I don't have the devious skills of the professionals.
The local council has been able to arrange for an overspill and free 78-space car park (Chronicle 14/12/07) using 'Netlon', which allows grass to grow through. It will also be handy for the bowling club. This will be desirable if, of course, it does not seriously intrude into the Showground.
As regards the 'food' store, only the most naive would not expect them to diversify into other goods and services. High Street businesses will be hit hard but they will still have to pay their bills, wages and rates, with less trade coming in. Follow the link at the bottom of this page for the plans.
A Done Deal
Penistone Co-op submitted their own supermarket plans a few years ago but without the same clout. Now they are crying 'foul'. Barnsley Cabinet minutes:
109. Exclusion of the Public and Press
RESOLVED that the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items, because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as described by the specific paragraphs of Part I, of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, ... (etc.)
110. Development Spokesperson – Penistone Town Centre Redevelopment (Cab.19.7.2006/15)
... The Development Spokesperson presented a report proposing that the Council enter into exclusive negotiations with Dransfield Properties for the redevelopment of Penistone Town Centre, in line with the planning brief. The meeting noted concerns raised by the Co-operative Retail Society regarding the change in the Council’s proposed approach, which was originally to seek competition for the site.... (etc.)
Barnsley council usually makes all the right democratic noises but the shutters come down when it suits them. It seems that they had something to hide. Barnsley Chronicle wrote that plans for the new 'food supermarket' were agreed behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny. It is common for councils to hide behind the Local Government Act 1972 to avoid public scrutiny or embarrassment. It helps to keep the worst culprits anonymous. Anyway, it was all decided years ago.
Snouts in the Trough
Huge supermarket chains and developers draw upon great funds, legal support and influence within regulatory departments and councils. They have plenty of practice and know what they can get away with, how to influence decisions and weaknesses of the system. It is their 'bread and butter' and they have highly-motivated experts doing this on a daily basis, as was explained in the Channel Four 'Dispatches' documentary; 'The Supermarket that's Eating Britain' (Feb. 2007).
A toadying article in 'Look Local' (Sheffield free press) wrote: 'The £15M development will retain customers in Penistone, ...' (well, Tesco's anyway - JB) '...reduce the high level of trade leakage to other town centres..' (from Tesco's?) '...and deliver prosperity to the area.' The last bit is particularly hard to swallow, as long-established businesses will lose trade and might close.
Simon Hoggart
Well-known columnist and broadcaster Simon Hoggart had something to say about Tesco in his blog:
"Speaking of Tesco, it is wonderful that this week, replying to the Competition Commission's concerns that it was getting a near monopoly of the grocery market, the chain declared that "local" shops should be defined as those within a 30-minute drive. I don't quite follow the reasoning here, but I assume it means that it's okay to open a fifth Tesco in a small market town, if people could drive, say, 25 miles to a Waitrose. Or to an independent butcher."
First Goal to Us
A few years ago, Davmar and Dransfield developers planned to demolish the oldest part of town to build a 'plastic' supermarket, right where the post office and vicarage are now. Their leaflet was called 'Focus on Revitalising Retail Trade in Penistone' and neglected to mention if the proposed car parking was for customers only.
There was fierce public outrage at what was regarded as an unsympathetic destruction of our heritage. Our council managed to kill it off but big money changed hands (for 'option to buy'). One business was offered an insulting £500 to move. It might not be obvious, but Davmar is an earlier incarnation of Dransfield Properties, from the names of David and Mark Dransfield. Can a lepoard change its spots?
Some Good, Some Bad
This time, Dransfield Properties said (before its approval) that the plan would have:
Their website says:
"We believe the long-term viability and success of any retail development depends on strong support from within the community". It selectively lists all the positive remarks from feedback forms but ignores all objections:
“I look forward to seeing it up and running”, “Please press the ‘Go’ button”, “It’s a long awaited improvement – I’m all for it”, “This development should bring Penistone into the 21st century”, “About time”, “Roll on, Can’t wait”, “Please don’t let us have to wait years for it to go ahead.”, “Good well thought plan – will shop there forever”, “There is definitely a need for a large supermarket”Surely at least some of the thousand visitors said: "We don't need a large supermarket", "The retail market will be undermined", "We don't trust you lot from the last time you came here", "You might spoil Penistone Show", "Tesco's two-hour car park will not be much use to High Street shops", "The new architecture is out of kilter", etc. Given that we have only been presented with half a story, can we trust them?
Public Relations Manager Lindsay welcomes your (clean) comments.
They claimed a high level of public support at their public presentation; that more than a thousand visitors saw the plans and, of those who filled in the forms, 74% were in favour. Of those in favour, 94% chose the more 'traditional style' of the two limited choices offered for a Tesco's. Neither of the two choices could be called 'traditional'. The developers counted the votes.
Plan number 2007860 (67kB pdf file) applied on behalf of Tescos to change the original time restrictions on deliveries. In the original application, deliveries before 8am, after 6pm, Sundays or public holidays were not allowed but the new application extends them: 6am to 11pm weekdays, 8am to 6pm Sundays
It is convenient that the new fire station can now be smaller. That will save a few pounds even if more lives are risked with the recent rapid increase in population.
Local Residents' Campaign
Penistone Residents Against Large Supermarket (PRALS) - (no findable website as yet).
Barnsley Chronicle (29/12/06) reported that a demonstration by Penistone residents took place outside Barnsley Town Hall, in protest against the proposed Tesco 'food' supermarket. They also set up a table in Penistone High Street to elicit signatures for their petition (see photo) which was well received.
Their agenda was that Penistone should develop more as a market town than a supermarket clone town. They said that the proposed supermarket would be completely out of proportion to the nature and needs of a small market town. They were also concerned about heavy traffic which would add to the expected increase from Tintwistle bypass and the loss of up to 200 jobs to local shopkeepers and other businesses. (This was before the new development in Millhouse Green).
TV's 'Calendar News' (6th March 2007) interviewed several people in Penistone, who all said the same thing; that the supermarket would be out of all proportion to the size of our town. Some liked the planned improvements.
Consideration of the Plan for a Supermarket in PenistoneWe want to see a new supermarket as part of the development of Penistone Town Centre. However, we are opposed to the present application on the grounds that the proposed Supermarket is much too large in relation to the size of the town centre as a whole. This can be represented visually in this way. The new supermarket will be approximately seven times larger than the present Co-op.
We believe that in making up your own mind about whether you are in favour of this particular development or not, consideration should be given to the following issues:
- The actual size of the proposed supermarket in relation to the surrounding environment in the town centre.
- The effect of such a large supermarket on the other shops, in the High Street. A smaller supermarket would be complementary to their presence and not overpowering.
- The effect of increased traffic in the town and the attendant problem of parking. The provision of parking spaces on the plan falls way short of the provision made in other supermarkets of a similar size.
We want to enlist your support in encouraging the Barnsley Planning Authority to reject this particular application as not being in the best interests of the long-term development of Penistone for future generations.
You can help us in the following ways:
- Signing the Petition forms which state the reasons for our objections to the present planning application.
- Attending the Penistone Forum to raise the issue of the development of the town centre in relation to the building of a supermarket.
- Lobbying of the six councillors who represent the Penistone Wards.
Together with your help and support we can persuade Barnsley Council and members of the Barnsley Planning Committee to think again before accepting this particular Planning Application. The Penistone Community deserves better than that.
Contact person for further information and Promises of Support. Peter Riley tel. 01226 790713.
Issued by Penistone Residents against Large Supermarkets
