Tesco / ASDA !!!

[Dave]

Sorry, I meant exmarpleite, not marplexile!

[Duke Fame]

firstly by way of background i lived in marple for 25 years and have lived elsewhere for as long but my family still live in the town so i have observed the "tesco" debate with interest and wanted to make some observations from an outside maybe more objective position

 6 if the no camp succeed what is there vision for the town ,because the retail offer willcontinue to decline andso far all i have seen are lots of people claiming a superstore will be its death knell ,as an outsider believe me it looks like its doing a good job of dying without any help
7 marple has aeging population ,look at stocports bc website for some stats ,turning away asuperstore wont help reverse that
8 lastly ,beware an MP after votes ,andrew stunnell may make noises of support but remember he is a liberal mp in a coalition most liberal voters hate and with a small majority to defend AND he is a minister in eric pickles department which has published the most radical shake up proposals to planning for thelast 20 years and at the heart of the changes is the assumption that development should go ahead unless there are overwhelming reasons against and that economic development and jobs come first ,localism is a red herring and that includes retail development

Some sweeping generalisations amongst that,

6. Not really true, the retail offer in the town / village will thrive if the visitor numbers are high. As someone who has connections with a retail business who is considering opening a branch of her shop in Marple, I can assure you that if the numbers are right, new retails will come. A supermarket 1/2 mile up the road will not make those numbers look attractive.
7. Everyone ages, it's a fact of life. Whilst turning away a superstore will not reverse the aging process, I'm not aware that having one will.

8 I'm not sure Liberal voters hate them being in coalition, in fact, surely that is the best anyone who does not vote for the two dominant parties can hope for.  I voted Lib Dem this round and I was thrilled for them to hold the balance of power. Stunnell & Pickles are absolutely spot on, development should not be held back wherever possible, the fact Stunnell Understands that this would be a development that will cause more harm thatn good, I'd say that's what an MP iis supposed to do.

[Dave]

I can't agree with marplexile that the town is 'dying' - far from it: I've lived here for 27 years and the town and its shops are better now than at any time during that period.

However, in all other respects s/he is spot on. Sometimes you see things more clearly from further away!

As for our MP, he may or may not be re-elected next time, but his support for MIA is unlikely to have any bearing on that.

[Harry]

I should think the idea of multi level car parks is the way to go. This seems to have worked very well at Waitrose in Cheadle Hulme.

I now I am going to sound really cheeky but I don't mean to, but I imagine you as being someone who has  just left school/ college  Do you shop in a supermarket ? silly question I know but I have just built up a picture of you  over time  

It seems like just a few months since I left school and college. Unfortunately, its nearly a lifetime ago.

[moonforest]

1. Everyone in Marple? Evidence?
2. Ditto.
3. Marple shopping centre has undergone improvements in recent years and there is a good variety of shops.
4. Marple is often referred to as a village because that's what people do...it may no longer be the size of a village but it retains many of the elements of a village i.e. a close knit community, community events and festivals, many community groups and a lot of people of all ages who have grown up here and lived here all their lives. Referring to Marple as a village doesn't mean the people of Marple are "backward looking".
5. Hanbury's old site would be more than adequate for Marple's needs.
6. I have to disgree that Marple is "doing a good job of dying", perhaps you've been away too long. A visit on a sunny Saturday morning will show you just how "dying" Marple is! The precinct isn't simply a shopping centre it is also a sociable place where people meet and chat or sit outside and enjoy a coffee with friends.
7. Why would anyone want to reverse the numbers of older folk in Marple?
8. I'm not a political person but would agree that it is important to closely examine  the motivations of anyone with a possible political agenda in getting involved with our campaign.

[exmarpleite]

firstly by way of background i lived in marple for 25 years and have lived elsewhere for as long but my family still live in the town so i have observed the "tesco" debate with interest and wanted to make some observations from an outside maybe more objective position
1 everyone agrees the coop is a very poor retail offer
2 everyone agrees most people are currently travelling out of marple for their primary convenience shopping
3 marple shopping centre has been getting worse for over a decade now with no sign of improvement
4 a lot of people refer to marple as a village ,it isnt itsa medium sized town ,it stopped being a village in the 60s 70s when all the housing estates were built ,this is very important as that rose coloured memory of a place long gone colours some peoples opinions and is backward looking not forward
5 there is no sequentially suitable site in the town closer than hibbert st for a superstore able to compete with the coop or to stop people driving out of town to shop,chadkirk st is far too small
 6 if the no camp succeed what is there vision for the town ,because the retail offer willcontinue to decline andso far all i have seen are lots of people claiming a superstore will be its death knell ,as an outsider believe me it looks like its doing a good job of dying without any help
7 marple has aeging population ,look at stocports bc website for some stats ,turning away asuperstore wont help reverse that
8 lastly ,beware an MP after votes ,andrew stunnell may make noises of support but remember he is a liberal mp in a coalition most liberal voters hate and with a small majority to defend AND he is a minister in eric pickles department which has published the most radical shake up proposals to planning for thelast 20 years and at the heart of the changes is the assumption that development should go ahead unless there are overwhelming reasons against and that economic development and jobs come first ,localism is a red herring and that includes retail development

[Miss Marple]

I should think the idea of multi level car parks is the way to go. This seems to have worked very well at Waitrose in Cheadle Hulme.

I now I am going to sound really cheeky but I don't mean to, but I imagine you as being someone who has  just left school/ college  Do you shop in a supermarket ? silly question I know but I have just built up a picture of you  over time   

[NeilCorrie]

hear hear !!! at last somebody else that i agree with.....ITS A COLLAGE it should stay as a COLLAGE or a school no ifs or buts!

Actually its niether a collage nor a school.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

so what is it then harry,campus ? your gonna amaze me with a technical correct name for the said buildings on hibbert lane that EVERYONE calls the collage!,that used to be a school cant wait 

collage? 
noun
a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope.

college
noun
an institution of higher learning, especially one providing a general or liberal arts education rather than technical or professional training.

[rotten john]

hear hear !!! at last somebody else that i agree with.....ITS A COLLAGE it should stay as a COLLAGE or a school no ifs or buts!

Actually its niether a collage nor a school.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

so what is it then harry,campus ? your gonna amaze me with a technical correct name for the said buildings on hibbert lane that EVERYONE calls the collage!,that used to be a school cant wait 

[Harry]

hear hear !!! at last somebody else that i agree with.....ITS A COLLAGE it should stay as a COLLAGE or a school no ifs or buts!

Actually its niether a collage nor a school.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[rotten john]

I'm sure the college can become more efficient and create more income streams with a bit of thought, selling the land is an easy fix, using their assets more productively is more skilful. If the current guy doesn't have the financial background to pull it, there are plenty who can.

hear hear !!! at last somebody else that i agree with.....ITS A COLLAGE it should stay as a COLLAGE or a school no ifs or buts!

[Belly]

I have to say I have very real concerns regarding the localism bill. For something that is supposed to help improve the planning system by giving further weight to the local voice, there is a real danger that it could morph into a NIMBY's charter.  

There is an awful lot of important infrastructure that needs to be delivered in this country (not supermarkets obviously)which is always the subject of 'not here, try somewhere else, as long as its not on my patch' resposes from local ation groups - often going against the needs and wishes of the wider community (eg: town, borough, county). The localism bill could really put the cat amongst the pigeons, and create major delay and confusion, after all what is local?

I know that the potential ramifications of the bill really worry local authorities, as we are probably about to enter some real unchartered planning territory, where a lot of early decisions are going to act as test cases for the rest of the country. Get ready for a great big mess, which I suspect is the sub-text of the SMBC's planners comments.

[sooty2]

Thanks Mabel,interesting reading!

[mabel]

Forgot this bit as well - very relevant

Requirement to consult communities before submitting very large
planning applications
To further strengthen the role of local communities in planning, the Bill will
introduce a new requirement for developers to consult local communities
before submitting planning applications for very large developments. This will
give local people a chance to comment when there is still genuine scope to
make changes to proposals. 

[mabel]

I believe this was the information brought up yesterday at the Local Area Meeting

Neighbourhood planning
Instead of local people being told what to do, the Government thinks that local
communities should have genuine opportunities to influence the future of the
places where they live.  The Bill will introduce a new right for communities to
draw up a ‘neighbourhood development plan’. 
Neighbourhood planning will allow communities to come together through a
local parish council or neighbourhood forum and say where they think new
houses, businesses and shops should go – and what they should look like. 
11These neighbourhood development plans could be very simple, or go into
considerable detail where people want.  Local communities would also be
able to grant full or outline planning permission in areas where they most want
to see new homes and businesses, making it easier and quicker for
development to go ahead.   
Provided a neighbourhood development plan is in line with national planning
policy, with the strategic vision for the wider area set by the local authority,
and with other legal requirements, local people will be able to vote on it in a
referendum.  If the plan is approved by a majority, then the local authority will
bring it into force.
Local planning authorities will be required to provide technical advice and
support as neighbourhoods draw up their plans.  The Government will also
fund sources of help and advice for communities.  This will help people take
advantage of the opportunity to exercise influence over decisions that make a
big difference to their lives. 
(taken from the Plain English Guide to The Localism Bill http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishguide)

The question of how Andrew Stunnell voted was also raised.  His record of voting can be viewed here
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/40307&showall=yes#divisions