Chadwick Street / Asda / Aldi

[Dave]

I doubt it.  Just go to Poynton or Cheadle Hulme and see the difference.  They have their Waitroses, but have also retained their independent shops, and the general level of footfall seems to be much better than it is here in Marple.   Marple is like a ghost town at times.

Remember this report from a couple of years ago? http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/documents/s25234/FINAL%20Marple%20Foodstores%20Report%20-%2022%2001.pdf    It showed that we Marple residents spend approximately twice as much on 'conveneince goods' (i.e. supermarket shopping) outside Marple than we do in Marple.  This was summarised as:


the Sainsbury’s store in Hazel Grove (£6.8m);

the out-of-centre Morrisons at Bredbury (£5.5m);

the Tesco store at Whaley Bridge (£5.2m).

the Tesco store at Wren Nest Road in Glossop (£2.6m);

the out-of-centre Tesco store at Tiviot Way (£2.4m);

the ASDA store in Stockport (£1.7m);

the ASDA store in Hyde (£1.6m); and

the Sainsbury’s store in Stockport (£1.1m).

Going back to Hoffnung's post:

I don't think that we can entirely blame the councillors.    In 2013/14 SMBC approached all the large supermarkets with the exception of Asda and Lidl to see if they had any interest in coming to Marple, specifically Chadwick Street. (my italics)

I think that's the problem: Chadwick Street, and as marpleexile suggests, our councillors almost certainly knew all along that the inherent problems with the Chadwick Street site would be a major obstacle to getting a supermarket to take it on.   These are summarised in the more recent council document posted by admin:

The original proposal for a 40,000 sq ft store obtained planning permission in 2013. It required the relocation of the Royal Mail depot and the construction of a retail unit at ground floor with parking above due to the limited size of the site. Since then the market for such units has deteriorated considerably whilst the physical obstacles remain. These are summarised below
? The Royal Mail relocation requirement,
? Higher than normal construction costs due to the unique design; and
? Highways works required to make the sites accessible.
? The need to retain the existing level of car parking and cater for any increased
demand from the development itself.

A pretty formidable list of negatives.  All in all, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that our councillors never seriously expected to get a supermarket on that site, and as Hoffnung suggests, some of them never even wanted one anyway.  Meanwhile, we all carry on spending our money in Hazel Grove and Bredbury....

[mikes]

...This undoubtedly has a negative effect on the wider Marple economy.

Or it could be a positive effect in that we retain the independent shops that those other places don't have.  Swings and roundabouts.  Personally I like Marple as it is and wouldn't want any more supermarkets.

[Dave]

More supermarkets are the last thing Marple needs. One of the nice things about living here is not having lots of supermarkets. There is no need for them.

Condate is entitled to his view, but as we know from the research  that went into the site appraisals for Hibbert Lane and Chadwick Street, it is a minority view.  That report showed that large numbers of Marple residents vote with our feet (or rather, our wheels) and choose to shop at supermarkets elsewhere - Hazel Grove, Bredbury, Stockport, Whaley Bridge etc.  This undoubtedly has a negative effect on the wider Marple economy. 

[Hoffnung]

 Condate, another supermarket is the last thing Marple needs.

[Hoffnung]

Though they played a part in it I don't think that we can entirely blame the councillors.

In 2013/14 SMBC approached all the large supermarkets with the exception of Asda and Lidl to see if they had any interest in coming to Marple, specifically Chadwick Street.

M&S said the would 'consider it' but they didn't seem very enthusiastic AND they wanted 'appearance money' and they were talking in the £millions.

Sainsbury's, Tesco & Morrisons were going through a difficult period and were just not interested in any kind of expansion.

Waitrose didn't consider that Marple was within its market.

Aldi were interested but some of the local Councillors didn't want them. As well as this some of the local Councillors didn't want any additional supermarket facility. 

Personally, I think they were right and I find myself agreeing with   

[Condate]

More supermarkets are the last thing Marple needs. One of the nice things about living here is not having lots of supermarkets. There is no need for them. We have one and used to have a vastly superior one until the Co-op moved. The shopping in Marple is suberb. I used to live in Northwich (what a surprise!) which has Sainsbury's Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose, M&S and a Co-op just closed and an Asda about to open and of course an almost empty town centre. I was very glad to move somewhere without such a pointless array of superfluous supermarkets. Marple is far superior in terms of shops. There are few things you need to go out of Marple for. When my sister came to vist recently, she commented on how lucky we are in Marple to have such excellent shopping here.

[chicken lady]

When I lived in Marple, although I used local butchers and greengrocers for all meat and veg, as well as Sainsburys Hazel Grove, I quite often went to Poynton to shop, it was a much more pleasant experience than the co-op!
Realise this is a long sentence, I'm sure the grammar pedant will check it!

[ringi]

The new supermarkets in Poynton is on a road that lots of people drive along, so it may get used by people that are "just passing" rather then someone that has gone to Poynton to shop.

[Dave]

Marpleexile's view is cynical but, I fear, probably correct.

Compare and contrast:

Poynton. Pop 14,000.  A thriving shopping centre.  Four supermarkets (Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose) catering for all markets.   Good local shops which seem to be doing very well.  Poynton attracts shoppers from quite a wide area  because it's pleasant, and above all because the range of shops means the shoppers know they will be able to find what they want.

Marple. Pop 23,000.  A very mixed shopping centre - some local shops doing well, others appearing to struggle.  Despite the much bigger population, only two supermarkets (Asda and a small Co-op).   Far from attracting shoppers into Marple, the flow here is in the other direction - many of us prefer to go elsewhere to shop because Asda doesn't always meet our requirements.

So there you are.   You can't turn the clock back, but it's hard to resist speculating on what might have been. 

1.   We know that the Co-op would have sold up, come what may, because they made a national decision to sell off all their larger supermarkets.

2.   If by that time the Asda Hibbert Lane scheme had already been going ahead, obviously the Co-op would have found a different buyer.

3.   If that other buyer had been a different kind of supermarket (Sainsbury's, Waitrose, even - gulp! - M&S!), we would now have a proper choice of supermarkets in Marple, just as Poynton does, and that would have helped to retain shoppers in Marple, to the benefit of all of us.
 
But thanks to our councillors, we are where we are.........

[marpleexile]

Thanks Mark, that's interesting - though reading between the lines, not very encouraging.  red666bear may well be right!

Nothing was ever actually going to happen though, was it? The planning permission was just a proof of concept spoiling tactic to allow the refusal of planning permission for a supermarket on the Hibbert Lane college site. With that well and truly dead, SMBC will be just doing the bare minimum to give the appearance of action until such a time as they can safely stop without triggering challenges over the refused planning permission.

[Dave]

Thanks Mark, that's interesting - though reading between the lines, not very encouraging.  red666bear may well be right!   

[admin]

There was a report presented to Marple AC in March this year.

Here's a link: http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/documents/s90067/Chadwick%20Street%20Marple%20-%20final%20report.pdf

[Dave]

A timely reminder from red666bear that over two years ago, in February 2014, SMBC resolved ' that the Corporate Directors for Corporate and Support Services and for Place Management & Regeneration, in conjunction with the Executive Councillors (Corporate, Customer & Community Services) and (Economic Development & Regeneration) be authorised to bring forward the delivery of a retail scheme on Chadwick Street, Marple utilising the Stockport Strategic Property Partnership.'

Does anyone know what's happening?  If anything?

[red666bear]

We are still here and going nowhere.

[amazon]

Back to the Co-op... Was it ever established who owned the car park? I have a vague recollection there was some doubt as to whether to Co-op had legal title. If they don't I suspect the Asda lawyers are currently tying themselves in knots....

RH.

Yet another topic it was said the coal board .owned the car park .....