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The Sally Morgan Column: 'There is simply NO NEED for another Supermarket'

Thu 5 Jan 2012

I appear to have come full circle.

My very first piece of writing for 'The Cottage' was in 2002.  It was about the two fields on Le Molay Littry Way and was about using the land for a community centre and facilities for the young people.

After writing that piece I was contacted by the late Dr Alex Baker, who was the Chairman of the Community Centre Trust, to become a member of the committee.   A year later I was elected as a councillor .

We are now faced with the very real possibility that one of the four supermarket giants will use that precious community land to build a store in our town.  I, and many others, oppose that move vehemently. 

This is an emotive subject and rouses some very strong feelings, particularly when livelihoods and quality of life issues are at stake.  I do also realise that there may be some of you reading this who think that it is a good idea and see no problem with it. I will try to present some of the arguments as to why I believe a supermarket on these fields is such a bad idea.

Within the town we have a Tesco and a Spar.  We have a Co-op at the Texaco garage at Glen Lyn on the outskirts of the town, a Co-op at Trago only 2 miles away and a large Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Lidl a mere 6 miles away served by a free bus.  We are lucky to have a good range of independent shops too.  We already have pretty much everything we need on our doorstep.  There is simply no need for another supermarket

Cllr Rob Bray went on the record to say that 70% of our shopping is done outside of the town.  He is probably right.  Most of us will use supermarkets - I admit that I do.  They are a fact of modern life.  But that does not mean that we're hypocrites for opposing another one.   If Sainsbury's were to build in the town it would not improve the situation but only serve to make it worse.  It is not the actual 'shoppers' we need to keep in our town but their money!  70% of money being spent outside the town means that 30% of it is still being spent here.  A supermarket will 'suck up' most of  that remaining 30% which is usually 'top-up' shopping.  That money will go out of the town and into the pockets of shareholders.  If our local shops are to survive then the 'Bovey pound' needs to stay in Bovey.

A supermarket will not create the jobs it is often claimed will come.  the majority of jobs are low paid, low skilled positions, usually filled by the people who have lost out due to other businesses closing as a result of the supermarket being built in the first place.  There is much research to support this.  Please look at these online articles.

http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=2599                                                       

 http://www.acs.org.uk/en/Press_Office/details/index.cfm/obj_id/E36CFE95-3E6E-4821-8FE219DA565F3247

Let's not forget the impact a supermarket can have on our environment.   Supermarkets are 24hr operations, even if they're not open 24 hours.  They leave the lights on all night,  they take deliveries, they consume vast amount of resources and are generally very antisocial neighbours.  House prices surrounding supermarkets tumble dramatically and the quality of life for people living near them reduces significantly.  The potential proposal for Bovey Tracey means that green fields, trees and hedgerows will be destroyed along with all of the wildlife they once contained. 

Hundreds of houses have been proposed for Bovey Tracey in the future, all of which will be built on green fields.  Once they, and a supermarket have been built there is no going back. 

The fields will be gone forever.

It is likely that there will be little we can do about the encroaching urbanisation of our town as far as housing is concerned but we can do something about our community land.  If Bovey Tracey Town Council refuse to sell our land then no supermarket can be built there.  They need to carefully consider the impact of their decision and really listen to the views of the population.

No amount of  reimbursement  will compensate for the loss of the heart and soul of a town.



Kevin Harrison - Carpets and Vinyls Griffiths Television - Sales, service and rental