Demand calls (From Malvern Gazette)

Mrs White,

A number of your statements are rather questionable.

You claim, for example, that developments such as this have helped to keep other towns busy and mention Leominster and Evesham. A quick search on google can help you find information on the effects Safeway (now Morrisons) had on Leominster town centre within a short time of it opening and it certainly was not beneficial to the town centre (based on the drop in retail income of many of the shops there). Furthermore I have friends who live in Evesham who have recently pointed out to me that the town centre there is dead due to out of town developments.

As for Tewkesbury, although I work there I seldom go in to town but it never seems particularly busy to me. The town centre car parks nearly always have numerous free spaces available, even when the market is on, and the shops are never particularly crowded.

It's very interesting that you should mention Ludlow since Ludlow is very comparable to Ledbury in size/population and character. However Ludlow's Tesco has little in common with Sainsbury's plans for Ledbury.

First of all Tesco in Ludlow is an in-town location with a number of small retailers and businesses directly adjacent to it; in contrast Sainsbury's plan is a site that is almost a mile by road from the town centre. It takes a good amount of time to walk there from the town centre and, laden down with shopping, would take even longer back up the hill (not withstanding your comment on the radio about how long it used to take you to walk there, the fact is, it is well known that you live between the town centre and Sainsbury's proposed site).

Secondly Tesco Ludlow is right next to Ludlow's railway station, even closer, in fact, than the current Tesco in Ledbury is to Ledbury railway station, hence shoppers do not need to rely on cars to get there. In contrast Sainsbury's plan is on Ledbury's 'bypass' (for want of a better word), in an industrial estate location that means shoppers will rely heavily on their cars to get there.

Thirdly, and most importantly some would say, Ludlow's Tesco has a retail area of 20,500sq ft (with Ludlow having a population of just under 11,000). In contrast Sainsbury's application is for a store with 30,000sq ft of retail space, almost exactly 50% BIGGER, sited in a town that currently (well, mid-2010) has a population of 9,800 or so.

The difference is substantial and means that Ludlow is a prime example of a town that does NOT support your argument. It does, however, support the LOTS argument that Sainsbury's plan is for a store that is too big and in the wrong location.

You also point out that Tesco, being close to the town centre, does not encourage many to walk there. I'm not sure whether you mean walk to Tesco or walk to town from Tesco. Sure, many people do drive to Tesco because they have little option to take home their 'big shop' however the parking available at Tesco and the proximity to the town centre (only a few minutes walk) does encourage people to walk from Tesco in to town.

Now to Ledbury's gradual expansion. We have two issues here. First of all there are those who claim that Ledbury continues to be the fastest growing town in Herefordshire. This claim is based on a report by Herefordshire Council that points out the growth of Ledbury between mid-2001 and mid-2010 as being 7%. In fact, if you look at the raw data, you'll find that, up to mid-2007 that growth was slightly higher however between mid-2007 and the lates official figures available (mid-2010) there was a drop in Ledbury's population of around 1%. The point here is that clearly the growth of the late-90s/early-00s has ceased.

Of course, and this brings me on to the second issue, the plans afoot to build up to 800 new homes in Ledbury over the next 14 years. That will, of course, result in a renewal of Ledbury's growth but by how much? Government forecasts show that, by 2026 the average household size will be 2.13. It is reasonable therefore to assume that the prospective increase in Ledbury's population as a result will be around 1,700 bringing the total population of Ledbury to around 11,500 (from a mid-2010 base of 9,800).

This is, again, comparable to Ludlow.

On those grounds, what justification could there possibly be for an expansion of supermarket retail area of 250%+ (based on current supermarket retail area estimate of a little under 20,000sqft between Tesco and Co-op combined)?

Finally there is the question of jobs. Sainsbury's claim up to 220 jobs will be created (with evidence in their plans that slightly more than 40 will be full-time) and Galebreaker apparently up to 10 so a total of 230. There is significant supporting evidence from around thh country that jobs will be lost as a result. There are studies that have quantified the amount and suggested more will be lost than gained. Irrespective of whether that is true or not, it is almost certain that, if Sainsbury's were to open, there would be jobs lost from shops in the town centre and it is not unlikely there will be significant job losses from one of the existing town centre/edge of town supermarkets. However you look at it the 'headline' figure of 230 jobs is simply a ploy to appease the locals and the planners. It is intriguing that Tesco, who had planned a similar sized store, had a headline figure that was 10% lower than Sainsbury's.

I hope this helps.

jmccabe said:
On those grounds, what justification could there possibly be for an expansion of supermarket retail area of 250%+ (based on current supermarket retail area estimate of a little under 20,000sqft between Tesco and Co-op combined)?

Just to clarify, as i'm sure this will be misinterpreted by some people!

If Sainsbury's plans were approved Ledbury's supermarket retail area will be 250% of what it is now, I.e. an increase of 150%.

For reference, reports commissioned by Herefordshire Council forecast a need for around 1,600sq m (very roughly 16,000sq ft) of additional retail space in Ledbury by 2026. This is slightly more than half of what Sainsbury's are proposing but i'm sure i'm not the only one who would expect this additional area to be provided by more than one retailer!

".... residents require good, cost-effective shopping facilities within the area, and these are just not currently available in the town.... "

I agree

Ledbury is a town

Ledbury is a small town

A small town doesn't need a 30,000 sq ft monstrosity of a supermarket.

The end.

The projected increase in population has been taken into account in planning. The county planners have worked out that, even assuming all 800 houses are built and fully occupied by 2026, the amount of extra retail space needed in the whole town is about a third the size of the proposed Sainsbury's. Which is why they have recommended for refusal.