Thame Cattlemarket move backer supports supermarket
THE main supporter and spokesman for Thame farmers who want the cattlemarket to move to Thame Showground, has said that he is doubtful that anything other than a large supermarket on the North Street site would make the move viable.
Local Developer and former President of Thame Show, Bob Williams, whose original ‘vision’ it was to keep the cattlemarket in Thame and save the struggling Thame Show, has driven the proposed move to combine the two within the new site. He said today that he feels frustrated that the district council (SODC) which owns the current cattlemarket site, “..does not seem to want to engage and talk to me.”
Mr Williams said that he has told SOCD that both Sainsbury’s and Tesco believe that Thame has the capacity for a new supermarket and believe that people who should be coming to Thame to shop are not doing so. “There is a case to be made,” he said.
Mr Williams said that he does not believe that a new development on the North Street site, including a community facility, would easily be viable without a large supermarket.
“Thame show lost money again last year,” said Mr Williams, “and if the cattlemarket cannot relocate soon, it will go somewhere else away from Thame.”
“There are some big decisions to be made in the next few months – things need to be resolved,” he concluded.
South Oxfordshire District Council are against a large supermarket on the North Street site, and indeed Tesco lost an appeal at a public enquiry into objections made to the draft Local Plan for South Oxfordshire three years ago.
It is understood that the council is refusing to enter into negotiations about proposals that include a supermarket.
NB SEE previous articles on Thamenews.Net:
Bad news for Tesco
