09/03/11……’We want dialogue’ says Sainsbury’s

LOCAL residents associations and community groups met with consultants for Sainsbury?s last night to quiz them about plans for a supermarket on the current Cattlemarket site in North Street, Thame.

Several concerns were voiced about the implications of such a large store on that particular site, including increased traffic generation in the area, the effect on smaller shops in the town, loss of town centre parking, disturbance to residents from delivery vehicles at night and the affect of such a development on any future community use of the site.

Rob Allaway, Managing Director of GKA, a specialist political and community relations consultancy to the property development industry, explained that his client wanted dialogue with the community to tackle their concerns and to listen to what they want. ?At this stage,? he said, nothing has been ruled in or out? of the eventual proposal. “We want dialogue to learn about your concerns and ideas.”

SHOPPING ‘LEAKAGE’

He explained that, because the results of a telephone survey, carried out at the end of last year (2010), showed that 25% of people from the outlying areas of the town came into Thame to do their main weekly shop and there is ?leakage? from the town to other stores such as Asda, Wheatley, and Tesco, Sainsbury believed that it can make a good planning case for the new store.

Sainsbury?s current store in the High Street, Mr Allaway explained, was only generally used for ?top up? shopping and that the proposed 20,000 sq ft new store would enable more lines to be carried and so encourage people to do their main, weekly shopping there.

He admitted that they would expect to attract people from Waitrose as well as Asda and Tesco but when questioned, pointed out that some smaller shops in the town would benefit from more people shopping at the new store.

WHAT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY?

Several questioners wanted to know what benefits as a whole the community of Thame would get as a result of the proposal, Bob Champion remarking: ?Surely this will be the final nail in the coffin for a sizable community facility within easy reach of the town centre??

Mr Allaway replied: ?The benefits to the town would be the security of the Cattlemarket (Ed. which Sainsbury?s will pay to move to the Thame Show ground) and the long term future of the Thame Show. Also, some traders will see it as a benefit that people from Thame who go elsewhere for shopping will stay.?

SOME BUILDINGS WOULD GO

As well as the demolition and relocation of the Racquets Fitness Centre, already the subject of an agreement between Racquets and Sainsbury’s, it was revealed that the public toilets in the Cattlemarket, which have recently been renovated, are intended to be demolished and replaced by toilets inside the proposed store, and that the demolition of Walkers? building on the corner of North Street and Wellington Street is likely, to create easier access to the site from the town centre.

It was made very clear last night that the over-riding feeling of the local people there, was that a worthwhile community facility or facilities, would be the price that any successful developer of the Thame Cattlemarket site would have to pay.

WHAT?S NEXT

The Town Clerk, Helen Steward, told the meeting that Thame Town Council, as part of the Localism Bill, will be looking at the town?s needs for the next 10-15 years and will be holding a meeting next week to begin work on a Town Plan.

She asked the representatives at the meeting to go back to their groups and get feedback, and that the council would call more meetings to get everyone?s views. She pointed out that there is a local Town Council election in May.

Ron Swanson, representing the newly formed Oxford Road Residents? Association, said: ?We need a town plan linking things together, including this proposal and that for new housing on Site F for example.?

Asked how much a town plan would cost to put together, Helen Steward replied that it would be around