Supermarket’s bid to build in Thame
On 10/11/2014 At 3:15 pm
Category : Missed a ThameNews story?, More News, Thame news
Responses : 39 Comments
TESCO has announced that it wants to build a supermarket, an eight-pump petrol station, new offices and car parking, on the edge of Thame.
Tesco today confirmed that it would like to redevelop the Howland Road site it has owned since 1996, which is currently leased to DAF Trucks and also occupied by Kubota, R E Foster, Lucy Electric, M40 Cars and GMQ. The supermarket giant claims that such a development would boost the local economy by providing around 200 jobs for local people.
Jack Pearson, Tesco’s Corporate Affairs Manager, said: “We have been keen to open a supermarket in Thame for many years and think that a store would be popular.”
A public Consultation will be carried out before a formal planning application is submitted, beginning with an exhibition at the Barns Centre, Thame, on Novemer 28 and 29.
Back in 1994 and then again in 1999, Tesco failed attempts to gain planning permission for an out-of-town store on the same site, and then turned its interest to the Cattlemarket site where it was equally unsuccessful in 2004/5.
As before, Tesco’s main claim is that their supermarket will prevent money being drained away to supermarkets in other towns. In 1994, the then Thame Chamber of Commerce joined the ‘Save the Heart of Thame’ campaign to fight the proposals, its Chairman claiming that there were already five major supermarkets within 15 miles of the town, and that the chamber did not want to spoil the character of Thame.
He said the local authority’s independent consultants, at the time, Hillier Parker, has estimated that a Tesco would take £10m out of the centre of Thame.
Whether or not it will be fourth time lucky for Tesco, will depend largely on a proven need in an expanding town, and the provisions made for retail supermarkets in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.
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The worse thing that could that happen to Thame would be to have a Tesco on the outskirts of the town, many of the small shops would disappear for ever.
I fully support having a Tesco in Thame. I hope it goes ahead!
We really need for the Thame chamber of commerce, or whatever it is now, to step up and fight for the centre of Thame again.
An out of store a tesco of the size planned will rip out the heart of our town, and many businesses will go under.
Come on Tesco we need you to come back to Thame and compete with snobsville expensive supermarket Waitrose!
No way do we need a Tescos, Asda yes x
why are people so keen about trying to kill off a beautiful little town like Thame,Ive worked all over the country and the market towns are vanishing quick ,this is a true gem lets keep it this way.
There are many business in Thame which will suffer because of this development if people are so obsessed with Tesco go online for your shopping.
This must NOT go ahead.
I own a small business in the center of Thame,this will be the end off my shop if this goes ahead.
Thame has such a great reputation for small independent business and this will only put a abrupt end to that,lets just hope this goes away before many small shops in Thame do.
What next – high rise flats on Oxford road? This would just be another nail in the coffin of the town plan, which clearly states retail should be kept in the town centre. If we don’t all work together to stop the developers then our own part of town will be next.
Tell your town and district councillors if you oppose it. Even if they personally support it they have to represent you. The same for our MP and residents associations; make it clear to them if you are against this.
Tesco are being investigated by the serious fraud squad , that’s a Criminal investigation at head office level!!! They do not care about local communities, just their profits.
Good just what Thame needs as I go to asda in high Wycombe once a month & top up shop in town
Can you please confirm that you are a Thame area resident. Thanks Ed.
I personally welcome an opportunity – it will be good for the consumer especially when most people still do a ‘big’ shop outside of the town – let alone the job opportunities it will create plus the potential to bring more people into the the town – whether it be a Lidl/Aldi, Tesco or Poundland!!
The independent food shops would struggle with a larger supermarket but if Thame absolutely needs a bigger supermarket then the best solution would be for sainsburys to move and be part of the cattle market development. m&s or similar shop to move into sainsburys site. Tesco should keep out…thame should remain a tesco free zone !
No thanks not against new development but very much against supporting Tesco,known for its bullying tactics ! Hopefully people will rise up against this bid and keep Tesco out !
Makes me laugh all you people saying no we don’t want you no stay away tesco but your the first ones to say stuff the farmers we want houses for are kids we are happy to alow Lord williams school to move on to farm land so they can build houses on there old site happy for them to take grass fields around the by pass to supply your kids with houses but no tesco’s your not welcome really some people that live in thame need to just think about what they are saying
No thanks Tesco or anyone else who wants to build out of town shopping in Thame. One of the best things about Thame is the High Street, exactly how will this development enhance that.
I would prefer to see an aldi or lidl store in thame, would be much nicer!!!
100% against this development. It would overload the already busy roads and take much needed business from a classic market town. There are already two supermarkets serving the local area as well as a host of good local businesses.
We don’t need or want this Tesco and I urge every resident to attend the planning meetings and raise awareness. Block this proposal! As for Tesco, they have stores in Aylesbury and Princes Risborough, which is more than enough.
With any luck Tesco will not have the business case anyway looking at their finances.
Thame is vibrant shire market town with a busy, diverse and successful town centre – and one of the main reasons for this is because it doesn’t have an out of town superstore!
Those who talk about allowing “progress” need to visit some other market towns and see the empty shops or the endless charity shops in their high streets. It is not “small minded” to want to stop this potential development, it is vital to the town’s ongoing success.
Thame is a huge success – dont allow Tesco (or anyone else) to set up a store and suck the life out of our lovely town.
A lot of small minded people on here trying to stop development.of Thame yet again. Its about time Thame moved into the 21st Century. Tesco’s would be welcome as far as I’m concerned and well overdue. A lot of “self interest” people blocked Sainsbury’s plan for the town centre so now an out of town plan is hopefully what you will get.. I have lived in Long Crendon / Thame for 61 years and ran a local company for 28 years so am well qualified to comment on this.
Tescos Yay!
The “Thame Plan” is pretty clear that this site is for Employment use only, not a food store, and the additional retail space that the town needs should be predominantly in the town centre.
Thame, deserves quality.. Tescos is everything but this!!! Understand thame is a thriving town, which is doing absolutely fine without the bull dozer tactics of them!!! It’s a BIG NO from me!!!!!!
its time people stopped living in the past thame is an ever expanding place and needs improvements like this I also think putting a 99p store or pounland here would help keep locals happy to shop in thame instead of oxford or Aylesbury
No thanks! Thame as we know it would never survive a supermarket of this size. If people want Tescos they can order online no need for a supermarket!
Say “NO” to Tesco and save Thame Town Centre
No No No
In 2012 the Sainsbury plan was rejected which would have at least retained customers and spend within the current buoyant town centre. So how now could an out of town store ever possibly be considered as an option thereby driving custom out of the centre! For the sake of the long term future of our successful town centre we should come together and fight this ludicrous proposal.
Good for Tesco, bad for everyone else. It would suck the life from the town.
Nope. No one wants a tesco
No thank you tesco.
No thank you Tesco. don’t need nor want you. what about all the people already working on the site?
Puzzling that Tesco want to do this, given the recently reported downturn in the trade of some of their supermarkets around the country. I can’t see that this would be anything but deleterious to town centre trade and life. As for the description of the site: it is on the outskirts of Thame. It is not a suburb of Thame. Given the other nearby developments already approved, one of them contrary to the Neighbourhood Plan (Howland Road), I wonder whether Tesco are envisaging the scene as a future suburb. That up to now is not on the public map. Beware thin ends of wedges.
We certainly do not need another supermarket or more petrol pumps in Thame. It would drain money from the centre of town by taking people out of the centre. Haven’t they got the message yet?!
About time too.come on Tesco.
This would be ideal! Co-op and Saisnbury’s arent big enough for thame and arent the best!, also with the number of houses going up a bigger supermarket and another petrol station IS needed !
This would be so bad for the town. We have butcher and bakeries which would not survive this
Nope, nope, nope.
Tesco would be great for Thame, if people don’t want to use it that’s entirely up to them, surely more choice & competition is good for the consumer.
With the large number of new houses proposed the current supermarkets in town are inadequate. Large numbers of residents already drive to Wheatley and Aylesbury, if a new store reduces this then that has to be a good thing.
It is time Tesco’s accepted that we do not want them here!
If they insist upon trying to force themselves on us, they are simply demonstrating how unethical and immoral that they are, simply using their enormous financial muscle to force themselves upon our community. We should deal with them in the same way as we would any other bully; resist them, reject their approaches, use the law, and make it impossible for them to function here!