Tesco's Northgate plans under fire (From This is The West Country)

scally666 wrote:
is it just the short sighted lefties that object???

bygeorge wrote:
People in and around Bridgwater only have so much money to spend, and if they spend it in Tescos, They wont be able to spend it in any other shops in Bridgwater, so other shops will die.
A prime example is the amount of petrol stations that have had to close due to supermarket fuel prices.
I think some lessons should be learnt by history.

cidreman wrote:
Artful280
All your comments are valid ...but the development of Northgate as been planned for years ...The Town Council were aware of it ...from the early stages when the Old Blake Hospital was declassified from being a listed building ...Court Room closed , Police Station being moved , Enterprise Centre closing ..all pieces in a jigsaw ...The Town Cllrs all knew !? ..
Its a shame the Hospital site is not vacant ..Ideal Tesco ! ..maybe
But I guess the Town Cllrs will agree to build houses and flats on that area !! ....or maybe site a Portacabin for a Post -Office !

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
Bridgwater Forward says “it’s time Sedgemoor Tories declared an interest!” http://bridgwaterfor

ward.blogspot.co.uk/

2012/11/bridgwater-f

orward-says-its-time

.html

Bridgy old Boy wrote:
Ah Blue Owl so you want to encourage developers well why not...I will start by naming David Wilson Homes; Joe Notaro and Summerfield. But wait a minute you are against development on green fields......when of course it suits you ie in Durleigh but when it comes to the destruction of Brewery Field bring it on his your motto.

Whilst cidreman conveniently forgets that it is Tory Controlled Sedgemoor District Council that are the planning authority and effectively have the ultimate sway over what goes on in Bridgwater. The Town Council fundamentally has very little power.

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
Dear Mr Blue
I didn't mean to interupt your monologue on this forum, I was just offering an alternative web site in case you wanted to change the record.
There's other views out there.
Here's some more.
http://sedgemoorlabo

ur.blogspot.co.uk/20

12/11/outrage-as-cou

ncil-chief-authorise

s.html
Mr Red

the voice of common sense wrote:
Demolish the Eastover, Broadway, Salmon parade triangle, build Tesco there and leave the brewery field for what it is intended, letting the bridgwater backwards dogs use it as a toilet.

Judging by point 8 artful280 must live near the proposed site as he is worrid about his house price, must be a daily mail reader!

artful280 wrote:

the voice of common sense wrote:
Demolish the Eastover, Broadway, Salmon parade triangle, build Tesco there and leave the brewery field for what it is intended, letting the bridgwater backwards dogs use it as a toilet.

Judging by point 8 artful280 must live near the proposed site as he is worrid about his house price, must be a daily mail reader!

Yes i do live near the site. In Blacklands to be precise. And yes i am worried what affect it will have on the price of my house, but the quality of life for myself wife and child comes before that. If the only sensible comment you have about my points is what paper i read then i would change your username if i were you !!

frags27 wrote:
It seems to me there are two main issues, 1. Does Bridgwater need another Supermarket and 2. Why is it best placed in the Brewery Field anyway. A brownfield site is the best way to address this away from immediate housing. Yes EDF will bring lots of people into the immediate area which means supermarkets in general will do better anyway with this extra influx of people. Property developers gain as all the extra housing to be built on the Cellophane site, Rugby club and it makes Bridgwater a good business prospect. However what it doesn't do is improve the current road structure and it will not cope with this extra increase. I never realised how bad the traffic was until this week where I had the unfortunate task of trying to get to Taunton and get out of the Town at 8:30am and back through the town at 3pm. How do the commuters put up with it who have to do this journey everyday. I drove an extra motorway junction in the wrong way to get out of Bridgwater and double backed. 3pm today and the traffic is queued from Cross Rifles all the way back past Mole Valley to get into Bridgwater and from Junction 24 of the M5 to get into Bridgwater. What most it be like at 5pm to get in and out. How on earth is Bath Road going to cope without an urgent road built it is already not able to cope without this and the Hospital being open or officially built. Thankfully I won't have to do this journey for much more than a week but lets say I can get to Street and back whilst the People in Bridgwater are still stuck trying to get in and out of the Town. I drove through Taunton and yes it has traffic problems but.. that is not as bad as what I have experienced in Bridgwater.

sheldoncooper wrote:
With all the up market clientele the town has attracted over the last 2 - 3 years surely we should be campaigning for a Waitrose ?

Blue Owl wrote:

sheldoncooper wrote:
With all the up market clientele the town has attracted over the last 2 - 3 years surely we should be campaigning for a Waitrose ?

SheldonCooper- I can hear Bridgwater(backward)

Forward Members along with Cllr Smedley " Saying over our dead bodies" Waitrose in Bridgwater !!!!!. Obviously as you would expect I personally would welcome such an approach from Waitrose to build a Retail Store in Bridgwater. Then that certainly would be the key indicator that indeed we are heading in the right direction.
They are always seen to locate in Prime Towns and Cities, Wellington & Salisbury to name a couple.
I say Bring it On !!!!!!!!!
Regards Blue-Owl..

Blue Owl wrote:

artful280 wrote:

the voice of common sense wrote:
Demolish the Eastover, Broadway, Salmon parade triangle, build Tesco there and leave the brewery field for what it is intended, letting the bridgwater backwards dogs use it as a toilet.

Judging by point 8 artful280 must live near the proposed site as he is worrid about his house price, must be a daily mail reader!

Yes i do live near the site. In Blacklands to be precise. And yes i am worried what affect it will have on the price of my house, but the quality of life for myself wife and child comes before that. If the only sensible comment you have about my points is what paper i read then i would change your username if i were you !!

Artful 280, Whilst housing prices are being suppressed at present, everywhere the market value of Old and New properties are difficult to sell, with the incoming Employment Boom that will start soon, there is sure then to be demand.EDF, Morrisons, and numerous others. There will always be a demand for Town Centre properties, not everyone drives, and having a Tesco's store could be a reason why a buyer would be interested in housing in the Blacklands - Cambden Rd part of the Town. Do you have conclusive prove from the Towns Estate Agents that prices in the surrounding area to Northgate have seen a significant market fall, I would be interested to hear.
As for those that say that the Store will
Diminish the Brewery Field, there are to be improvements to the Play Facilities, within a 106 Agreement.
I've stated in previous " Post " the Town is changing and offering new possibilities to Residents, we can not put our heads in the sand, hoping that if we do nothing, things will stay the same. They certainly will not.!!
Regards Blue-Owl

frags27 wrote:
It seems to me there are two main issues, 1. Does Bridgwater need another Supermarket and 2. Why is it best placed in the Brewery Field anyway. A brownfield site is the best way to address this away from immediate housing. Yes EDF will bring lots of people into the immediate area which means supermarkets in general will do better anyway with this extra influx of people. Property developers gain as all the extra housing to be built on the Cellophane site, Rugby club and it makes Bridgwater a good business prospect. However what it doesn't do is improve the current road structure and it will not cope with this extra increase. I never realised how bad the traffic was until this week where I had the unfortunate task of trying to get to Taunton and get out of the Town at 8:30am and back through the town at 3pm. How do the commuters put up with it who have to do this journey everyday. I drove an extra motorway junction in the wrong way to get out of Bridgwater and double backed. 3pm today and the traffic is queued from Cross Rifles all the way back past Mole Valley to get into Bridgwater and from Junction 24 of the M5 to get into Bridgwater. What most it be like at 5pm to get in and out. How on earth is Bath Road going to cope without an urgent road built it is already not able to cope without this and the Hospital being open or officially built. Thankfully I won't have to do this journey for much more than a week but lets say I can get to Street and back whilst the People in Bridgwater are still stuck trying to get in and out of the Town. I drove through Taunton and yes it has traffic problems but.. that is not as bad as what I have experienced in Bridgwater.

Blue Owl wrote:
Frags 27. Your " Post" is exactly why the call for Major Investment to our Highway routes through and around Bridgwater, and indeed the need for the Bridgwater By-Pass, so we all feel as you do, EDF nor Somerset C C accepted that we desperately need it.Today, this morning the whole of Penel Orlieu, High St, and St Mary St were at a standstill held up by a dray lorry delivering to the latest nightclub pop the Cinema, at least 20 Mins to complete the length of High St. The question I would like answered, is just when are SCC going to start & complete the So-Called highway improvements they " Say are going to do that will elevate the traffic chaos that we all fear when Hinkley C is given the approval to build. Or do we have to wait until the extra EDF traffic is upon us.... Regards-Blue-Owl.

Bridgy old Boy wrote:
Ah Blue Owl so you want to encourage developers well why not...I will start by naming David Wilson Homes; Joe Notaro and Summerfield. But wait a minute you are against development on green fields......when of course it suits you ie in Durleigh but when it comes to the destruction of Brewery Field bring it on his your motto.

Whilst cidreman conveniently forgets that it is Tory Controlled Sedgemoor District Council that are the planning authority and effectively have the ultimate sway over what goes on in Bridgwater. The Town Council fundamentally has very little power.

kathline.dickson@sky
.com wrote:
Tesco give the impression that they can save everyone money by shopping with them, in fact they are more expensive than other supermarkets. My daughter -in- law in Yeovil has stopped shopping with Tesco and has saved twenty pounds a week with another supermarket in Yeovil, one that we already have in Bridgwater. Once we lose our green spaces in the town we can never get them back again, our young people need somewhere to play, kick a ball, run around and play games.
The proposed building is far too big for the site and far too near the residential area. Perhaps the council will reduce the council tax for all those living next to the proposed site as it will become a semi - industrial area with lorries in and out twenty four hours a day.

swjoduk wrote:

Blue Owl wrote:
Frags 27. Your " Post" is exactly why the call for Major Investment to our Highway routes through and around Bridgwater, and indeed the need for the Bridgwater By-Pass, so we all feel as you do, EDF nor Somerset C C accepted that we desperately need it.Today, this morning the whole of Penel Orlieu, High St, and St Mary St were at a standstill held up by a dray lorry delivering to the latest nightclub pop the Cinema, at least 20 Mins to complete the length of High St. The question I would like answered, is just when are SCC going to start & complete the So-Called highway improvements they " Say are going to do that will elevate the traffic chaos that we all fear when Hinkley C is given the approval to build. Or do we have to wait until the extra EDF traffic is upon us.... Regards-Blue-Owl.

How about the Colley Lane Southern Distributor road or whatever it was called, will it ever be built??

I agree, a bypass from Dunball to Cannington would have been ideal.

Maybe the road from Bristol Road over the railway to Bath Road could help ease traffic a little.

How about a Western north south route, perhaps they should have looked at a road from J24 to the A39 at Cannington.

As for Waitrose, perhaps a suitable site on the 'favoured' west side would be appropriate if they ever came to Bridgwater.

Blue Owl wrote:
Following the recent post ! I omitted to say that the Bristol Rd new link over the Railway to Morrisons Depot and the housing development through to Bath Rd. Will now not open as originally planned at end of November, it is now delayed 3 months. Into Spring of 2013.. Really all of the contributors to this Mercury Forum, should write or e.mail SCC. Councillor Harvey Suggs,expressing the utter disgust for the way we have been treated in and around Bridgwater re :Highways.
I am awaiting a reply from him, but I've allowed extra to allow for the fact he has a Flood water problem to deal with just now.
Regards Blue-Owl

cidreman wrote:
Folks ..
On these forums its always being said ..Bridgwater is dying , no large shops , likes of Primark etc .
The Town will have another £ shop before long ...No large retailer will ever open up a outlet in The High Street , Fore Street ..or Eastover .
So what are the Town Council objecting against ..your elected Town Cllrs the building of the Tesco Store or the use of Part of the Playing field ...
The Town Council were aware this area was going to be redeveloped years ago .
Have you told your Cllrs your views ..
Cllr Lerry lives in North Petherton does he use the Tescos that opened ere ...
If Cllr Smedley & The Town Council had been more proactive regarding the Post Office , it would not be sitting in a carpark ..in a Portacabin ..
Thats what having a Labour Controlled Town Council gets us (Bridgwater)
Under the Labour Group Bridgwater gets nothing ...They have no Forward Plan for the Town ..But they do have a Budget every year of over £500, 000 your money ...
So next time you walk through the Town , remember The Town Council is Labour Controlled

Fartypants wrote:
Dear all, I'm afraid I got a little distracted and shoved this whole article through Gizoogle. You can view the results via this link: http://bit.ly/UwJmpE (warning, there's some swears in the article so don't let children or maiden aunts anywhere near it). I have to say that the comments of our current (and recently departed) Councillors make a lot more sense in this version...

Boring wrote:

cidreman wrote:
Folks ..
On these forums its always being said ..Bridgwater is dying , no large shops , likes of Primark etc .
The Town will have another £ shop before long ...No large retailer will ever open up a outlet in The High Street , Fore Street ..or Eastover .
So what are the Town Council objecting against ..your elected Town Cllrs the building of the Tesco Store or the use of Part of the Playing field ...
The Town Council were aware this area was going to be redeveloped years ago .
Have you told your Cllrs your views ..
Cllr Lerry lives in North Petherton does he use the Tescos that opened ere ...
If Cllr Smedley & The Town Council had been more proactive regarding the Post Office , it would not be sitting in a carpark ..in a Portacabin ..
Thats what having a Labour Controlled Town Council gets us (Bridgwater)
Under the Labour Group Bridgwater gets nothing ...They have no Forward Plan for the Town ..But they do have a Budget every year of over £500, 000 your money ...
So next time you walk through the Town , remember The Town Council is Labour Controlled

Sorry to correct you, but if Tory controlled Sedgmoor district Council hadn't smashed down the Splash,there wouldn't be room for a Portacabin post office on that site.
But don't let the facts get in the way of your Tory propaganda.
Tory controlled SDC have no mandate for Bridgwater, the tory councillors are all from outside of BW except for TWO. So how and why should these " outsiders" decide on the future of BW ?
BW voted for 13 Labour councillors in the last council elections,so they DO have a mandate from the people.
That's democracy,but you obviously can't accept that.

Blue Owl wrote:

Boring wrote:

cidreman wrote:
Folks ..
On these forums its always being said ..Bridgwater is dying , no large shops , likes of Primark etc .
The Town will have another £ shop before long ...No large retailer will ever open up a outlet in The High Street , Fore Street ..or Eastover .
So what are the Town Council objecting against ..your elected Town Cllrs the building of the Tesco Store or the use of Part of the Playing field ...
The Town Council were aware this area was going to be redeveloped years ago .
Have you told your Cllrs your views ..
Cllr Lerry lives in North Petherton does he use the Tescos that opened ere ...
If Cllr Smedley & The Town Council had been more proactive regarding the Post Office , it would not be sitting in a carpark ..in a Portacabin ..
Thats what having a Labour Controlled Town Council gets us (Bridgwater)
Under the Labour Group Bridgwater gets nothing ...They have no Forward Plan for the Town ..But they do have a Budget every year of over £500, 000 your money ...
So next time you walk through the Town , remember The Town Council is Labour Controlled

Sorry to correct you, but if Tory controlled Sedgmoor district Council hadn't smashed down the Splash,there wouldn't be room for a Portacabin post office on that site.
But don't let the facts get in the way of your Tory propaganda.
Tory controlled SDC have no mandate for Bridgwater, the tory councillors are all from outside of BW except for TWO. So how and why should these " outsiders" decide on the future of BW ?
BW voted for 13 Labour councillors in the last council elections,so they DO have a mandate from the people.
That's democracy,but you obviously can't accept that.

So they have a Mandate of Labour Cllrs on BTCouncil, and have held the majority for some past 10 years, so thus Controlling for all that time. With all the money that it sits on , our money!! In Nat West Bank. So come on Labour if everything in Sedgemoor
You have no Political Power, then exercise what you do have and do something for the Residents of Bridgwater with our money!! Not spent on the Mayors Boudoire Opps Parlor.
Regards Blue-Owl

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
(opens one eye) No, he's still going on.....

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
Mr MBR(extreme) sorry you think that 'everything' I do is wrong. But glad you're paying attention. I think it's a judgement we both have to make as to what is right or wrong regarding the future of Bridgwater - and neither of us know for sure, but my view is that Tesco would be wrong on the Brewery field because it would harm the town centre, lose a green open space, cause traffic chaos and disrupt the lives of residents. I think theres too many supermarkets in bridgwater but if we had to have another one then it should be elsewhere as this is the wrong location. I think this is also a very widely held opinion.

MBR Extreme wrote:

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
Mr MBR(extreme) sorry you think that 'everything' I do is wrong. But glad you're paying attention. I think it's a judgement we both have to make as to what is right or wrong regarding the future of Bridgwater - and neither of us know for sure, but my view is that Tesco would be wrong on the Brewery field because it would harm the town centre, lose a green open space, cause traffic chaos and disrupt the lives of residents. I think theres too many supermarkets in bridgwater but if we had to have another one then it should be elsewhere as this is the wrong location. I think this is also a very widely held opinion.

Sorry maybe in the circles you mix the opinion is that we don't need Tescos, but everyone that I speak to wants the store so im guessing we mix in different circles. I mean when you work to 5:30 ECT you need stores to open late , I myself have driven to cribbs causeway to buy hardware from Tescos and its so much cheaper. So please mr smedley don't think you talk for the majority of the town because you most certainly do not, ask the real people who work in the factorys ECT.

crunchtime wrote:
I personally think this is a good idea. There is only one other supermarket on that side of the town bridge, meaning more traffic has to travel over the town bridge to get to any other supermarket, which only adds to the traffic that side of town. Victoria Park is only a short walk away from the brewery field and has a cafe, medical centre, and nursery in addition to the park and open space. As for noises being caused by the location it, is no different than that at Asda, so why do those neighbouring properties think they should have special treatment, with the added people this town is attracting with developments at Wilstock, Stockmoor and Kings Down, let alone the expected influx due to EDF, we are going to need this to alleviate the queues elsewhere. This town has been dying for years and having Tesco is not going to kill it anymore, it may well bring more people in to the town, with all the lines it offers, one thing that this town is lacking. We seem to be a town of low cost shops, charity shops, betting shops, cafes estate agents and public houses, can't really see Tesco putting any of those out of business.

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
MBR - there's stores locally open already at the hours you're on about and theres other Tescos closer than cribbs causeway. If a 24 hour superstore is needed in bridgwater it should be in a part of the district that wants it and can cope with it's hours and traffic movements and doesn't harm the town centre or take up green space.
Blue owl - what on earth gives you the right to be so judgemental about bridgwater forward? They've stuck to their guns for 3 years when you and your tory mates voted to shut down their swimming pool in order to build this tescos on it. You lost the election because of that and you personally were beaten by Councillor Tucker-a member of bridgwater forward and an opponent of tescos. I think these people have more finger on the pulse than you give them (or anybody) credit for.

Samej1 wrote:
I've mentioned on the 'Hinkley point workers' story another take on this proposed development - with thousands of workers likley to be staying in the area, somebody should have been pressing EDF to provide more than just a couple of football pitches.
A real legacy project should have been considered and fought for - some kind of leisure provisiont that would bering people to town. Opportunity missed, just another supermarket town.

Blue Owl wrote:

Samej1 wrote:
I've mentioned on the 'Hinkley point workers' story another take on this proposed development - with thousands of workers likley to be staying in the area, somebody should have been pressing EDF to provide more than just a couple of football pitches.
A real legacy project should have been considered and fought for - some kind of leisure provisiont that would bering people to town. Opportunity missed, just another supermarket town.

If you read a posting, I added last week re the Old Hospital Site in Eastover, Salmon Parade, boardering Monmouth St, will become a very large Site, which could if Investors were to get behind such a New Scheme could regenerate that part of BRIDGWATERs Demise, bringing new shops to Eastover itself, as I don't believe it is feasible to buy these Shops from their individual owners, en bloc. The Hospital itself can be demolished, ( keeping if required the Salmon Parade Frontage ) Replacing this with a Multicomplex Leisure Facility, I proposed that the BTC Fund Civic could be put into this as a real legacy , along with a substantial amount from EDF to give the 10.000 plus Construction workers some where to go other than the Pub, as they will not all be able to play 5 a-Side football on the pitches proposed by EDF, with are to be shared also with Bridgwater's Residents, that wish to use them !!!?.
So that, is what I would propose should be a project that we in Bridgwater Should Put up the Challenge NOW,!
Regards Blue-Owl. Still fighting for my home Towns Best Interest.

crunchtime wrote:
Blue Owl and Cllr Brian Smedley, can we please not turn this into a party political debate, who did what for whom and why. This is about Tesco site and nothing else.

Alex@SDA wrote:

crunchtime wrote:
Blue Owl and Cllr Brian Smedley, can we please not turn this into a party political debate, who did what for whom and why. This is about Tesco site and nothing else.

Well said mate.

Looks like some people go too much time on their hands.

I have got to the point where I look at the bottom to see who the posting is from and if either of the two who are playing "political ping-pong on this medium", I don't bother to read it.

Between them they have totally degenerated what was a perfectly good debate.

Boring wrote:
Blue owl, so it's boundary changes that stopped Tory councillors getting elected is it??
Dear oh dear, you just don't get it do you. Blue Ostrich would be a wiser name for you!
After all,you seem to have your head buried well and truly in the sand.

This town's decisions are being, and have been made by SDC Tories for years now.
No wonder BW is an eyesore and has less and less going for it each year.
You should be ashamed of your parties record in BW,and don't get me started on our INVISIBLE mp. ( has anyone in BW ever seen him).

Also, because of your inept and useless government we now have a town where even the Schools are divided into have's and have nots.

Two brand new schools and two decaying,run down, not fit for purpose schools,all because of the useless Mr Gove.
Before building a new superstore, shouldn't your blue friends be concentrating on giving all our children in BW the same prospects and decent facilities.
Or is it that your Tesco "friends" are more important than the education of ALL BW children ?

Boring wrote:
Blue owl, so it's boundary changes that stopped Tory councillors getting elected is it??
Dear oh dear, you just don't get it do you. Blue Ostrich would be a wiser name for you!
After all,you seem to have your head buried well and truly in the sand.

This town's decisions are being, and have been made by SDC Tories for years now.
No wonder BW is an eyesore and has less and less going for it each year.
You should be ashamed of your parties record in BW,and don't get me started on our INVISIBLE mp. ( has anyone in BW ever seen him).

Also, because of your inept and useless government we now have a town where even the Schools are divided into have's and have nots.

Two brand new schools and two decaying,run down, not fit for purpose schools,all because of the useless Mr Gove.
Before building a new superstore, shouldn't your blue friends be concentrating on giving all our children in BW the same prospects and decent facilities.
Or is it that your Tesco "friends" are more important than the education of ALL BW children ?

No but seriously wrote:
Back to the points raised, in my opinion,
before any infrastructure is built, as part of that infrastructure, transport, must be included, as a priorty. As i see it BW has had substancial development in recent years & this continues but the Transport network has not kept of with the pace of this, albeit a token gesture with the ND road.

Good practice would be to get the road infrastructure right, then Develope other infrastructure. As anyone commuting in BW now nows what a nightmare it is. I do not need to say that this only going to get worse, but i will as other post have and you dont need high intelligance to work that one out.

A suggestion, why dont we build on all the flood plains in BW, then we can all live on Boats, as the water will need to go somewhere, Langport etc wont always take enough.

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
Cllr Smedley's been a bit busy these last few days breaking the Tesco fees scandal story-which you all may note the Mercury hasn't carried... but will answer any question in a sensible environment. Trouble with this place is cidreman asks the same obsessive question 20 times, blue owl answers his own question 100 times and tells us what he thinks everyone else is thinking as if its fact....theres enough of me on various web sites and blogs to find my opinions anyway probably.

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
MBR - there's stores locally open already at the hours you're on about and theres other Tescos closer than cribbs causeway. If a 24 hour superstore is needed in bridgwater it should be in a part of the district that wants it and can cope with it's hours and traffic movements and doesn't harm the town centre or take up green space.
Blue owl - what on earth gives you the right to be so judgemental about bridgwater forward? They've stuck to their guns for 3 years when you and your tory mates voted to shut down their swimming pool in order to build this tescos on it. You lost the election because of that and you personally were beaten by Councillor Tucker-a member of bridgwater forward and an opponent of tescos. I think these people have more finger on the pulse than you give them (or anybody) credit for.

Cllr Brian Smedley wrote:
Cllr Smedley's been a bit busy these last few days breaking the Tesco fees scandal story-which you all may note the Mercury hasn't carried... but will answer any question in a sensible environment. Trouble with this place is cidreman asks the same obsessive question 20 times, blue owl answers his own question 100 times and tells us what he thinks everyone else is thinking as if its fact....theres enough of me on various web sites and blogs to find my opinions anyway probably.