Sponsored by
Developers hit back at campaign against Whitby Tesco
A CAMPAIGN is being waged against the proposed £40m Tesco supermarket in Whitby's High Stakesby which has seen a petition gather more than 1,500 signatures.
The protest against the eco-store – which would create up to 300 jobs and also includes plans for more than 90 affordable homes, a filling station and extra care facilities – is being driven by a group of residents and business people who call themselves Whitby Residents Against Tesco.
A spokeswoman for the action group, who would not be named in the paper, said the petition has been circulating around shops locally and it is not just people in the High Stakesby area who have signed it.
She said in a statement to the Whitby Gazette: "Although additional convenience/food store floor space would be welcome to most residents, many of the residents query why attractive greenfield land has to be used on the west side of town, which is already well served by food stores, when there is a more suitable brownfield site readily available on the east side of the town, which is currently poorly served by food stores and whether the attractiveness and viability of the town centre will deteriorate further as trade is drawn out of the town and more local businesses close.
"It is also feared severe traffic congestion at the site entrance, particularly during the February to October visitor season, will cause considerable inconvenience to residents and visitors alike.
"It is understood the concern of the residents will be conveyed to Whitby Town Council and Scarborough Borough Council when the alternative planning submissions are being reviewed."
David Clancy of S Harrison said they are disappointed people are objecting before they know what the detailed plans are and before the proposals have even been submitted to the council.
He said: "As we have demonstrated already, we are very open to discussions with neighbours and others about our proposed scheme.
"It's hard to see why those behind the petition won't tell us who they are.
"Perhaps they are not interested in discussing the options or feel that their case doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
"We are confident that our scheme will bring real benefits to Whitby.
“If the leaders behind the petition contact us, we are more than happy to meet with them and hopefully allay any reasonable concerns they may have.
“When we outlined our initial ideas for how we might deliver a supermarket, filling station and much-needed affordable housing at High Stakesby, around 500 people came to view our exhibitions.
“With 1,500 people signing the petition that suggests that at least 1,000 probably haven’t found out about our scheme or discussed their concerns with us before objecting.
“People may have concerns based on rumour but they need to understand the facts – this isn’t a supermarket being placed without consideration for the surroundings.”
Mr Clancy added they will be sensitively landscaping the site and significantly improving the road junctions so that, even with increased traffic, they will work better than they do at present with current traffic levels.
l SEE Tuesday’s Whitby Gazette for an image of how the new affordable homes could look.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Scarborough
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
