16 March (Part 1) - ASDA opposition checks out
There
was a good turn out for last night’s planning meeting, at a guess, 50 or maybe a
few more and from both sides of the argument. The meeting was chaired by
councillor Peter Reader, he didn’t have a great deal to do. Speakers made short
speeches, councillors asked questions and council officers answered them.
Most of them were fielded by the planning boss, Mrs. Susan Clark and a Mr. Stone
from the same department. It was Mr. Stone who was most impressive, obviously a
man on top of his brief who knew the answer to every question thrown at him and
the history of planning in the area going back twelve years.
Councillor Gill MacDonald who represents Belvedere started the meeting with a
three minute speech against the proposed ASDA store. She was speaking on behalf
of the Residents’ Forum rather than as a councillor and claimed that the Nuxley
Road, Belvedere shopping centre was vibrant 20 years ago and now it had empty
shops. Much later in the meeting Mrs. Clark said that Nuxley Road was the least
at risk shopping centre in the borough with fewer empty shops than elsewhere.
The councillor said the steep and narrow road between Upper (Nuxley Road)
Belvedere and Lower was a problem, which is true but I saw nothing else in her
speech that was convincing. Possibly councillor MacDonald wasn’t really
interested one way or the other because she left the meeting immediately after
speaking. This was the subject of adverse comment later in the evening by ASDA
supporters on the bus home to Belvedere.
There were other speakers from both sides of the camp, some professionals in the
field, others not. Generally speaking the pro-ASDA speakers were far more
confident than their opposition. A Mrs. Beryl Hyde who lives near the proposed
site had organised a petition in favour of ASDA and obtained almost as many
signatures in two weeks as the anti-ASDA group had done in the several months
since the plan first surfaced.
The first councillor to speak in that capacity was Mike Slaughter who suggested he needed
more time to consider “a most difficult decision”. Mrs. Susan Clark patiently read
out most of the Addendum to the Agenda which addressed the most recently raised
objections. Why councillor Slaughter couldn’t read it for himself I do not know;
I had already done so and if you will forgive me saying so I thought it was an
admirable and well researched document which answered all my own misgivings
about the ASDA scheme. Councillor Slaughter’s concern, as he made clear later,
was that we may be wrecking Belvedere as he acknowledged Bexley council had wrecked Sidcup.
Mrs. Clark
explained in great detail why that wasn’t going to happen. She said that a
lot had been learned from the mistakes of Sidcup where Safeway (now Morrisons)
had been allowed to move in and dominate retailing in the area. Conditions were
to be imposed on ASDA which would prevent them taking on services like pharmacy
and dry cleaning which might kill the independent local businesses. I suspect the
fact that Morrisons is but two minutes walk from Sidcup centre and ASDA will
be a good half mile from Nuxley Road, separated by one of the steepest hills in
SE London, may also have an impact. No one who might otherwise nip into Nuxley
Road for a quick shop is likely to want to lug their bags back up Picardy Road
or pay £4.60 for a return trip on one of Boris’s expensive 15 minute interval buses.
The view (left) from only half way up that hill may explain why.
Another councillor with local interests, John Davey (Conservative, Lesnes ward) condemned the
plans for ASDA. The new jobs promised were a red herring he said. There is only
so much food Belvedere residents can eat so what is sold in ASDA will not be
bought in other Bexley shopping centres, oblivious to the fact that for most of
his electorate the nearest supermarket is Morrisons in Thamesmead (Greenwich)
and to get there on a bus can take 35 minutes because of its meandering route. I
speak from experience.
Mr. Stone explained in painstaking detail with reference to scientific studies
of shopping habits and to planning law that councillor Davey’s claims were
either wrong, misguided or irrelevant. Very possibly all three. Mr. Stone is
much more polite than me.
Another local councillor who made a case for more expensive food shopping in
Belvedere was that champion of the oppressed, Munir Malik (Labour, Thamesmead East).
Councillor Brian Bishop (Colyers) expressed some scepticism over the claim of 300 new job
opportunities. Part time or full time he wanted to know. So did I. Mrs. Susan
Clark thought they were 300 full time equivalent posts.
No one actually nailed their colours to the ASDA mast, it was as if everyone was ashamed
to be associated with it. Councillor John Waters admitted to having his mind
changed by the arguments and the case made by the planning officers, which was
certainly thorough. Councillor Val Clark was similarly minded to stick her head
above the parapet, everyone else seemed to be traumatized by what their earlier
decision had done for Sidcup - although parking restrictions and idiotic road
layouts could not have helped.
Despite the reservations and general lack of enthusiasm the vote went 6:4
in favour of ASDA. Let’s hope that all the road schemes ASDA has volunteered to pay for
are a success. When you get to do your shopping in ASDA instead of wasting
petrol and time getting elsewhere remember to give thanks to councillors Waters and
Clark and Mr. Stone. When you get to place an X on a ballot paper in Belvedere remember the
names Kerry Allon, Gill MacDonald, John Davey and Munir Malik, all of whom
wanted to deprive you of choice and raise your costs. Kerry Allon who had taken the leading role in
the original planning rejection took no part in the debate or vote this time.
I mentioned the bus home earlier which was filled with pro ASDA people. It is
true to say the Belvedere Residents' Forum was coming in for some stick and the
local MP who, as with so many things, supported her constituents who almost to a
man (woman?) were in favour of the ADSA proposal, was on the receiving end of a
few metaphorical bouquets. Not all Teresas are bad eggs.