However just last week, the
supermarket company, Aldi, have announced that they wish to build a supermarket
- guess where - correct, just on that piece land. What a
strange co-incidence!
The site is just 100 yards or so away from a huge Tesco store (open 24 hours) and about 100 yards or so in the other direction, on a piece of empty land between two quiet tree-lined streets, Asda have drawn up plans to build a supermarket there.
The road which would run past these is very congested at the moment as its the main road between Port Glasgow, Greenock and Gourock, so goodness only knows what will happen if both of them get permission to build!
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Robertson Street, Greenock
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| Campbell Street, Greenock |
Aside from Tesco, Greenock
already has - Morrisons, Iceland, Farm Foods, Lidl while M&S and B&M
also sell food. How much can one community consume?! Especially as we are always being informed
that the population of Inverclyde is declining.
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West Blackhall Street,
Greenock
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Meanwhile, in our town centre,
West Blackhall Street has many vacant small shops, which gives it a run down
appearance. The Oak Mall also has about
10 empty units as well as two charity shops.
Ironically Aldi chose one of these empty units to "show off"
their plans!
There is also this eyesore
right beside the bus station - complete with loading bay and
multi-storey car park. The car park is rarely
open, despite Greenock's disgraceful lack of town centre parking!
Many local people are
glad to have "more choice" in the area. But what about having the choice of a vibrant
town centre full of individual and interesting shops? That will bring more income to Inverclyde,
not giant supermarkets. As for tourists,
I don't think too many of them will be interested in visiting supermarkets.
I realise that the two
"new" supermarkets are still at the "consultation" phase of
their proposals, but it seems a bit strange that one quiet, tree-lined
street gets resurfaced recently, which, incidently, would be the street the delivery trucks would use should the plans go ahead. Then there's the pedestrian crossing leading to
a vacant piece of land.
But then, perhaps I'm just cynical!
Love, Liz
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13 comments:
It is the same here - we have aglut of horrid supermarkets Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco, M and S food, Iceland and a Co-op. I hate these big shops taking over from the traditional high street and generally avoid them if I can. The M and S and the Co-op I don't mind as they're not that big but the others are a blot on the landscape.
June
Hi Liz, we've just got our second Aldi, but have all the shops you mention too ... And Tesco are building a Metro at the other end our street, just across a residential road from a primary school entrance! It's getting ridiculous, small businesses are closing down while the giants prosper! What I'd give for a row of shops like the ones I shopped in when I first lived here, all sadly gone now. A sign of the times, but not what I'd call progress xx
'We've' (the village) have just had a massive battle with a development conglomerate (from the US) who, some years ago, quietly purchased a large industrial estate on the outskirts of the village. The rents were increased massively over three years and a lot of small businesses couldn't afford to stay there. Consequentially, the whole place shut down. Early last year the whole site was demolished. Then surprisingly, the owners put in aning application to change from a 'brown' site and erect a supermarket, petrol station, hotel, old folks home and 175 new homes !!! (we already have two Co-ops, and a Spar, a remaining petrol station (the other 3 have already closed) and no use at all for a hotel. The local parish council are in the process of building a old folks home.) We have finally won in part and the supermarket, hotel and garage have been kicked out - but the county council have passed plans for 150 homes and an old folks home. If it had gone ahead the village 'centre' would have become a ghost town and the small businesses that already struggle would have closed altogether.
If you really DON'T want any more supermarkets make you voice heard Liz, along with like minded folk - you never know you may even win :o)
(Sorry, didn't mean to go on.)
Rose H
x
Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoy seeing life in other people's worlds!
Kinda sounds like Walmart over here in America moving in and taking over. Shops have a hard time competing.
It must be some specific plan, we have the same issue here in our tiny town in new zealand, 3 supermarkets (two the same!) and two more planned, crackers and boring as a shopper. I think its because our town is percieved to be goeing, or goingvto grow, and because those ugly tilt slab buildings are so cheap to build its no great loss if it closes down. Sad.
Well put. It is a pity one of those giants doesn't move into the city centre. I am not a fan of super anythings.
I agree, we just have Asda and M&S in our High St, so not the same saturation, but it is pretty much the same as any High St now, with few individual shops these days as the big names have bought up all the smaller ones We do have 2 fab charity shops, and I do buy a lot of things there, along with Tiger and a couple of other less well-known places. Irefer to go a bit further afield for shopping where there is a bit more originality.
This seems to be the way of things everywhere these days. Last year our nearest town (not a large town by any standards) had a large Sainsbury and a large Tesco open their doors directly opposite one another only weeks apart. Linda xxx
This is just so typical of what's happening all over the UK. The 'big boys' of the supermarket world all trying to outdo one another. There are just too many of them, planning permission is sometimes given too easily, without thought to the impact on the locals, on the small businesses. Luckily there are some towns where planning permission has been rejected... we should all live there! I prefer to shop in my village or the small seaside town a few miles away, where there is a smallish Sainsbury and a larger Tesco, some distance apart from each other, the forner being in the town centre, the other on the edge. But the town centre has lots of independent shops, much more pleasant to walk around than most larger towns where it is hard to tell where you are, the high streets all look the same.
www.hometalesfromanorfolkbroad.blogspot.co.uk
It's the same here. I live in a reasonably sized town. It's 6 miles by 3 miles. We have 2 big ASDA, 3 huge Tesco (one of which is the 2nd largest in England), 1 Sainsbury, 2 Lidl, 1 Aldi, 1 Iceland and now they want to build a huge Morrison.
How many more supermarkets do we need?
Oh and don't even get me started on pound shops!!!
You just despair dont you? I still love to use the local shops where I can and always use the same little butcher. He may be a little pricier but the quality is second to none. At least with an Aldi you may get some good buys!!
It's the same here empty town center because of huge supermarkets!
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