Is having a Tesco in Looe really a bad thing?

A lot of debate going on on Facebook. I’m trying to get them to post their comments here. So far, most are in favour of it. The few who aren’t tend to have a vested financial interest in Tesco NOT coming to Looe.

At least it means Looe people (and Polperro etc) have a cheap supermarket nearby (like the rest of the country). Like anywhere else, it ‘s probably another death blow to the original town and the traditional smaller shops, but to be honest in Looe it’s pretty much died anyway (mostly just gift/tourist shops and charity shops) – gone are the days of 4 butchers etc unless people are prepared to pay for specialist quality. It’s just the future, like it or not. How many ‘local’ people actually make a living from the ‘local’ shops? It’s not my prob anymore as I unfortunately live elsewhere but a Tesco would def be handy when I come back down camping….

On another level, Tesco are taking over the world (buying up every corner shop in major cities plus the huge out of town sites) and I don’t know if I like it. Call me a taxi…

Well said, and I champion anyone’s efforts to bring our town ‘up to date’. I have had letter of the week in the Cornish Times regarding this subject and also a facebook page, however as you stated many of the people who had an opinion against a supermarket had a vested interest in them NOT coming. I spent almost a decade working at a holiday park which had printed a map to the nearest supermarket – Morrisons at Liskeard. The head count during its peak on this park was nearly 1500 people and they were all being catered for 8 miles away. This isn’t about ‘killing’ our town……we live in a beautiful town, where people will always come and spend their holiday pound, but don’t forget the people who live here and are still here once the clocks go back. I shop in Bodmin or Plymouth and I can almost guarantee when I am there I will see one or more people from Looe. Why not keep our money in our town, be it in ‘our’ Tesco?

Reading your post Ben, I feel you are missing the bigger picture, yes everyone knows that a supermarket is needed in Looe, and we already know that we have to go to Morrisons and further to shop, but the concern that most would have about tescos looking for planning here in Looe is the location. Can you seriously not have a problem with that? It is in front of our Top School? Just recently there was a car accident on this very same spot, and that is even before they want to add 1,000′s of more vechicles to the road in front of our Top school’s entrance. The entrance to this tesco is right in front of the school, ask the councillors about it. There are other locations they can look at, so why are they so determined to have it in front of our school? The other thing that you seemed to have missed Ben, is what is in it for the Community, if you look at all the other Towns and villages they seem to get everything like sport centre’s, facilities etc. as a sweetner to the Town, but there is no mention of this with Tesco?

Wow, very interesting and almost universally positive comments, I have to agree with everything above. A Town the size of Looe, which is expanding, does need the flexibility and convenience of a large brand name supermarket. I do agree, however, that whichever brand is successful in becoming Looe’s ‘Supermarket’ should be duty bound to supply some state of the art community facilities – for the simple reason that they CAN afford it!

Also as a side issue the proposed location isn’t really ideal, can common sense prevail on this one and a more suitable site be identified?

David

Chris the reality of it is when a supermarket is proposed all areas must be looked at and the possible problems it may cause, it is just as important the location of a supermarket as the need for a supermarket! You are bang on David they can afford to give the Town community facilities, and you are looking at it in a sensible manner. Are some people that desperate to have a supermarket that they would let tesco do what ever they like???

I live in Looe and agree with Ben that Looe is in need of a large supermarket, I also believe that having it opposite the top school may not be such a bad thing as at present at school drop off and pick up times it’s a complete nightmare as mum’s and dad’s stop where ever they like, the carpark is to small and is unable to cope with extra traffic and in time a child will be injured if not killed. If a supermarket is built this would also provide parking where parents could wait for their child to come out of school I would imagine that the road may be widened and a round about installed making traffic move more freely when the plan come up for consultation we will have clearer idea as to what they wish to do. I also think that the majority of people against this development have a vested interest, a certain lady who lives very near the site is now protesting against locating it there when infact I have been led to believe if she could have got the price she wanted from tesco for her land she would have sold and walked away without a care for the rest of Looe, is this a case of not in my back yard. We are already a town that is full of gift shops and over priced goods which locals cannot afford to buy, let a supermarket come if it’ Tesco then so be it.

It’s inevitable that if Tesco WANT to build a supermarket in Looe that one way or another – it will happen, whatever local objection there is. The sweetners they offer will be too much for any refusal. And to correct Ben Holtam – owners of holiday homes in Cornwall pay Council tax with only a 10% reduction on the full charge.

I hope you don’t mind another tourist perspective on this – We visit Looe for 1-2 weeks 2-3 x a year and have done so for the last 30 years, we love Looe. When we stay we try to support local businesses, we like the Londis on West Looe hill because they sell local produce but find the co-ops in Looe (why are there 2?) to sell quite poor quality food at top prices. Their goods are clearly delivered from distribution centres which could be well up the A30 or M5 so not supporting local growers etc. I buy pasties from Sarahs and will buy ‘treats’ or goods to take home from Purely Cornish and If we are down for 2 weeks we tend to pop over to St Austell Tesco for a ‘proper shop’ I dont know how Looe residents can afford to shop locally. So for me it is simple I would use a Looe Tesco. No one has mentioned that a Tesco would create a large number of jobs for local people. Surely this is an issue? I also think the Looe shops could stand a Tesco, the foot traffic alone means people would call in for basics just as they do now. I dont think that holiday trade will change with a Tesco, most of us do what I do anyway. As to the siting of it I dont feel it would be fair for me to comment as I dont know that part of Looe.
I live in a tourist area myself (yorkshire dales) and we dont have a supermarket either. So I shop in a similar manner at home, support local if possible, we are lucky we have 2 butchers, 2 greengrocers and several delis. However we cant buy a kettle or shoes, or everyday clothes and we have a glut of charity shops, bookshops, gift shops etc, so I drive 9 miles to Tesco or do an online shop with Tesco or Ocado. The locals here want a supermarket, the businesses and what we call ‘new locals’ who moved here for the village type life dont. But you should see the number of supermarket delivery vans up and down our narrow lanes. Good debate.

What’s wrong with Tesco! If it wasn’t tesco, it would be Asda or another supermarket. Looe needs a supermarket. I have just sat and read all the comments on this site and there are some good points. I have seen a plan and there are alterations to the road, including a roundabout. This would help with the flow of traffic when it comes to the school run. Its so congested up there, it’s like the “Gum ball rally!” As for the delivery lorries, they manage to reverse down the narrow streets of looe with no problem.
Another positive thing is the creation of JOBS or us locals.

Some really good posts here & all very sensible arguments on both sides of the fence.

Reading back through the past comments, I think that Jane Browning’s remarks hit the nail right on the head. I also agree with the concerns about the actual location. However, having seen a number of other towns with supermarkets of this size then I think that the planners will know exactly what they are doing & will ensure that access will be a priority.

Very interesting debate.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, the Tesco’s representative at the consultation exhibition today admitted that the biggest hurdle to getting the scheme through planning was going to be persuading ‘Highways’ that the roads around Looe where capable of handling the extra traffic the development would create. Shoppers would be drawn in from miles around and there would be traffic everywhere not to mention enormous delivery lorries wrecking our narrow lanes. Is this the price that our beautiful town has to pay?

Some input re survey of Consensus to Tesco’s or Not, having attended the consultation day at Looe School and upon putting question to Councillor Toms as to if there is to be a proper and fair survey, I was told that a survey had been conducted. Now I am for a Tesco’s my wife is leaning towards a No to Tesco’s. When I said to Councillor Toms that I Live in essence on Barbican Road and I or my wife had not received any such call. There are a number of points this raises are the telephone survey calls just made to family and friends of the councillors or council . How does a telephone survey work if you are ex directory or out and surely the views of all residents opf Looe should be taken and not just the immediate vicinity. It seems beyond our council to arrange a survey to gather a consensus of opinion by using the council web site or even this web site with a one question YES or NO to Tesco’s. I put this this to Councillor Toms and received the response perhaps a letter drop could be considered. Not only would this be far more expensive and a waste of money and Time compared to setting up a survey via the web, of course opinion could still be gathered by mail or other means direct to the council after advertising the survey at The Guildhall and Local Newspapers.
As a result of the consultation day I have heard on the rumour mill there is a 70% to 30% in favour of the Tesco’s, which is fine by me not so my wife.
SO IF YOUR WAITING FOR A PROPER AND FAIR SURVEY IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO GET ONE.

Hi Chris
Unfortunately I did not ask Councillor Toms when it was conducted he said it was a telephone survey, which I for one do not think is right due to the problems I mentioned in my previous post. I had heard that a telephone survey had been conducted some 2 months ago from another councillor so I contacted the Clerk to the Council at The Guildhall who told me no such survey had been conducted and the views of locals would be taken at the consultation day (s) at the school. In short I have had two councillors tell me there has been a so called flawed telephone survey and the Clerk to the Council at the Guildhall tell me no such survey has been conducted. Our town council seem to be living in the middle ages as you have now posted a simple one click yes or no for a Tesco’s in Looe where as our local council seem to be incapable of doing so, is it just laziness or lack of skill or knowledge how to set such a survey up. My point and always has been no matter what your view on an issue any survey for a consensus should be proper and fair.

Just a thought, obviously looe having no major supermarket has never put people off from moving here in fact it is still as popular place to live than ever, wonder if It will still be as appealing if one gets built????

Directed at the Council, to the unsure’s, I don’t cares in god Watling room, Historians, who apparently never learn by there mistakes.

Tesco’s this weekend, when are you going to object? There’s more than one or two, in fact many who don’t want to see it happen, also the amount of building of new houses under the camouflage of affordable here in Looe is out of order, did you know in the last 100 years, Looe has expanded in population (per area / population ratio) more than any other CornishTown, well over double the rate for Cornwall, yes double.

Why do people come here for their holidays? I suppose it’s different to where they live, I’ve never heard of people going to Bethnal Green, Basingstoke, or Swilly, for a break. So Tesco’s, what next?, let’s make their vacation destination feel like home, Have a MacDonalds by the bridge, a dive-in Pizza house at St Martins, Let’s get rid of everything to do with Fishing, Farming, Mining, Smugglers they’re old hat, Tourism we don’t need that do we?

Add while you’re at it the compulsory removal of the Fish Kitchen Why? ( different, in a fair playing field, competition from a monopoly is fine isnt it ) You should support the government guidelines to encourage markets in towns. Promises of affordable housing is bull, fall for that and get rid of three post office, six convenience stores, a fuel station, two chemist, two opticians. Witherspoon’s get rid of four pub families income, perhaps more, because that’s the way Councillors you’re heading.

100/200 new houses 80 to 150 cars, affordable for young couples you say, so two kids per household, in 17/20 years will be 4 cars per-household, two to three hundred kids on the street with nowhere to go, age 10/11 be trouble, groups 13/16 bigger trouble, will cause distress, heartache, vandalism, because daddy’s been fined for whacking their ass, if a neighbour clips their ear, he’s a paedophile, how sad.

Employment where? possibilities of same where?, transport to get work where University, after that where? yes ladies and gentlemen you’re definitely fetching this Town to it’s knees.

In 20 years there’ll be same problem for these to-be-borne kids so what then, whack up another 400 houses to exacerbate the problem, look for a Lidl’s & Aldi’s, a PrimeMart, because Tesco has got the monopoly, will say the directors need to see more profit, is there no foresight, letting history repeating itself, mistakes that Liskeard have made just 8 miles up the road?

Well done those towns far, far, bigger than Looe, whose councillors have had the balls to say thanks, but no thanks, but we could do with a Football / Rugby / Cricket pitch, a community hall be nice. Polbathic have just built a brand new one, yes Polbathic. Pensilver, Menheniot,- population less than 1/2 of us. No population – no investment, no population – no problems, no traffic, It’s worked since 13th century, sure if the wheel were never invented things be different, but progress there’s a limit, and Looe has reached it.

At last years Music Festival a slogan popped up, in the words of that great man JFK quote “ It’s not what Looe can do for you, its what you can do for Looe”. You can make, or break it, so far all I see is not a lot, have the conviction, the insight to say no, in saving a penny today to the moaners who do little to save Looe forever.

If they don’t vote you in next time so be it, think of the future for Looe, not a five minute moment in time!

Colin Cotton as an Individual in my own right.

As part of the what i would call the younger generation of Looe i feel as if i need to put forward my comments.
Fact is the world and its economies are changing fast, and this is generating an increased pace of life. This increased pace of life, which i’m going to have to live with like everybody else and try to pay off government dept and keep the country out of the despair being experienced by Greece is going to take up more of my time.
We must see change as positive, the town is changing and the people who live there and who visit have changed. They no longer have time to drive 16 miles (round trip) to do the weekly shop at a store which is at capacity. We want to do other things in our time, as its becoming more precious everyday.
We need to remember that any scheme approved will be one which has an approved highways layout which will have due consideration for its users, furthermore i believe that even with increased traffic flows, this scheme will have its benefits. This isn’t the first time a school has had a supermarket nearby and my children will attend this school in a number of years.
Fact is we need houses and a supermarket then the town will grow, the people that come and live in Looe will bring benefits and we need to make sure we keep up with the times.
If you have good housing and good infrastructure you attract good people whos kids will be of benefit to Looe.
The environmental benefits greatly outway the negatives just in reduced travel distances alone.
I sincerely hope Looe has the foresight to take these oppotunities and build on them whilst getting want we want in return.

YS

Barbican resident..