Tesco in Manningtree
TESCO 'SECRET' MEETINGS WITH TENDRING REVEALED
Tendring's conservative councillor for Bradfield, Wrabness & Wix,
Matthew Patten, who lives in Manningtree, has forced Tendring
District Council to reveal details of meetings held between its
regeneration body Intend and Tesco representatives. They discussed
what improvements to the area Tesco might offer to mitigate the
impact of its proposed megastore in Manningtree and to compensate for
the loss of industrial land the company hopes to build on. Five
meetings have been held since April, involving local councillors
Sarah Candy, Michael Dew and Carlo Guglielmi. One idea raised was for
Tesco to help pay for small starter commercial units on neighbouring
land. It is understood that Tesco plans to apply for change of use of
the land on Lawford Industrial Estate in February next year.
TESCO GUILTY OF FALSE CLAIMS OVER STORE
Only 20 people told Tesco they would like to see a new store in Manningtree, yet in its leaflet to residents it claimed its poll showed that there was a demand for it.
(DAILY MAIL 26 August 09)
Tesco found guilty of of using bogus statistics to convince town it needed a supermarket
Tesco was rapped by ASA for claiming a 'comprehensive' poll found in favour of a new supermarket - compared to the eight per cent who actually wanted one. The Advertising Standards Authority said: 'We considered Tesco had failed to substantiate that there was a need and demand for a new food store to serve the Manningtree/Lawford and Mistley area and concluded that the claim was misleading.'
Tesco was also forced to admit that while it had claimed its scheme would save 1.6million tons of carbon in traffic emmissions the true figure should have been 1,600 tonne.
Tesco has been found guilty of using bogus statistics in a bid to win public backing for its efforts to expand its supermarket empire.
Britain's biggest retailer sent leaflets to residents in an Essex town [Manningtree] claiming its own research demonstrated there was a 'need and demand' for a new supermarket.
However, the telephone poll used as the basis of the claim showed that just 38 out of the 440 people surveyed wanted a new supermarket - 8.6per cent.
While even fewer people, just 20, said they would like to see a new Tesco.
Today the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA) condemns the leaflet as misleading and has ordered the supermarket not to send it out again.
The ruling calls into question the honesty and integrity of the way the supermarket giant has bullldozed through similar planning applications across the country.
It has used similar leaflets to claim public support for other planning applications in the past.
Just last month, an investigation was launched after a resident's letter supporting a controversial supermaket planning application by Tesco in Leeds was found to be a forgery.
The supermarket denied any part in faking the letter, while Leeds city council, which will decide the application, was forced to carry out an investigation to establish whether there were any more forged letters.
Recently, the company was found to be manipulating statistics on the reduction in plastic bags handed out at the tills to make them seem larger than they really are.
The ASA ruling is highly embarrassing for Tesco which initially tried to block the watchdog from investigating the accuracy of the leaflet sent to residents in Manningtree, Essex.
Tesco argued that the circular was not advertising material and therefore claimed the watchdog had no jurisdiction over its claims and statistics.
The supermarket said the leaflet was a necessary part of the planning application process that 'required them to include widespread local publicity of the development'.
However, the watchdog disagreed because the leaflet 'sought to affect readers' perception of the benefits of a new store and sought to convince them not to object to the planning proposals'.
The biggest bone of contention was Tesco's claim: 'There is a need and demand for a new food store to serve the Manningtree / Lawford / Mistley area ...'
The store claimed that a report from a town and planning consultancy which used, in part, the results of the telephone survey of 440 residents confirmed this need.
The consultancy report concluded: 'The results of this extensive, comprehensive telephone survey indicate strongly that there is a clear need and demand for a new food store in Manningtree town centre.'
Off their trolley: ASA said the claims were misleading
This was rejected by the ASA, which said: 'We noted only 8.6per cent of respondents to the telephone survey believed a new supermarket would be useful.
'We considered Tesco had failed to substantiate that there was a need and demand for a new food store to serve the Manningtree/Lawford and Mistley area and concluded that the claim was misleading.'
Another statement in the leaflet, covering claims about a reduction in carbon emissions and reduced shopping trips, was also ruled to be misleading
The store claimed that people in the area would no longer have to travel to supermarkets further away once the new store opened.
The circular stated: 'All this results in travel distance savings of over 60per cent. That's nearly 8 million kilometres ... Our scheme will mean ... about 1.6 million tons less carbon emissions.'
Tesco admitted that the claimed saving of 1.6million tons of carbon was wrong. It said the figure should have been 1,600 tonnes and blamed human error for the misinformation.
The ASA found the claimed savings in terms of distance travelled and carbon saved were stated as fact when they were actually based on estimates. Consequently, it ruled they were misleading.
A spokesman for Tesco said: 'We are disappointed at this ruling. We go to great lengths to ensure that customers and communities are well informed about our development proposals, and that any information we provide is helpful and accurate.
'In this case, the "need" referred to has a specific meaning in planning terms, so we disagree with the ASA's findings. We are continuing to discuss this issue with the ASA.'
Last year, the Competition Commission recommended that planning rules should be changed to prevent any one supermarket gaining a monopoly in a particular area. It confirmed its view in a report published last month.
Tesco, which is already dominant in many locations, objected to what it saw as an unnecessary infringement of its right to open new outlets.
REVISED TESCO PLANS DUE SOON
JULY 2009: Tesco has announced revised plans to build a large store next to the Coop in Manningtree's Station Road.
The application refers to Manningtree Town Council and Lawford Parish Council as 'counting for the majority of the proposed store's local catchment'.
But Mistley is as much affected. The three parishes actually form a single community for most basic shopping purposes.
Our major objections to the proposed development are based on its traffic implications, lack of need, and contradiction of the adopted Local Plan.
1) Road traffic implications
Tesco has grossly underestimated the addition to existing traffic congestion from all directions to access the proposed store. The application refers to currently 'free-flowing streets without delays to drivers or pedestrians'. This is blatantly not so from the entry to Mistley, particularly from the High Street either east or west and certainly not so to and from Manningtree town centre.
Approach roads are narrow with cars parked on the sides, despite the one-way system operating via Trinity Road/Brook Street, Manningtree High Street and South Street. Tesco fails to adequately recognise current levels of traffic flow to and from Manningtree, Mistley and Lawford. They suggest little extra traffic will be coming from the East. This is unresearched and very unlikely.
All this, with an estimated 700 plus EXTRA journeys at peak time (as Tesco state in the application) plus an estimated 70 plus daily journeys by HGV delivery lorries to and from the proposed store, would create chaotic road conditions and consequent harmful effects on the environment and offset any claimed benefits from people not travelling to other more distant supermarkets.
The network of small roads surrounding and linking Mistley and Manningtree have weight limits which are totally unsuitable for HGVs.
2) Need
There is not a 'demonstrable need for more retail facilities of this kind' as stated by Tesco. Arguably, due to Tesco's expansion throughout the country, shops in small country towns comparable to Manningtree have closed. But there is no RELIABLE evidence either way that this application will either enliven the town and surrounding area (as Tesco claim) or kill it. Tesco itself admits that the store will take over a third of the Co-op's business, and around 10 per cent of trade away from the town's small traders. That's about £100,000 a year leaving the community.
People do not go to Colchester/ipswich just to shop at Tesco and other supermarkets. If they do, they are demonstrating a personal preference not a need. The existing Co-op store (right next door to the proposed development) serves actual need in the area, increasingly adequately, in conjunction with other small existing shops.
The proposed store is not Tesco's largest store in the area so, as they admits (Retail Survey 5.326) 'some would use it in conjunction with larger stores mainly in Colchester, Ipswich, Clacton and Harwich'.
In their Qualitive Need Survey (3.21) Tesco state that ' a key objective is promoting vitality and viability of town centres... to improve accessibility for the whole community'. The community already has access in the same area as the proposed store. There is already choice: the Co-op, small Tesco store, wholefood shop, delicatessen, bakery, farm shop, hardware store and chemist shops. Choice suggests the Co-Op in particular will remain, but will it, or the smaller shops, with such monopolistic competition? Many of the existing shops in Manningtree High Street sell the same goods as the proposed Tesco would and it is unlikely they would be able to compete, so would have to close. Jobs created would be cancelled out by jobs lost.
Tesco's Retail Survey (4.4) states that retail development needs to be of a scale appropriate to the centre to promote internal competition. The proposed development is of an inappropriately large scale for this – it would cover an area half the length of Manningtree High Street.
3) Tendring Local Plan
The Tesco proposals contradict policies in the adopted Local Plan. Policy ER3 says that if changes are proposed to the status of employment plan it must be shown that such status is no longer viable or is inherrently unsuitable.
WHAT WOULD THE PROPOSED STORE BE LIKE?
To see the plans Tesco has submitted to Tendring District Council for the 30,000 sq ft (2,787 sq m) superstore it wishes to build next to the Fiveways Co-Op in Manningtree, visit the Tendring District Council offices in Weeley or the library in Manningtree High Street (Open Tuesday: 9.30 - 1.00 & 2.00-6.00. Wednesday: 9.30 - 1.00. Thursday: 2.00-7.00. Friday: 9.30 - 1.00 & 2.00-6.00. Saturday: 9.00-5.00)
Our TESCO WORKING PARTY needs to hear your views. Contact:
Ian Rose (k.rose2006@tiscali.co.uk)
Frances Fairhall (john.fairhall@btinternet.com)
Joy Frascinella (jfrascinella@talk21.com) or
Iris Peacock (01206 395907)
TESCO announced plans to build a superstore on Station Road, Lawford (next to the Co-Op Fiveways store in Manningtree) in summer 2007, and has recently submitted the second of two initial planning applications to Tendring District Council (the first was found invalid, the second is still being assessed).
HOW TO MAKE YOUR VIEWS HEARD
WRITE to our local MP Bernard Jenkin (at the House of Commons, SW1A OAA) to let him know your views on Tesco’s plans in Manningtree or visit www.bernardjenkinmp.com (email perryc@parliament.uk).
WRITE to Head of Planning Services, Tendring District Council, Council Offices, Weeley, Essex CO16 9AL or email planning-services@tendringdc.gov.uk
CONTACT US by email mistley@pobox.com or phone.
CONTACT local organisation Stour Community First which supports local businesses and opposes the new Tesco store www.stourcommunityfirst.org (info@stourcommunityfirst.org 0844 585 2049)
