Updated: Protestors fight against Sainsbury store planned for Greasby

1:00pm Tuesday 17th May 2011 in News By Stephanie Cureton

Petition Collectors: Simon Collister and Steve Lewis Petition Collectors: Simon Collister and Steve Lewis

RESIDENTS and shop-owners in a Wirral town have united to fight plans for retail giant Sainsbury’s to “take over” the area.

Businessman Simon Collister is leading a petition to stop the national chain opening up a Local store in Greasby.

He is concerned that vital business will be taken away from independent traders and that jobs will be under threat as a result.

The store would be built on the car park of the Red Cat pub and would create 36 jobs, according to planning consultants.

A second unit would be built alongside the convenience store, however its purpose has not yet been confirmed.

Planning documents highlight that the development would have “no adverse impact on Greasby’s local town centre but would enhance its health and vibrancy.”

But Mr Collister, who employs 35 people across both his Premier Convenience Store and Ellie’s Bistro, wants council planning officers to consider local businesses before making a decision.

He said: “If Sainsbury’s are given permission, it will do nothing for the local economy and jobs will be in jeopardy.

"I met with other shopkeepers and residents this week and we all like Greasby as it is, there is no need for a big national chain to come in and take over.

"I can’t understand why people would need another convenience-type store when there is a Co-op just over the road and lots of independent shops.

“We have got to stop these huge companies killing off local trade otherwise they will keep coming back for more.”

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s said: “We are in discussions with the developers about occupying the site.

"The store will complement the other more specialist shops and businesses in the area. People who go to the local independent stores will continue to do so but use us as a complementary way of shopping.”

A planning consultant for the development said: “The overriding consideration has been to ensure that the proposed development is able to make a positive contribution to the Greasby centre and how it functions, even down to securing the use of the car park for the benefit of local shoppers.

"To put it simply, the proposed development will be a local facility for local people.”

Comments(11)

bigfoot says...
5:20pm Mon 16 May 11

Why do they need yet another store not quite a mile from the superstore at Upton. Greasby Village has a range of great local and established businesses and an excellent Co-op. Is Wirral selling its assetts off to corporate interests,they won't be satisfied until we have rows of boarded up shops across the Borough. Tescos has already started its takeover of Wirral,now Sainsburys look like following suit. Are Morrisons waiting in the wings.
I think we should scrap local elections and give Wallasey to Morrisons,West wirral to Sainsburys and the rest to Tescos. Then you have three partys even the corporate colours match!
Remember what happened in Bristol,that Tescos still hasn't opened
What were the planners thinking off-assuming they are capable of thinking.
Or is it a case of money talks?

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Emma75 says...
10:22am Tue 17 May 11

This is all nonsense! Another Sainsburys less than a mile from their big store? Really? I'll tell you what will 'enhance health and vibrancy' - by making people walk the extra 10 minutes or so to the bigger store instead of finding one on their doorstep!! Jedi mindtricks won't work on us.. sheer stupidity and greed. And by the way.. yes! It will put the smaller shops out of business that's a given, these big chains strangle the life out of them till they can't afford to stay open!!

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nivekd says...
3:32pm Tue 17 May 11

Another example of the awful Me-Me-Me greedy world unfolding under the Tory government. The propaganda about a 'big society' and 'localism' hides their real motives - to destroy anything decent, local, public, small-scale if it stands in the way of profits for their friends in the City. We are not interested in guff about shareholder value - we want social value.

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DeliDi says...
4:50pm Tue 17 May 11

In response to this article about the proposal to build two units on The Red Cat car park.
Unit 1 is to be occupied by Sainsbury. To date we do not know who or what will occupy unit 2.
You stated in your article that the store would create 36 jobs.This statement is misleading as the "36 jobs" would be created over the two units.
Furthermore the positions would be full and part time, equating to19 full time equivalent jobs,13 created by Sainsbury and six by the other unit.

This is significantly less than stated in the article and could easily match job losses from the existing businesses through inevitable loss of trade.
The store will not complement the village as it is completley separate from the existing shops, on the other side of the road and facing the other way.
The overriding theme of the planning documents is how their presence will strengthen and diversify the "existing" centre. This proposal will weaken and clone the centre, as seen throughout the country, and the "existing" centre will no longer exist!
We and the majority of Greasby residents love our village as it is. Visitors comment on how lucky we are to to have a proper community shopping parade.
If we want Sainsbury we can go three minutes down the road.
See sense Wirral council REJECT THIS APPLICATION!!!

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Wood61 says...
12:23am Wed 18 May 11

This is a ridiculous idea.You take half a car park away and then create the need for more parking.........

Also, local residents have had to accept many changes, including an increase to the night time economy in the area.

They moved to a quiet village, with a couple of pubs....... funny how things creep up on you.... Greasby says NO to Sainsbury's Junior - half a mile from a Sainsbury's Superstore!

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pykey08 says...
8:50am Wed 18 May 11

wirral doesnt need another supermarket especially greasby

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WirralASP says...
11:37am Wed 18 May 11

The loss of small shops drains a locality's economic and social capital. Money spent in independent retail outlets tends to stay in the community, providing work for local lawyers and accountants, plumbers and decorators, window cleaners and builders. US research finds that every $100 spent at a local store generates 60% more local economic activity than $100 spent in a chain store down the road. Please support us across the Wirral.

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WirralASP says...
11:41am Wed 18 May 11

A US study finds that, after the arrival of a big supermarket, participation in local charities, churches, campaign groups and even voting declines sharply. As Jane Jacobs argued in The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1960), communities are created by myriad small daily encounters: getting cooking tips from the greengrocer, hearing about a job from the butcher, recommending a good plumber at the bakery, exchanging opinions in the pub.
Please support us across the Wirral. WASP!

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WirralASP says...
11:48am Wed 18 May 11

Please support WASP
Wirral Against Supermarket Power
Contact:
youtube.com/user/Wir
ralASP
facebook.com/WirralA
SP
Email: wirralasp@hotmail.co
.uk

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primrose22 says...
10:11am Fri 20 May 11

I can understand from a business point of view regarding the objection from many local shop owners for the building of a Sainsbury's on this site however I found most objections were based around "where will my customers park "?
In my opinion and from previous experience any public house car park is for the sole use of CUSTOMERS ONLY ! not to suppy ample FREE parking to a "shopping parade" this I think you will find is the main reason for any objection from local residents and local business owners , I have seen car's parked all day on the car park and not one has set foot into the public house, some have even parked up and jumped on the bus to Liverpool where on the wirral can you park for free all day ?
I have even seen car's park and their owners walk into Ellie's Bistro, it makes me wonder especially when I know Ellie's do not own their own car park and their premises are located jut over the road from the proposed site.
I visit the Red Cat often for food with my elderly parents and I am unable to find a space sometimes due to the overwhelming amount of cars parked there compared with amount of customers in the pub I personally think they should do pay and display so genuine patron's can park easily and its coming into the season where the car park is taken up by day trippers a meeting point for coaches to load and off load passengers some coaches and organisations I am sure do not even ask permission of the managers of the Red Cat to use their car park for this purpose.
Local residents will not visit the Red Cat for many reasons dating back to when the pub had a "reputation" but you will happily use its car park, it's not the same pub it was all those years ago if the car park was busy with genuine customers then maybe the owners of the land would think twice about selling it for development !

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ConcernedRatePayer says...
9:03am Sun 22 May 11

To me it doesn't make any sense to build yet another Supermarket/Convenie
nce store in our Village. Apart from the affect it will have on the existing Shops, this will increase the amount of Traffic and also make parking very difficult. I am not against Sainsburys but feel that a better idea would have been to buy out the existing Coop Supermarket which I feel is pretty poor.

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