Fury after Marlborough Tesco decision deferred
9:39am Friday 19th March 2010 in
Marlborough shoppers are furious that their hopes of a budget supermarket in the town have been put on hold after a planning application from Tesco was deferred.
An application for a 15,000 sq ft store at Marlborough Business Park for Tesco was due to be decided at last night's meeting of Wiltshire Council's eastern planning committee in Devizes.
Lisa Farrell, founder of Marlborough Matters, which has campaigned for Tesco to come to the town, said people in the area were furious about the delay.
She said: "I am very angry. Sainsbury's waited until just a few days before the Tesco application was to be considered before they put in their own application.
"We have been in negotiation for over a year with Tesco. Where was Sainsbury's all that time?
"I have spoken to my supporters and given them the choice between Tesco and Sainsbury's and they have all said they want Tesco.
"We don't want to harm Waitrose. Tesco wouldn't harm Waitrose's business, but Sainsbury's might."
Sainsbury's has applied for outline planning permission to build a supermarket almost exactly the same size as that proposed by Tesco on the Wiltshire Council depot on Salisbury Road - just feet away from Tesco's proposed site.
Sainsbury's do not at the moment own the land.
Comments(8)
cichlid10
says...
7:53pm Fri 19 Mar 10
Are you perchance a shareholder?
GreatSageEqualOfHeaven
says...
9:01pm Fri 19 Mar 10
Are you kidding? Are you so naive that you think big businesses like supermarkets act in the interests of the communities they sell to? They are money making machines who are only interested in profit and shareholder value. Many people in Marlborough seem to have bought into their spin, but time and time again the big supermarkets in this country are shown to be less than the communitiy's friend.
I don't understand this fascination with Tesco. I haven't enjoyed anything I've bought from there in years and, in my opinion, the quality of their food products is poor.
I understand that people feel Waitrose is expensive and that maybe they feel entitled to cheap food, but Waitrose aren't the only place selling food in town.
MarlboroughBNP
says...
10:25pm Fri 19 Mar 10
PS – The reason they waited until now to apply, is that it's taken them so long to purchase the land from the council.
who dat?
says...
10:40pm Fri 19 Mar 10
OOOH, A liitle cross maybe !!
Anyway, let's hear it for ALDI - Britain's best supermarket - real value - not like the over-hyped and over-rated Tesco!!
wakeupmarlborough
says...
1:22pm Sat 20 Mar 10
exrock
says...
8:36am Sun 21 Mar 10
No place like home
says...
1:39am Wed 24 Mar 10
Once again the little fish has no say, the community had already voted and the big fish said no.
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wakeupmarlborough says...
11:07am Fri 19 Mar 10
The town wants a BUDGET supermarket. Although you are good Sainsbury's you do not fall into the budget category. There is vast support for a Tesco as can be viewed on the Wiltshire Council planning web site. I would imagine if you continue to pursue the course you are set on then those who have shown support for Tesco will voice their disapproval of your plans. Why waste your shareholders money on expensive legal injunctions and lawyers. You are just a big business showing its muscle against another big business. Just admit you are not doing this for the good of Marlborough people. If you were serious about providing a supermarket in Marlborough you would have been in the negotiations from day one. Were you to get permission over Tesco's to operate in Marlborough I think you'll find you've lost a lot of customers before you even start. Do yourselves and Marlborough a big favour and withdraw this proposed planning application and then you may regain the respect the Sainsbury's supermarkets deserve.