Keep Scunthorpe Alive
13 September 2011 by Paul Rhoades
As some followers on my twitter feed may know, I've been following the Keep Scunthorpe Alive campaign very closely, and have taken a personal interest in this campaign group.
The group has been formed to oppose the planned development of another out of town shopping center located on the site which is currently used by the Steven Smith Garden Center.
The garden center currently employs around 60 people who if the proposal goes ahead will loose their jobs as a result of the site's clearance.
The proposal, put forward by Simon's Group, suggests the creation of 300 retail jobs, providing that all the units are taken up. The Simon's proposal centers around the "key store" Marks and Spencer's who readers will be familiar vacated the town center last year, having had a shop in the town since 1937.
Another recent, tragic loss to Scunthorpe Town Center has been TJ Hughes who stopped trading in the town last month.
Interestingly enough the initial planning application for the 42,000 sq ft TJ Hughes store cited Marks and Spencer's as a potential client in its initial planning application stages.
Currently in Scunthorpe Town Center there is approximately 60,000 sq ft of empty retail property. In addition to this the removal of the old leisure center provides developers with an excellent opportunity to create a new retail park with all the public transport, car parking and infrastructure already in place. Accessibility to out of town shoppers can be provided easily by use of the ring road and the Pheonix Parkway which could deliver car users directly to the town center via Normanby road.
It's my opinion that the development of yet another out of town shopping mall will cause further pain to Scunthorpe's already struggling high street, and will provide opportunities for the likes of WH Smiths and Boots to relocate along side the proposed Marks and Spencer's store.
Major concerns voiced by the group include inadequate parking at the new development, traffic congestion, contravening of the local development plan, inconvenience to local residents, destruction of natural habitat and a loss of foot fall in the town center.
I've drafted a brief objection letter to the council which I'd urge reader's to download and send in to the planning department, in my opinion the town center offers developer's an excellent opportunity for retail development and the council should take the lead in encouraging developers to move into the town center, not away from it.
Please, download the letter from here and send it to the council before the 21st September deadline
Also, find out more and lend your support to this excellent campaign by paying their web site a visit:
10 minutes of your time, and the price of a stamp could right now make all the difference to Scunthorpe's future
For more information on local campaigns and issues follow paul_rhoades on twitter, or for updates from visit scunthorpe follow VisitScunthorpe
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Comments
I think you will find Sarah that an opposition to a poorly planned development, based on inaccurate traffic reports, poorly ditrubuted and falsely advertised leaflets, falsifying percentages and poor planning on a road layout that will lead to major incidents is a valid cause of opposition. Not to mention the effect it will have on the environment locally...another concrete field in years to come. Yay! We will need to start building houses and shops for the wildlife soon! Then there is the effect on the town centre and subsequently the local economy will struggle in a domino effect.
This is not about 'competition' for local shops, or witch hunting M&S. If this is the case then why would such a diverse group of businesses, national as well as local, from such a broad range of trades be collaborating? It is about a development company that does not give one hoot about this town or fleecing it for every penny it can.
What chance does the high street stand with this development? Wow, you will get a few shops at the cost of a high street, so you can have less variety and the same people who annoy you going down there anyway. At least in town there are security schemes in place. There will be none of that at the development, it is a problem that the stores at Gallagher have already complained about, that will get much much worse.
The amount of shops who have invested in the high street, as well as those who have refurnished is brilliant. How can you complain about them? What stores have you not got? And what chance do we have of them coming if the high street is killed.
Just for the record I also buy all of my food from local shops and butchers....although there is an asda in town centre....no need to pin point iceland.
I suggest that some people should perhaps look at the actual proposals for the development, as well as the campaign for keep scunthorpe alive before they judge.
Sarah is right,far too many fat lazy people woudl rather drive and sit in a traffic jam than walk a few extra yards from a town center car park,personally I shop in town as much as possible.It's amazing how cheap certain items are , I have nearly halved my food bill and have a greater variety of fresh produce.It's not just the High Street ,Frodingham Road is now teeming with a variety of food too,ity's usually cheaper than the imported section that Tesco so patronizingly carry in a separate area.
I also use Band Q ,but this added capacity is a step too far,there is too much traffic down there as it is.
It's a bout time we got of our fat arses and started remembering that a town center is a great hub for the community before society completely breaks down . The council has to once again make it a place worth loitering in rather than the Dull place it now is.It's not about Marks and Spencer,who wants over priced green Sweaters anyway?
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