Torquay Morrisons supermarket plan would 'drain' trade from other shops
PLANS to create a Morrisons supermarket at a derelict DIY store in Babbacombe Road, Torquay, could weaken the town centre.
Planners say creating the supermarket at the former Focus DIY site does not put the 'town centre first'.
They say the proposals could put early plans at risk for a food store on the Town Hall car park and will drain trade from other shopping areas, including Plainmoor.
But the applicants insist it will make the offer better for shoppers.
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A planning application which goes before Torbay Council's development management committee recommends refusal of the plans. The plans involve an application to alter the building and to vary conditions of use for use as a supermarket with associated deliveries.
Katie Hill, spokesman for applicants, Babbacombe Holdings Ltd, said: "We undertook a thorough Retail Impact Assessment, which shows our site will not put at risk the regeneration aspirations in the town centre in the short, medium and long term.
"The development of both stores taken together in their sustainable locations will have significant beneficial impact upon Torquay town centre and the area as a whole. It will also mean the council is in a better position to resist larger out of town stores in the future."
The Torbay Development Agency, responsible for economic regeneration in the Bay, submitted 13 objections to the scheme.
Documents due before the committee states: "Planning authorities should require applications for main town centre uses to be located in town centres, then in edge of centre locations and only if suitable sites are not available should out of centre sites be considered."
Documents show the store will have a turnover of £21.6million, drawn from custom elsewhere including the Willows, Torquay town centre, Plainmoor, St Marychurch, Babbacombe and other local shopping facilities.
There have been 121 letters of support who argue the store would improve the look of the site, provide better choice and value and is in walking distance for many residents.
There were 35 objections who argued poor design, increased traffic movements and impact on existing shops.
The Traders of Babbacombe, Wellswood and St Marychurch have registered objections.
Spokesman Tony Clark said: "It goes against the wishes of the vast majority of locals who do not want to lose their local shops or have juggernaut lorries along Babbacombe Road from 6am until midnight."
He added: "There is hardly a shortage of competition in the area with three Co-Op stores, Waitrose, Tesco, the Happy Apple and a new Sainsbury's coming to St Marychurch. The difference is these stores are within the community shopping areas, not pulling people away."
Ms Hill added: "Many local residents are looking forward to a store opening on the site — we hope members will also see the benefits of this scheme going forward. If permission is granted the site will deliver 225 jobs for local people by the end of this year, which in the current economic climate is something which should be welcomed. The plans also bring back to life a building which has remained empty for a number of years."
Comments
by Freespirit
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 5:36PM
“Why oh why do people get so highrate over something like a supermarket! stop look around you. Start considering the important things in life, family, health, things of value, not how much am I worth, how big is my house,how much money do I have, is this supermarket needed!! but the really important things.......lifes too short.”
by robocop1982
Monday, January 14 2013, 7:25PM
“i wouldn't worry about things. this planet won't last for ever anyway. At some point the earth will stop spinning. Many people are ignorant to the fact the earth could stop rotating around the sun one day and possibly in our lifetime.”
by woodie2010
Sunday, January 13 2013, 11:51PM
“This is a brown field site which should be being considered for housing not a supermarket. if we don't use our brownfield sites for housing we will end up having to build on our green spaces - Babbacombe Downs, Ilsham Valley etc....”
by FSimonite
Sunday, January 13 2013, 1:32PM
“We keep hearing about these plans for a supermarket on the Town Hall car park, but who exactly is going to build and operate it? So far none of the big supermarket chains seem to be signing up to it.
Who do they think will shop there? Like it or not, the fact is the majority of people now use a car to go shopping and will probably continue to shop at The Willows etc as the shops there will still offer a greater choice of products.
I appreciate that for those without cars a town centre location may be more convenient for public transport but do such customers, being a minority and limited as they are to are to what they can carry with their two hands, really have the spending power to sustain such a shop? I would venture, in view of the withdrawal of Somerfield from their former store in Union Square, their failure to interest another supermarket chain in their vacated unit, and the lack of apparent interest in the Town Hall site from any of the same, the answer is no!
At the end of the day shops need customers to survive and customers want convenience. For most of us now convenience looks far more like a Morrison's in Babbacombe Road than a pipe dream supermarket in the Town Hall car park.
As regards the former Do it All store in question. This has been standing empty for a number of years now and is contributing nothing to the community. Other than Morrison's, no one else seems to be interested in doing anything with this site. I say better to let them get on with it than leave the building to deteriorate any further.
At present, the Babbacombe, St Marychurch, Wellswood side of Torquay has only small convenience type stores of the Co-Op and Tesco Express variety. There is a reasonably sized (and very nice) Waitrose store in Plainmoor which has its own parking, but its not the cheapest place to do a weekly shop. Therefore most people resident on this side of town are forced to make the trip to Sainsbury's at the Willows or some similar store to do their main weekly shop. A Morrison's in Babbacombe Road would make shopping more convenient and would also save a lot if journeys across town.
Finally, if you take the time to look up the planning application on Torbay Council's website you will find that there are far more letters in support of Morrison's plans than against, mostly from residents of the local area who are, in my experience, largely in favour of Morrisons.”
by SmartyC
Saturday, January 12 2013, 1:29PM
“Happy to destroy the town centre with parking meters, not happy to give residents more shopping choice.
Well done Torbay Council!”
by realityzone
Saturday, January 12 2013, 8:35AM
“Here, of course, we have the usual lie about "delivering jobs" when they really mean the number which this particular firm will employ, not the number of new jobs after deducting the people who now have jobs and will loose them as a result of this application being successful. There will, over time, be a net loss of jobs.
Another example of an important issue not being properly examined by our lazy journalists. Perhaps Jim Parker would like to look into this for his column, it would make a worthy change from the easy option of sniping at the Mayor”