An end and a beginning

I expect many of you who have been watching closely will have heard by now the result of the meeting of the Strategic planning committee yesterday.  To cut to the point, the applications from Morrisons and Sainsburys were rejected (the latter against the recommendations from the planning department) by a very large majority vote, but, although a large proportion of the committee wanted to reject the Tesco application, they felt they just didn't have enough grounds in planning terms to do so. It was a very interesting, and tense, afternoon.

So, to sum up our successes as a community: the Trenant council offices saved from demolition (thus saving some high level employment for Wadebridge), two major supermarket applications rejected.
Failures?  well, Tesco got through, albeit with a much heavier Section 106 burden (benefits for the town) than they hoped for, and the insistence that they do more to screen the new extension and the existing store.

It has been an interesting sixteen months. With the support of many people we may have had some beneficial influence, we have certainly learnt a lot (some of which we would rather not know), and we have made many new friends. However the time has come for us to put that energy into other projects, as well as back into our own lives. Lovewadebridge.com will thus take a new direction……. keep looking at the website for what this might be!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

With our best wishes,
Stephen and Jerry

Planners recommendations now published

The planners recommendations have re-emerged from their three month break unchanged in essence, although a lot of effort has gone into attempting to mask the fatal flaws in these applications, particularly the level of impact upon the everyday shops in our town centre of up to 30%.

You will see that they give the go-ahead to Sainsbury’s and Tesco, but reject the Morrison’s application. You can see the documents for yourselves on http://www.lovewadebridge.com/Planning.html.

We are hopeful that our councillors will consider the case for themselves and come to an independent judgement, as has been the case in previous discussions about the future of Wadebridge, rather than just follow these recommendations. The Strategic Planning Committee meeting will be at St Austell on Monday 24th January 2011 at 1 pm.

That will be a fateful day for our town. 

Winged pigs

We expect Cornwall Council's recommendations on all the supermarket applications to be available tomorrow in preparation for a special Strategic Planning Committee meeting to be held, for some reason, in St Austell on Monday 24th January at 1 pm. We will of course let you know what are the results of another couple of months' deliberation as soon as we've had a chance to look at the recommendations. Perhaps a change of heart, or was that some winged pigs over Wadebridge? 

Latest from the planners

We spoke to the case officer this morning to check progress. They say that they are awaiting the Employment Land Report, due on the week beginning 9th January 2011. They will then call a special meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee mid to late February to decide the fate of all the superstore applications.

Panorama on supermarkets tomorrow

The BBC Spotlight team was around Wadebridge today filming material to accompany Paul Kenyon's analysis of the impact of supermarkets for BBC1's Panorama programme tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd December, at 9.00 pm . Be interesting to see the debate we are having here in a wider context.

WREN launch on Saturday 22nd January

The benefits of the low carbon economy for jobs, local investment, and the environment are getting closer with the launch date for the Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network now set for Saturday 22nd January 2011 in Wadebridge Town Hall. Dan Rogerson, MP,  is giving his support, and there will be exhibitions, local and outside speakers, as well as the chance for households to see if they want to generate their own solar energy. So put that date in your diary, and see www.wren.uk.com for more details.

No news is still fairly good news

Still no word when the superstore planning applications will return for consideration. The fact that it is taking so long is helpful, as the policy and case law environment is, at last, shifting steadily towards protecting the vitality and viability of town centres. The levels of impact predicted in the official documents upon Wadebridge town centre by these out of town developments are off the scale, so the planners may be having second thoughts. However on past experience it would be very unwise to be too optimistic that sense will prevail. We will find out in the New Year. So enjoy the thriving town centre of Wadebridge while it is still there, and especially so tonight for late night shopping and carols in the Town Hall.