Stroud Supermarkets (we have enough already thank you)

This is an article by Nicholas James, reproduced with his blessing. Stroud Against Supermarket Saturation really needs your support…

 

Please sign the following petition:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/stop-further-out-of-town-supermarket-developments-in-stroud
Or ask at least one other person to do so. Please forward this to your friends.

If we can hit the 500 mark soon that would be a start.

Sherbourne, Dorset August 2013 - Plans to build a Tesco superstore which prompted protests have been scrapped as Tesco say the site "won't work" as road access was too difficult and expensive to resolve. Residents formed a "No Thanks Tesco" campaign against the store and 11,000 signed a petition against the plans.

The population of the town is 9,523!!

Supermarkets claim that they offer us choice, value and convenience but they are actually powerful corporations who bully their suppliers and crush local economies. We think that Stroud has enough supermarkets and that we should be supporting our local shops and opposing the building of more supermarkets in our town.

SASS is not against change or development and fully supports new investment and regeneration in the local economy in line with the 'Local Plan'. However, we maintain that these developments will harm industry, including small and medium sized enterprises, as well as putting pressure on diversity of livelihood and overall employment rates.

Stroud has a thriving town centre that is full of vibrant local independent retailers and a hugely successful nationally acclaimed farmers' market. Its unique mix of shops, cafés and bars provides an excellent retail setting for tourists and residents alike. Stonehouse too has a diverse mix of independent shops, and is well-served by the co-operative store on the High Street.

These distinctly positive and attractive elements in the retail settings could change very significantly if these supermarket developments are allowed to proceed.

 

Developers propose to locate one supermarket on a flood-plain at Ryeford and another on a historical industrial site in Lightpill. Each site is on a key gateway route into Stonehouse and Stroud. We should fight to conserve the historic built fabric and the established infrastructure investment, and thus to enhance the integration and cultural identity of the district.  This is what gives Stroud its rich and varied attractive characteristics. We already have four large supermarkets operating in Stroud district and SASS argues strongly that there is no need for any more.

FFI http://www.tescopoly.org/
Nicholas James

 

You might also want to support Stroud Against Supermarket Saturation by following @SASS on twitter.

Greens and Cars

Most people would assume that a Green agenda is bound to be bad news for drivers. Cars are not very green, after all. Let’s take a step back for a moment and think about the driving experience, and how we define good for drivers, and bad for drivers in the first place.

The most obvious take is that ‘good for drivers’ means the freedom to do what you want with your car. It’s the car advert showing the empty road and a sleek car performing beautifully. Excitement, freedom, grace, power and speed combined. Even for a non-driver like me, it’s easy to see the attraction.

I walk and cycle a lot around Stroud, and I what I see most days, are drivers sitting in queues. I see heavy traffic at peak times, jams around the town centre at weekends, I see the trouble people have finding on road parking. I can’t imagine that’s a whole lot of fun. I can pass cars when I’m cycling. So where is the romantic freedom of the open road? Not in Stroud.

There are many things built and organised around the idea that people have cars. Centralisation means people from the villages have to come into Stroud for basics. Once upon a time villages had shops (plural) post offices, pubs, village schools and maybe even a doctor. Now you have no choice but to travel to a larger urban centre for most or all of those things. There isn’t much public transport infrastructure, so many of us don’t have the option of taking a bus instead, especially if we need to be out after dark. We have to travel to find work; maybe there is no work where you live, or you can’t afford to live where you work. We’ve got into a position where work, schooling, shopping, health and leisure all tend to mean having to get in a car. Meanwhile everyone else has to get in a car too, the roads are congested, heavy traffic is dangerous and stressful to drive in, we spend far too much time in queues and the experience is miserable. Building more roads certainly hasn’t fixed it.

Heavy traffic means children do not walk and cycle to school, because parents feel (understandably) that it isn’t safe for them. All those cars on the school run add to the problems of heavy traffic, making a vicious circle.

Not everyone can drive, and not everyone wants to. If we had more public transport, people who don’t really want to drive could get out of their cars. If we had more safe spaces for walking and cycling, we’d have more pedestrians and bikes, and fewer cars. If the infrastructure didn’t mean having to drive somewhere to deal with the most basic necessities, there would be a lot fewer cars on the road. If work stayed local, if we avoid building yet more car-only out of town shopping spaces, we won’t have to have the cars to access things we want. We could have something totally different. Something nicer that is more of a joy, and less of a chore.

In an ideal world, I think most drivers would prefer not to have to sit in queues or struggle with heavy traffic. Roads kill a lot of people every year, and we’d all be a lot happier if that didn’t happen. In a community that invests in public transport, supports cyclists and enables safe walking, drivers benefit. Quieter roads mean a happier driving experience and less money wasted burning fuel just to stare at the motionless car ahead of you.

If we aren’t all trying to drive everywhere every day, than that vision of the open road becomes feasible again. If you actually like driving, consider supporting schemes that get cars off the road. It’s not about forcing people, or punishing drivers, it’s about real choice and a better quality of life all round.