Say NO! to Tesco

UPDATED 6/10/09 Tesco finally submitted an application to East Devon District Council (EDDC) on Thursday 1 October 2009. That means we have just a few weeks in which to mobilise local opposition, encourage as many people as possible to formally object to Tesco’s plans and persuade district councillors to throw out the plans once and for all. We can’t let Tesco wreck our town.

Please try to do at least two of the following (if not all!):

Print off the attached poster and display it in a window or the back window of your car Put the poster up in other places where it can be seeContact SayNoToTesco@sustainableottery.org.uk if you can help us distribute `No to Tesco’ leaflets door-to-door in Ottery or surrounding villages Write letters to the Ottery Herald and the Ottery Advertiser expressing your opposition Say no to Tesco in any online surveys the newspapers organise regarding the Ottery applicationAttend the meeting to be organised by OSM Town Council to discuss the Tesco application (date TBC). EDDC will consult OSMTCContact SayNoToTesco@sustainableottery.org.uk if you would like to get involved in planning and organising the `No to Tesco in Ottery’ campaignTell your friends and neighbours to do all or at least some of the above too!

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We believe that if planning permission is granted for Tesco in Ottery, the town’s vibrant shopping community will wither and die. We are determined to stop that happening.

What Tesco will say

Tesco will claim their store will have the following benefits:

creation of new jobsmore choice for shoppersmore business will be drawn to Ottery townit will be environmentally friendly

The reality if Tesco is granted planning permission …

An increase in traffic and congestion. The distribution systems used by supermarkets and the location of out-of-town stores generate large amounts of traffic.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) suggests that car use for shopping results in costs to society of more than

£3.5 billion per year, from traffic emissions, noise, congestion and accidents.

Erosion of local choice. Choice is eroded as smaller, independent shops struggle to compete. A report by the Competition Commission found that the loss of local, independent shops can have a serious impact in terms of access to food, particularly for people on lower incomes or those who don’t have use of a car. Destruction of local jobs. Tesco would stifle business individuality and creativity. The kinds of jobs Tesco offer are check-out operators and shelf stackers. Some local people may have no other option but to take these jobs if Tesco opens.

Supermarket claims that new stores bring in jobs fail to consider the wider picture of independent retailer bankruptcies. A 1998 study by the

National Retailer Planning Forum (NRPF) examining the employment impacts of 93 superstore openings between 1991 and 1994 found that

they resulted in a net loss of more than 25,000 jobs or 276 per store opened.

A tatty and unappealing place to live? In Fakenham, Norfolk (population 7300 approx) the opening of an out-of-town supermarket was followed by a one-third increase in the number of empty shops, a drop in the number of convenience stores, and a noticeable deterioration of the built environment of the town centre.

Source: Tescopoly (www.tescopoly.org)

Closure of shops in surrounding villages. We are worried about the effect Tesco would have on shops surrounding Ottery. Stores at Tipton St John, Alfington and West Hill would all be at risk of closure, along with West Hill’s post office. We don’t need Tesco in Ottery! We have two small supermarkets already, as well as a plethora of other smaller specialist shops, such as bakers and butchers. We do not want or need an out-of-town Tesco that will draw business away from the town and destroy Ottery’s unique character. Don’t let Tesco’s ruthless desire for profit result in Ottery losing its unique brand of individuality We can do it! People in Sheringham, Andover, St Albans, Dawlish and Cambridge all successfully fought Tesco planning applications - these are just a few examples. See www.tescopoly.org for more information. What you can do? If Tesco gets the go-ahead by the planners Ottery will be changed forever. If you care please don’t wait – act now! Every comment and message of support counts.

oJoin our campaign. Email info@sustainableottery.org.uk

oVisit www.sustainableottery.org.uk and give your views on our blog

oWrite to or email your local councillor

- David Cox - dcox@members.eastdevon.gov.uk

- Roger Giles – roger.giles@devon.gov.uk

oWrite a letter for publication to the local newspaper

oCall 01404 814078 for information on helping us campaign

Remember, Tesco has owned the site since January 2008.

It has not been open with residents about its purchase.

We believe this has been done with the aim of

stifling healthy debate, enabling Tesco to take control.

Its arguments will be persuasive