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HIGHAMS PARK: Highams Park 'will die' if Tesco plan approved - IDS

2:43pm Friday 20th February 2009 in


Highams Park will 'die' if plans for a new Tesco superstore are approved, Iain Duncan Smith MP has warned.

But the supermarket giant insists the future of the area is bleak unless its proposal is accepted.

Mr Duncan Smith believes Highams Park will not receive regeneration promised as part of a new supermarket development.

He also accused Tesco of dishonesty for misleading residents.

However, Tesco says it fears for the future of the area if the proposed store is refused.

The Chingford MP today (Friday) discussed the proposed plans with architect Jonathan Collins and a Tesco representative at the proposed site.

He said: "What I don't buy is that Highams Park will be regenerated. People will come and park in the Tesco car park and when they are finished get in their cars and drive back to where they live.

"They won't shop at the shops nearby because they will be able to buy newspapers, bottles of wine and other necessities at Tesco.

"Highams Park as we know it will die. The traders round about the proposed site may think they will get extra business but I don't buy it.

"Tesco have been dishonest because I don't believe Highams Park will get the regeneration Tesco says it will."

The Highams Park Society, the Highams Park Forum and the Highams Park Residents' Association are opposed to the store.

But some local traders are hoping the store will be approved and bring in new business.

The retail giant has submitted plans to the council to build a 24-hour store in an industrial estate off Larkshall Road.

The proposals also include 260 homes, which include affordable and rented accommodation around public green space, seven independent shops facing Larkshall Road, 350 underground car parking spaces and offices, workshops and business start-up units.

A Tesco spokesman said: "I fear for the future of Highams Park if we don't get permission. The store will bring new jobs and affordable homes at time of economic uncertainty.

"I believe that traders will benefit from new trade because of the new store, if it goes ahead, and Highams Park will be regenerated."

Comments(16)

Claridger says...
4:02pm Fri 20 Feb 09

'Highams Park will 'die' if plans for a new Tesco superstore are approved, Iain Duncan Smith MP has warned'.

What an idiotic statement to make by a former Leader of the Tories whose effectiveness as said Leader was as good as a one legged man at a bottom kicking contest.

Tesco's love them or hate them bring jobs and business to an area. The littles ramshackle shops that are worth anything tend to pull their socks up and improve their attitude towards their customers.

It will be a good thing for Highams park in my view.

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isb61 says...
4:29pm Fri 20 Feb 09

The store will kill the area, the roads around the station are already at capacity & the additional 260 housing units will generate at least that many additional cars in addition to those using the store, large delivery wagons will thunder down Larkshall & Hale End Roads at all hours worsening the quality of life for those residents, I dont often agree with the coservatives but in this case IDS has it right!

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Morris Hickey says...
5:15pm Fri 20 Feb 09

Claridger needs to get real and come back from cloud-cuckoo land. Tesco is one of the biggest environmental disasters in this country today. All too often we are left with no choice but to use them because they have already killed off any opposition.

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a.khan says...
6:13pm Fri 20 Feb 09

This is a typical american-style proposal, people driving to the supermarket instead of walking, really harming local businesses by offering everything the consumer needs under one roof, where has the good old community spirit gone?

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stow a way says...
7:54pm Fri 20 Feb 09

I’m afraid that Highams Park stopped being an idyllic rural village soon after the railway arrived and the British Xylonite factory was built, times move on and changes will continue to happen, get over it!

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Malcolm Shykles says...
8:20pm Fri 20 Feb 09

In 1949 there were some 1,000 employees on the Halex site which Tesco now owns.
Most of the site is either empty warehouses or demolished warehouses.
They have sat on it for 7 years preventing jobs from being established.
It is well known that supermarkets displace jobs, they do not create them.
The Tesco spokesman is therefore telling untruths.
No one is going hungry in Highams Park and all of the Tesco plans refer to urban development, whilst Highams Park is a suburb.
Finally Tesco appear to have discounted ethical considerations when selling produce grown on illegally occupied Palestinian land.- So many will not be shopping there anyway!

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JackSpur says...
8:44pm Fri 20 Feb 09

isb61 wrote:
The store will kill the area, the roads around the station are already at capacity & the additional 260 housing units will generate at least that many additional cars in addition to those using the store, large delivery wagons will thunder down Larkshall & Hale End Roads at all hours worsening the quality of life for those residents, I dont often agree with the coservatives but in this case IDS has it right!
I could not agree more with the above comment.

The traffic in Highams Park is very bad and it won't be able to take the extra traffic from shoppers and 260 new homes will bring. There are plenty of supermarkets nearby that are just a little further to drive to.

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my views says...
9:39pm Fri 20 Feb 09

To Claridger and Stow my way I say "Here here". I have lived in Highams Park for 25 years. I would get my shoes mended, my eyes tested and my prescriptions dispensed in Highams Park. I would never have dreamt of buying a TV, when the shop was there, due to the cost. It has been said that local traders can be misery's, and this can be the case, so why would you want to give them trade. I cant remember a time really that Highams Park felt like a village and dont see what residents think they are going to lose.? I would welcome Tesco to breath life back into this area.

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Claridger says...
2:21pm Sat 21 Feb 09

All too often we are left with no choice but to use them because they have already killed off any opposition.

So Morris uses Tesco because he is 'forced to' Ah bless diddums.

You have incredible resolve them? Not!

I have never heard such garbage. Why do you not shop elsewhere then?

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Morris Hickey says...
5:41pm Sat 21 Feb 09

Claridger wrote:
All too often we are left with no choice but to use them because they have already killed off any opposition. So Morris uses Tesco because he is 'forced to' Ah bless diddums. You have incredible resolve them? Not! I have never heard such garbage. Why do you not shop elsewhere then?
You're jumping to conclusions - read carefully. I did not say that I shop at Tesco. Are you Bert Small posting under a different name?

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JackSpur says...
5:46pm Sat 21 Feb 09

Did Bert Small pass away?

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LarryTLemur says...
7:06pm Sun 22 Feb 09

JackSpur wrote:
Did Bert Small pass away?
I don't know if Bert is brown bread, but with his tendency to misquote, misunderstand and selectively cut and paste in a lame attempt to make a point, it looks like Claridger is suffering from the first signs of senile decay. Bless!

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MD250 says...
7:08pm Sun 22 Feb 09

Malcolm Shykles wrote:
In 1949 there were some 1,000 employees on the Halex site which Tesco now owns.
Most of the site is either empty warehouses or demolished warehouses.
They have sat on it for 7 years preventing jobs from being established.
It is well known that supermarkets displace jobs, they do not create them.
The Tesco spokesman is therefore telling untruths.
No one is going hungry in Highams Park and all of the Tesco plans refer to urban development, whilst Highams Park is a suburb.
Finally Tesco appear to have discounted ethical considerations when selling produce grown on illegally occupied Palestinian land.- So many will not be shopping there anyway!
its always nice to be back, and nonsense like this deserves a mention, i doubt whether you shop at m and s either mr ethical hypocrite

dross

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Claridger says...
10:22am Mon 23 Feb 09

'All too often we are left with no choice but to use them because they have already killed off any opposition'

I think that this implies that you use Tesco. What else can one assume?


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chrisyummymummy says...
1:58pm Mon 23 Feb 09

Why can't we leave Highams Park as it is nice & quiet especially at weekends!

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b4rl3yw1n3 says...
2:13pm Tue 24 Feb 09

Sticking to the matter in hand rather than hurling abusive and unsubstantiated comments at others, I would like to say - 260 new homes on top of the 56 planned for across the road! Where will the children go to school? Where will the residents and commuters park their cars and how will the small roads through Highams Park cope with the additional traffic? Building a large store just seems to me unworkable in such a small area.

Keep Highams Park a quiet, local area!

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