Boycott threat over Tesco and Asda plans

2:38pm Thursday 10th April 2008

Comments (9)   Have your say »

Shoppers are threatening to boycott two supermarket giants that plan to open stores in New Barnet, saying they will ruin the area.

Nearly 300 people packed into St James' Church, in East Barnet Road, last Thursday night following the news both Tesco and Asda have bought large blocks of land for redevelopment.

Neither company has submitted planning proposals, but have already sparked protest against potential congestion, loss of small businesses and the environmental and aesthetic impacts.

Sue Young, of Edward Road, New Barnet, felt people at the meeting were unanimous in their opposition.

She said: "It's ridiculous for Tesco to use that site, it would ruin the area.

"It is completely the wrong time and the wrong place, and as the big company, it is like Goliath and we are David; but David won, and we still can defeat the plans.

"Tesco will not help the area, it will make it worse.

"We are going to fight the proposals all the way and will boycott the supermarkets if they come here."

Representatives from Asda, which bought the gasworks site to the north of East Barnet Road two years ago, failed to attend the meeting, stating in a letter it would be "premature" to discuss its plans which were still "at a very early stage".

Tesco corporate affairs manager James Wiggam attended, but said he was there to "listen and engage with people" and did not have any proposals beyond those outlined in Tesco's letter to residents in January.

The letter announced plans for development between Victoria Road and East Barnet Road, which would include a public square, Tesco store, housing, shops, community facilities and road improvements.

Residents voiced fears about congestion that could result from a supermarket being built alongside the Sainsbury's already in East Barnet Road.

A poll on the Times Series website in February found 63.5 per cent of respondents felt Sainsbury's was enough.

Theresa Villiers, Conser-vative MP for Chipping Barnet, said she would oppose proposals from either supermarket.

She said: "I don't think we have the road space to deal with it and don't see how the junctions could be improved or amended to cope, so I shall be opposing the proposals when they go in."

David Howard, trustee of New Barnet Residents Association, hosted the meeting and criticised Barnet Council for failing to draw up a detailed town centre strategy for the area until this month.

He said: "Two years ago TURN TO PAGE 2 FROM FRONT PAGE we heard about people buying up land and said we should do an area planning brief before names were put in the frame. But now Tesco or Asda can say the rules were changed at the last minute to stop them coming in, which would give them grounds for appeal.

"This is a classic case of the council trying to close a loophole that would have been easy to address in the past."

The council rejected this argument, saying town strategy documents carried no legal weight and planning officers would only approve an "appropriate" development.

A council spokesman said: "We have made it clear to Tesco and Asda any planning application they may make will not be approved unless it is appropriate in terms of size and design and in its impact on traffic, health care and schools.

"Clearly New Barnet town centre could not sustain two new large supermarkets and it is not clear that even one large new supermarket would be appropriate."