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Helping sustain our local community and the wider region
During the two highly successful Public Consultation in April and June this year, a number of questions were asked of us.
Many of these had similar themes, so for those of you who may not have had the chance either to ask the questions or listen to the answers at the time, we will answer them again here.
Will you be able to get planning permission?
Our formal Planning Application will be lodged with the NNDC on or before 16th July 2009. We are confident this full proposal will encourage planners and councillors to see the Greenhouse community project as a serious option.
What happens if Tesco get permission – will you still go ahead?
It is unlikely, in our opinion, that the NNDC would grant approvals for two supermarkets. We see this as a straight choice, not just for the people of Sheringham, but NNDC as well.
Can you be competitive on price with only one Store?
Yes. There are many examples around the UK of highly successful and competitive independent stores. Apart from a number of Buying Group opportunities open to us, for the tinned, packet, and multi-buy goods required to service your needs, we can make full use of the many high quality local sources of fresh foods available. Without thousands of transport miles and massive Regional Distribution Centres to pay for, we can keep our prices very ‘supermarket competitive’ and still make the profit needed to stay in business and contribute to the Charitable Trust.
And remember, unlike Tesco, we would not have hundreds of thousands of share-holders to keep happy with ever-greater profits. The only shareholders we have to please are the people of Sheringham and surrounding villages.
Isn’t this just a fall-back plan for Tesco, so that they will still have a site even if their town centre proposal is rejected again?
No. Should the Greenhouse community project succeed with its planning application, Tesco will not appear on this site – now or ever. We are doing this to give the people of Sheringham a genuine choice – not to cheat them.
Why the Norfolk Food Academy – what’s that got to do with a supermarket?
The Greenhouse community project has always been about far more than just a supermarket – that is simply one opportunity interwoven with the other strands of the project. The allotments are just as important – a new site with the opportunity to become a ‘flagship’ UK site – not our words, the words of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners, whose advice we have sought throughout this stage. The supermarket and café becomes a possibility because of the land swap to deliver the new allotment sites. The Norfolk Food Academy is then the strand that helps our school children of all ages, young adults, young parents and older would-be learners to expand their skills and, for those that want them, to gain nationally accredited qualifications in an area which has particular importance to the region’s economic well-being.
How will the elderly, disabled and those without cars get to the Store?
We plan an electric-powered shuttle bus, with wheelchair access, to run continually around Sheringham, Upper Sheringham and Beeston Regis, collecting and returning our shoppers for free. The Store itself will be designed to maximise disabled access and support. In addition, electric-powered delivery vans will bring your shopping direct to your front door for those who want to buy in-store but are unable to carry your bags home, as well as for those who order on-line or by phone – again, absolutely free.
What happens to the old allotments if you go ahead with the land swap but can’t build the Store?
The land swap with Sheringham Town Council has gone ahead and we will be starting work on the new site by mid-July. This was never contingent on getting planning permission for the Store. If we should not get permission for any reason, we remain committed, as stated clearly in writing, to working with local sports groups to use the land for recreational purposes.
What will happen to the existing skateboard facility if you go ahead with the Store?
We are already in contact with the committee which runs this facility, and are actively supporting them in redesigning and rebuilding the site to be more fun for its users, as well as safer. We have also been asked by local residents if seating might be added beside the facility, so that older people can go along and enjoy the skills of our skate-boarders.
Doesn’t the road flood during winter, right where you will have your access to the Store?
The entrance to Splash suffers from occasional flooding at times of heavy and continuous rain, but our access point, further along the Weybourne Road from the Splash entrance, does not suffer in this way.
Won’t traffic congestion be a problem with lots of people trying to gain access to the Store and Splash?
No, we don’t think so. Our new and totally separate site entrance from Splash would be far less likely to grind to a halt in busy times – a real concern for many with the proposed Tesco site. This is actually a key consideration in siting our new Store in the area just beyond Splash. Apart from giving existing High Street traders ‘room to breathe’, we would offer the opportunity for infinitely better traffic flow. Unlike the Tesco proposal, it is away from the roundabout at the bottom of Holway Road, the station (maybe with a new level crossing) and the town’s established shopping streets. We feel that site has the potential to generate a real congestion problem for the town, especially in the middle of Summer. Indeed, many people tell us they feel it is already a problem – and that’s without a supermarket plonked down in the middle of it all!
The proposed Greenhouse community project would offer Sheringham shoppers a highly competitive, alternative destination for their ‘weekly’ shop, as well as a café, new allotments and The Norfolk Food Academy.
What Can You Do?
