Blueprint suggests 100 homes for Bath Press site in new twist to Tesco store battle

“Could housing the students on campus or similar, be an idea for the future?

This whole subject of housing gets from one disaster to another. We need industry and employment. Things were left until, it became something that had to sorted like now.

So what about Tesco's?”

“The LibDems are in a minority on the planning committee and, as it happened, the LibDems all voted against the Odd Down Sainsbury's (which was approved on the casting vote of the Tory chairman). An application for a new Sainsbury's at Green Park hasn't even been submitted, never mind approved, but it will in any case be replacing an existing store, not creating an entirely new one.”

“Typical of the Ball family no Tesco's at any cost stance. To say that it'll have an affect on the shops at Moorland Road any more than a new super sized Sainsburys at Green Park which only a few yards further from Moorland Road is absolute poppycock. This Lib Dem lot think the electorate was born yesterday with some of the statements they make. Correct me if I wrong but didnt Tesco repeatedly try, with no avail, to get planning permission for a store at Odd Down where the now Sainsburys stands. The thing stinks of corruption.”

“I'd like to see a Tescos on the site, as it would, as a consumer, offer me greater choice of where to shop, within reasonable distance and travel of the centre."

Everyone's entitled to an opinion, however irrational. The idea that two supermarkets means more choice or meaningful competition is fantasy, though.

.”

“The irony is, in the vicinity of this site there are hundreds of solid Victorian homes, perfect for Bath families, which would relieve a lot of the pressure to build new stock. Sadly the vast majority of them are packed to the rafters with students. It's crazy that we're having to endanger our unique World Heritage setting by building on green belt, when so much of the existing housing stock is taken up by a transient population which is exempt from contributing to Council coffers (as indeed are their landlords).”

“Oh great! More housing to be over-run by landlords and students”

“That goes (almost) without saying Roger.

For once I was more musing on the implications for the Core Strategy if one or more plot owners - riled by the councils inclusion of their sites - start turning up in front of the inspector and making it clear that some of the required 12700 stand little chance of actually getting built. Not sure whether the potential to stop Tesco doing something they will either do now or not do for a long time regardless, is worth poking a hornets nest and giving Tesco an incentive to have their experts pore through the whole Core Strategy for ways to get it slung out!”

“I'd like to see a Tescos on the site, as it would, as a consumer, offer me greater choice of where to shop, within reasonable distance and travel of the centre.

I do not see any reason for it not being built there apart from Sainsbugs suddering at the prospect of some decent competition.

If this development does not go ahead, i hope that Tescos tell the council where to go and open it to the travelling community. I gather the local authority still has to deal with the quota for providing accomodation to them!”

“It can intend what it likes but if the inspector upholds the refusal they're not going to be building a supermarket.”

“I'm utterly intrigued by the prediction that 100 homes will be build by 2018 on a site where the owner has no intention of doing anything other than building a supermarket.”