the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign

CAN (Cambridge Action Network) are hosting a gathering at Friends’ Meeting House on Thurday 7th February 2008, at 7pm.

A representative of the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign will report on progress with our Campaign.

The student-run CUSU Ethical Affairs Campaign are running a Discussion Café on Monday 3rd March at 7pm at the new student-run cafe on Jesus Lane.

A representative of the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign will report on progress with our Campaign.

The decisions about Tesco’s planning applications will now NOT be made at the meeting on Thursday 17th January, so you don’t need to come along at 7.30pm to the church. The East Area Committee itself will still meet as planned but the Tesco items will not be discussed.

The planning department have upheld a complaint by the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign to Simon Payne, the Director of Environment and Planning at the Cambridge City Council, about the inadequacy of the planning report and recommendation.

The report by planners currently recommends approval of the Tesco’s applications and was meant to be the basis for decision-making at the meeting.

The complaint made by the No Mill Road Tesco campaign was that this report is incomplete and fails to address most of the local residents’ objections to the store.

We regret that little notice has been given for the cancellation. Please pass on this news to all who might have been planning to attend.

More news will be available shortly.

We have sent five documents to Councillors of the East Area Committee in advance of the meeting on Thursday 17th January:

• Our response to the planning officer’s report
• Our original planning objections: [07/0809/ADV] and [07/0811/FUL]
• Open letter to Councillors
• A briefing document covering the issue of vitality and viability
• Comments on the Chesterton Tesco Express by a local resident

STOP PRESS: The East Area Committee meeting of 17th January will now no longer cover the Tesco application. See most recent news story.

The rest of this message below is maintained below for the sake of archiving the details.

After huge delays, the Planning Officer’s reports have been published. Despite the unprecedented numbers of objections, they recommend approval. However, it is the role of the elected Councillors to make the decision. (There are plenty of cases elsewhere that we have documented where Councillors have refused Tesco’s applications, and we urge Councillors here to do the same on Mill Road.)The councillors will be sitting in front of the people who voted them into office as they vote. And representatives from Tesco will be there too. The more of us there on the evening, the more the councillors will be reminded that they are there to represent the interests of their own constituents, not Tesco’s shareholders. Please come if you can.The decision will be made by the East Area Committee on 7.30pm, Thursday 17th January 2008, St Philips Church, 185 Mill Road. Please come and witness the discussion, and show your support against Tesco.Available online is:

• The agenda for the meeting [PDF format]
  
  • Report for 07/0809/ADV 163 – 167 Mill Road: Installation of one double sided internally illuminated projecting sign and one internally illuminated fascia sign.
  • Report for 07/0810/FUL 163 – 167 Mill Road: Cambridge Installation of new shopfront including ATM Unit.
  • Report for 07/0811/FUL 163 – 167 Mill Road: Erection of single storey rear extension and installation of plant. [This is considered to be the main application of interest.]

Local councillors will vote on approving or rejecting Tesco’s three planning applications at this meeting.

One of the planning applications is for a store extension. Tesco have stated they cannot open the store without this extension, so this planning decision has the power to stop a Tesco opening on Mill Road.

Since October 2007:

• 1,100 of us have written to the council objecting to these planning applications
• 5,000 of us have signed a massive No Tesco on Mill Road petition
• 600 of us marched down Mill Road on that freezing Saturday in November

And now, on Thursday 17th January, it’s decision time. The meeting starts at 7.30pm in the church. We’ll be gathering on the old Wilco site to talk to the media and grab the attention of passers by from 6.45pm onwards.

In the meantime, please write to your Councillors to tell them how you want them to vote on the 17th. You can find their email addresses at: http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/about-the-council/councillors/ or they are listed here:

• Romsey
  • Catherine Smart <chlsmart@cix.co.uk >
  • Sarah Ellis-Miller <sarah.ellis_miller@ntlworld.com>
  • Raj Shah <raj.shah@cambridge.gov.uk>
• Petersfield:
  • Ben Bradnack <ben.bradnack@cambridge.gov.uk >
  • Kevin Blencowe <kevin.blencowe@cambridge.gov.uk>
  • Lucy Walker <lucy.walker@cambridge.gov.uk>
• Coleridge:
  • Jeremy Benstead <j.benstead@cfr-uk.co.uk>
  • Lewis Herbert <Lewis.Herbert@cambridge.gov.uk>
  • Tariq Sadiq <tariqsadiq@btinternet.com>
• Abbey:
  • Caroline Hart <caroline.hart@cambridge.gov.uk>
  • Miriam Lynn <miriam.lynn@cambridge.gov.uk>
  • John Durrant <john.durrant@cambridge.gov.uk>

Tell them to:

• Pay attention to the planning objections made by the No Mill Road Tesco campaign and individuals about concerns that Tesco have no suitable place to make their deliveries, road safety, waste disposal, the removal of 18 parking spaces at the rear of the site and on Sedgewick street and other issues detailed at http://www.nomillroadtesco.org/planning-applications/grounds-for-objection/
• The vitality and viability of Mill Road is a priority of the council’s own local plan for the area. Voting for Tesco goes against the council’s own plans for the future of the last remaining area in Cambridge where independent stores have not been forced out by national and multinational chains.
• Councillors need to have the courage to listen to the people who put them in their seats, including you – the 5,000 signatures on the petition and the hundreds of written objections to the council and the march in opposition to a Tesco store on Mill Road are signs of local democracy in action. Councillors have listened to their constituents in other areas of the UK and stood up to Tesco, we hope our councillors have the confidence to do the same.

This ‘Dispatches’ documentary shown on Channel 4 gives some idea of how Tesco’s have managed to steamroll over the planning process in other ares in the UK:

And please sign up to the announcements e-mail list on if you haven’t done so already.

[Facebook event details]

This Saturday, 12th January 2008, we will be walking from the Guildhall to the Wilco site, distributing fliers to raise awareness of the East Area Committee meeting next Thursday, and you are very welcome to come along and join us at 2pm outside the Guildhall. We want to make sure as many people attend the East Area Committee meeting as possible.

(Despite the way it was covered in the Cambridge Evening News, there is not a march as such tomorrow.)

A question was asked by a member of the public at the 9th January East Area Committee meeting, as follows, which has relevance to our Campaign:

“Looking at the County Council’s map of accidents in Cambridge, it is clear that the section of Mill Road from the bridge to Coleridge Road is extremely dangerous, with cyclists particularly vulnerable. The Cambridge Cycling Campaign website, for instance, contains many pictures of the hazards caused by lorries in particular. Do Councillors agree that every effort must be made to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and that it is essential to stop any increase in the presence of delivery lorries in the narrow side streets off Mill Road.

Given the current lack of adequate car and cycle parking provision on the streets of Romsey, do Councillors agree that to lose any existing parking spaces, either on the streets or in existing small private car parks, would exacerbate the problem?”

The minutes, published subsequently, state:

“Members in responding to the question made the following points:

• There was a general awareness of the dangers drawn attention to in the question and the concerns too that parking was at a premium at evenings and weekends.
• The County Council was piloting a CCTV based scheme for traffic control, and there was the proposal of a 20mph speed restriction, although it was unlikely to be needed during most of the day, due to the weight of the traffic.
• County Council Highways Engineers were due to come to all Area Committees and it would provide an opportunity for residents and members to put these points to them.
• The Local Plan had added to the problem by reducing parking spaces per household.
• There were other issues as well as the peak flow of traffic that the Highways Authority representatives could be asked to address on 28 February meeting of this Committee, residents should make sure they were able to attend, although the officers might not be in a position to provide a response.
• Cycle parking provision was an issue which had been raised, particularly secure cycle parking, in view of the increase in theft of cycles.
• Poor street lighting was a contributory factor to some accidents; improved lighting would do more to improve the accident record than CCTV control.
• A proper analysis of the accident record including the difference between daylight and night-time accidents would be useful.”

Come and see our stall at the Mill Road Winter Fair!

Also, let us know if you can help in any way. We will be discussing organisation of the stall, and much more, at the meeting on Wednesday 28th November 2007, at 6.30pm at Mill Road Baptist Church.

Thank you to the hundreds of you (estimates range from 250 to 800) who joined us on our hugely successful march down Mill Road on Saturday 24th November.

It truly was a day to remember, from gathering outside the swimming pool, listening to speeches by Councillors and messages of support from the MP, other successful anti-Tesco campaigns and local groups, to the joy of walking down our Mill Road behind a samba band! The police were a great support; they maintained a discreet presence to ensure the safety of the marchers. Everyone who marched behaved impeccably and (we hope!) had a great time. A short speech by Abdul Arain from Al Amin closed proceedings outside the Wilco site and everybody dispersed peacefully and quickly. Thank you in particular to the members of the samba band who lead the way with such enthusiasm, and to the people who acted as stewards.

Over 4000 people have signed a petition, and a remarkable 1100 people sent in written objections to the City Council regarding Tesco’s planning applications. A poll in the local Cambridge Evening News suggests 75% of people across the city are opposed to the proposed increase in Tesco’s dominant position in Cambridge. The multinational giant already controls 51% of the grocery market here – putting us in the top 10 Tesco-dominated places in the UK. According to a recent Competition Commission report such dominance – surprise, surprise – has a negative impact on the consumer.

The day will have sent a very clear message to Tesco of a community united in opposition to their proposals.

We are meeting this week on Wednesday 28th November, 6.30 at the Baptist Church Mill Road. We will mainly be discussing our plans for the Winter Fair on Saturday 1st December, but there will be a fairly brief general discussion. All are welcome so please do come along.

Photos and reports:

• Video from the march
• Various other reports and photos on the Cambridge Indymedia website
• Photos from Alan
• Photos from manos
• Blog entry from Jenny Diski
• More videos on YouTube from elloydjenkins and Milliroads

Photos copyright respective contributors to Indymedia – thanks to them for these.

There will be a march on Saturday 24th November 2007. This major event will go down Mill Road and outline the extent of opposition to Tesco’s proposals.

Date: Saturday, November 24, 2007
Time: Starts at 12pm
Location: Next to Parkside Pool

Over 4000 people have signed the petition. Over 1000 people have objected in writing to the planning applications. We’ve objected with words, now we’re objecting with action.

Join us on a march to celebrate Mill Road and to show our objection to the threat posed to it by Tesco.

We’ll be marching down Mill Road to the old Wilco site to sound of samba beats. Come and join in the fun!

Also, let us know if you can help us with the event in any way.