the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign

TESCO has appealed against a decision not to give it an alcohol licence for its Cambridge Mill Road store – after vowing not to sell booze in “known disorder” areas.
The appeal comes despite the troubled area being designated a “cumulative impact zone”, which creates a presumption against giving out new alcohol licenses.

Cambridgeshire police objected to the original application on the grounds it could add to disorder in the area.

But Tesco chiefs have appealed against the decision despite the statement on their website which says: “We do not apply for licences in areas with known disorder issues.”

Cambridge City Council’s licensing sub-committee’s decision on August 17 to reject the store’s booze application was greeted by loud applause from campaigners.

Ruth Deyermond, planning co-ordinator of the No Mill Road Tesco campaign, hailed the decision “a victory for common sense and the community”.

Tesco sought a licence to sell alcohol from 10am-10pm seven days a week.

But police opposed the application arguing further alcohol sales would exacerbate alcohol-related problems.

Insp Marcia Nichols said the area suffered a “disproportionate” level of alcohol-related trouble and was already a “hotspot for violence”.

But Tesco will attempt to persuade councillors to grant a licence in December.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We have submitted an appeal against the decision for the alcohol licence. Our Express store in Mill Road is extremely popular and customers have told us they would like the opportunity to purchase our full range of items and this includes beers, wines and spirits.

“As a company, we take our responsibilities regarding the sale of alcohol exceptionally seriously and we already have robust policies in place to ensure our staff sell alcohol legally.”

No Mill Road Tesco Campaign has vowed to fight the licence bid.

A spokeswoman said: “We will maintain the opposition we successfully put forward at the licensing committee last time.”
The case will now be heard at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court.

A council statement said: “We have been advised Tesco Stores Ltd have appealed the sub-committee’s decision and consequently the matter will be subject to a further hearing in the Magistrates’ Court.”

Cambridge News, 3rd October 2009

john.downing@cambridge-news.co.uk

TESCO’S new store in Mill Road will open without booze after city councillors rejected its application for a drinks licence.

The licensing sub-committee’s decision yesterday was greeted by loud applause from campaigners who had fought the supermarket giant’s plans every step of the way.

Ruth Deyermond, planning coordinator of the No Mill Road Tesco campaign, hailed the decision “a victory for common sense and the community”.

Solicitor Jeremy Bark put the case for Tesco’s application, saying the store would open “in any event” on August 26.

Tesco sought a licence to sell alcohol from 10am-10pm seven days a week.

He said 7 to 8 per cent of the sales at a typical Tesco Express are alcohol and the company had a “good history of working with police” to ensure all sales were legal.

Cambridgeshire police opposed the application, arguing further alcohol sales would exacerbate alcohol-related problems.

The Mill Road area was designated a “cumulative impact zone” in May 2008, meaning new applications would normally be refused unless the applicant could show it would not add to drink-related trouble.

Insp Marcia Nichols said the area suffered a “disproportionate” level of alcohol-related trouble and was already a “hotspot for violence”.

Dr Deyermond, speaking on behalf of the No Mill Road Tesco campaign, told the meeting the application was “totally inappropriate” in a cumulative impact zone.

Janette Evely, a parent from Argyle Street and a teacher at St Philip’s Primary School, said pupils often encountered antisocial behaviour related to street drinking, and Mill Road did not need another outlet selling drink.

Cllr Mike Dixon, sub-committee chairman, announced the application was rejected for its failure to adequately address the cumulative impact policy and the council’s planning policy.

Dr Deyermond said: “We think this is a victory for common sense and the community.”

Insp Nichols said: “The issue was never about Tesco. The increase in sales of alcohol by any premises would have had a detrimental impact.”

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We are disappointed but are looking forward to opening the store on August 26 as planned.”

Note: NMRT has no view on other Tesco stores around Cambridge. However, this story will be of interest to some of our supporters, and it also mentions the artistic protest event which took place at the weekend.

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raymond.brown@cambridge-news.co.uk

TESCO is considering opening another store in Cambridge – the supermarket giant’s 15th in the city.

The former Dreams bed shop in East Road has been earmarked as a prime site for an Express store.

The latest proposed scheme would be less than one mile from the controversial store in Mill Road, which is set to open on August 26.

There has been furious opposition to the Mill Road shop, due to the street’s reputation for unique, independent retailers.

More than 5,000 people signed a petition against it, but some residents are in favour, saying Tesco will bring cheaper prices.

The No Mill Road Tesco Campaign this weekend held a demonstration at the site for the second Saturday in a row.

And Cambridge City Council is today (Monday, 17 August) set to decide on an alcohol licence for the store.

Beverley Carpenter, the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign co-ordinator, said: “It was quite a lively protest.

“We were protesting about the licensing application. We decorated the fence around the site with lager cans. We are hopeful the application will be turned down.”

She said while the group felt it was “really inappropriate” to have a Tesco store on Mill Road, it did not hold particular views on applications at other sites in the city.

Dreams, the bed linen and furniture store, has moved to the Beehive centre and held its grand opening this weekend.

Glen Deadman, assistant manager of Dreams, said: “I think it would be good if Tesco is moving to our old site.

There are so many students and people on that road that would use it. The road needs brightening up.”

London-based CgMs, which has been the planning agent for Tesco’s Mill Road store, is also overseeing applications to Cambridge City Council for the East Road venture.

Plans for “plant works to rear enclosed by 2m high hit and miss fence” at the site were approved earlier this year.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We are always on the lookout for possible new sites all over the country and are often in negotiations for suitable schemes for Express stores.

“However, these often never materialise and until an agreement is reached or an application made we would not comment on individual cases.”

Cambridge Evening News, 17th August 2009

raymond.brown@cambridge-news.co.uk

Protesters have knitted their feelings outside the Mill Road site.

TESCO bosses have been given the needle in a bizarre “knitting” attack on their planned store in Cambridge’s Mill Road.

The demonstration comes as the battle against the supermarket giant hots up just 15 days before the store is due to open.

Legal action against Tesco has been threatened over onstreet deliveries to the Express store and Cambridgeshire police have objected to an alcohol licence application.

Protesters twice stitched the word ‘Arrogant’ on to a barrier surrounding the shop over the weekend.

A group called ‘Get Knitted’ has claimed responsibility for the stitch-up and are following a campaigners’ craze sweeping the USA, where statues have been draped in scarves by ‘knit graffiti’ artists aiming to ‘beautify’ public spaces.

The demonstration in Cambridge was inspired by the children’s story Charlotte’s W eb,in which a spider uses a web to spell out words.

One member of the group, Cambridge co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth, Lulu Agate, 44, who lives off Mill Road, told the News: “I’m not a bomb-throwing revolutionary and I don’t want to damage property. I feel very lucky to live in a country where I can express how I feel.

“It just makes my blood boil that these companies can trample the rest of us.

“I did the stitching on Friday night and the builders took it off the next day. Then other members of the group went back on Sunday and did it again.”

Meanwhile, No Mill Road Tesco campaigners organised a two-hour protest outside the store on Saturday.

The campaigners are threatening to take legal action against Cambridge City Council if it fails to apply for an injunction to prevent the firm making on-street deliveries to the new store.

They claim the move would be in breach of its planning conditions.

Tesco has said it intends to carry out deliveries at the front of the shop.

Rich Rippin, who plans legal action, said: “Tesco have said that they are going to do something which they are specifically banned from doing at this site, and which every expert has said poses a risk to public safety.

“It would make a mockery of the planning process, and the role of councillors and local people in that process, if the council did not take action to stop this happening.”

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We always said we wanted to be part of a close-knit community. We are looking forward to opening the store on August 26 as planned.”

Cambridge Evening News, 11th August 2009

PROTESTERS gathered to express their opposition to Tesco’s new store in Cambridge’s Mill Road.

The No Mill Road Tesco campaigners organised the two-hour event outside the site for the new Tesco Express, which is scheduled to open on Wednesday, August 26, following a lengthy wrangle between the supermarket chain and local residents and traders.

Opponents of the plans decorated the former Wilco store with placards, banners and artworks outlining their objections to the scheme.

The campaigners are threatening to take legal action against Cambridge City Council if it fails to apply for an injunction to prevent the firm making on-street deliveries to the new store, which they claim would be in breach of its planning conditions. Tesco has said it intends to carry out deliveries at the front of the shop.

Rob Birch, who organised the protest, said: “The protest was a response to Tesco’s plan to open despite being refused planning permission and a response to their dangerous plan to stop 35 delivery lorries a week on the street.

“We’ll keep coming back to protest until Tesco starts listening.”

Cambridge Evening News, 10th August 2009.

Tesco must not be allowed to open its controversial new store in Cambridge’s Mill Road, says a city pressure group.

With just 20 days left until the shop opens its doors, Cambridge Cycling Campaign has called on the city council to take enforcement action against the supermarket and stop the opening.

The group weighed in after Tesco vowed to make on-street deliveries to the store, despite danger warnings from planners.

Martin Lucas-Smith, co-ordinator of Cambridge Cycling Campaign, said: “Any sensible person would recognise that having a 34ft lorry stopped on Mill Road for 41 minutes a time, twice a day, would be bad for road safety and traffic flow.

“It makes a mockery of the £400,000 to be spent on safety measures in Mill Road, if a key problem – delivery vehicles blocking the road – is made worse by the council failing to enforce a basic planning condition.

“It is too early to say what action we would take next, but the council has no excuse not to serve an injunction after Tesco’s admission that they intend just to ignore the rules.”

The supermarket giant has been warned by the highways authority, the Planning Inspectorate and city council not to deliver to the front of the store.

And ‘No Mill Road Tesco’ campaigners claim the company will be breaking the law and face fines of up to £1,000 a day if it goes ahead with deliveries.

They have written to council planners asking that enforcement action be taken.

While some have welcomed Tesco’s plan to open a shop at the old Wilco premises,there has a 5,000-name petition and demonstrations opposing it, and squatters turned the premises into a social centre before being evicted.

Planning officer Peter Carter said: “If Tesco do deliver to the store at the front it may be a threat to safety and we may have to enforce any alleged breach of planning conditions.”

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We will deliver to the front of the store as the previous occupants did and as do most retailers on Mill Road.”

The Express store is set to open on Wednesday, August 26.

Cambridge Evening News, 7th August 2009

raymond.brown@cambridge-news.co.uk

TESCO has vowed to make onstreet deliveries to its store in Cambridge’s Mill Road – despite warnings they could pose a danger to the public.

The supermarket has been warned by the Highways Authority, the Planning Inspectorate and Cambridge City Council not to deliver to the front of the store.

And ‘No Mill Road Tesco’ campaigners claim the company will be breaking the law and could face fines of up to £1,000 a day if it goes ahead with the plan.

But Tesco confirmed the company would make deliveries in the street, which is famed for its independent shops.

The News exclusively revealed that the Express store will open on Wednesday, August 26.

The plans were met with huge opposition when they were unveiled, including a 5,000-signature petition, street demonstrations and squatters who briefly turned the former Wilco shop into a social centre before they were evicted.

A No Mill Road Tesco campaign spokeswoman said: “Unlike other stores on Mill Road, this specific site has a planning condition preventing on-street delivery, as Tesco know.

“When the councillors refused Tesco planning permission in March and July last year, one of the reasons that they did so was because of the danger that Tesco’s 35 deliveries a week would pose to road safety.

“The government-appointed planning inspector dismissed Tesco’s appeal last November for exactly the same reason, that ‘the Mill Road delivery option would pose unacceptable risks to highway safety’.

“Both the planning inspector and the county council also said Tesco’s delivery cages would be dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists on Mill Road, because Tesco make so many deliveries every day.

“We are very interested to see that Tesco consider public safety, planning law, and the views of councillors and the Planning Inspectorate to be irrelevant to their business decisions. This is a matter we are pursuing through the appropriate channels.”

City council planning officer Peter Carter said: “There is a previous planning condition that deliveries cannot be made to the front of the shop.

If Tesco do deliver to the store at the front it may be a threat to safety and the council may have to enforce any alleged breach of planning conditions.”

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We will deliver to the front of the store as the previous occupants did and as do most retailers on Mill Road.”

A spokesman for the county council, the highways authority, said: “There is an old planning condition that still stands that they cannot deliver out front, and on top of that there is no waiting and no deliveries allowed at peak times.”

Published in the Cambridge News, 24th July 2009

On Saturday, we ran a successful and enjoyable, happy occasion, celebrating 500 days without Tesco on Mill Road. People from around the community came to enjoy entertainment, local produce and the sunshine.

However, the Cambridge Evening News has today reported on an unconnected event nearby. A senior editor has contacted us to state that they will print a formal retraction of parts of this story:

“As I said before on the telephone, we will print a clarification tomorrow which makes clear that, further to the picture caption printed on page 2 today, No Mill Road Tesco campaign was in no way involved in the attack and members condemned the man’s actions. It also apologises for any confusion caused.

Hope this is ok, apologies once again for any problems this has caused.

Best wishes,
John Deex, Deputy editor”

We also issued the following statement to Councillors yesterday:

“As you may be aware, there have been reports that two individuals were subjected to verbal and physical abuse on Saturday, while attempting to collect signatures for a pro-Tesco petition.

As we hope you understand, these incidents are in no way connected with the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign, and we would take very seriously any suggestion that they were. In the event that any such allegation is brought to our attention, we will request either concrete evidence for the claim, or a full and public retraction of it; if neither is forthcoming, it would be our intention to seek legal redress. 

The No Mill Road Tesco Campaign condemns such behaviour unreservedly and would strongly urge those affected to contact the police, if they have not already done so.

We always have been, and remain, confident of our arguments – arguments that have been supported by Council and Planning Inspectorate decisions. We regard abuse and threats as the resort of those with no arguments on their side, or those who are incapable of making arguments.”

TWO appeals by supermarket giant Tesco for permission to build an extension as part of plans to open a store in Cambridge’s Mill Road have been dismissed.

The company had wanted to build a single-storey extension at the back of the former Wilco store and install plant equipment. 

The application was made along with proposals for a shop front, ATM and two signs. 

But while Cambridge City Council approved two of Tesco’s planning applications, it rejected the proposed extension and installation of refrigeration equipment. 

Tesco appealed against the refusal of planning permission. It also lodged an appeal on the grounds of non-determination. 

A four-day hearing was held at the beginning of October and now planning inspector David Nicholson has dismissed both appeals. 

He concluded the servicing options for the store would “pose unacceptable risks to highway safety”. Sonia Cooter, co-ordinator of the No Mill Road Tesco campaign, said: “We are very happy. 

“The planning inspector quite comprehensively ruled out any safe delivery options. It’s up to Tesco now to decide whether they want to go any further. 

“We are delighted that the planning inspector realised just how dangerous it would be to deliver to the site.” 

Martin Lucas-Smith, co-ordinator of Cambridge Cycling Campaign, who gave evidence at the public inquiry, said: “Cambridge Cycling Campaign is delighted to hear that Tesco’s ridiculous proposals for deliveries directly from Mill Road or by sending large lorries down the narrow streets of Romsey have been comprehensively and unequivocally thrown out by the Government inspector. 

“We objected to the plans and the Government inspector has accepted the evidence we put forward at the public inquiry that cyclists and indeed everyone else using Mill Road would be badly affected by Tesco’s delivery proposals. 

“We hope now that Tesco will stop wasting taxpayers’ money and everyone’s time, and withdraw their second appeal, in which exactly the same issues apply.”

A statement released by Tesco read: “We are obviously extremely disappointed by this decision. We will be considering the report and looking at our options. 

“However, we still remain committed to Mill Road and think that a Tesco Express will add to the vibrancy of the area. We now await the Inquiry date for air conditioning and refrigeration plant.”

Cambridge Evening News, 12/11/2008