Over 300 people, from all quarters of the Shipston community, attended a public exhibition, at the Townsend Hall last week (30Nov-1stDec), to comment and share views on initial proposals for a possible, mixed-use development, including a supermarket and petrol station, on a site to the west of town.
Visitors to the exhibition viewed and considered recommendations, presented by Ainscough Strategic Land (ASL), which has an option on the site. ASL specialises in researching and delivering appropriate and sustainable local developments, through working closely and consulting thoroughly with the local community. Draft, outline plans presented were based on initial residents’ feedback and comment, collated over the past year and Shipston residents were asked for their further input into how the proposed site on Campden Road could be developed, to best meet the town’s current and evolving, future needs.
For those of you who attended and those who didn't, we would like to know your opinion on the proposals. Please comment below...
>>Related earlier discussion, 'Supermarket for Shipston'
April 2012 Minutes
Comments
As a lifelong resident who worked for a local architectural practice for 17 years before starting my own practice 4 years ago, I have seen Shipston grow at the fastest rate of any town in the district and whilst I am naturally pro-development because of my career, unfortunately in Shipston’s case its development has not always been to the benefit of its long term residents.
We have seen large industrial employers up sticks and leave town, leaving behind houses instead of employment land, our consumer choice has diminished (anyone remember Greenway Stores or the shop on the corner of Watery Lane) and our schools are oversubscribed with people who have grown up here not even sure if their children will get a place in their local school.
In light of the current substantial proposals pushed at our town I say enough is enough and I’m drawing a line in the sand, Shipston has severe problems that need fixing and whilst I appreciate that there is a large amount of support for a new supermarket that would go some way towards solving our lack of consumer choice, we should not just accept what is being pushed at us as from these developments and I believe that Shipston can get a much better deal that will make serious inroads to fixing Shipston’s underlying problems.
I appreciate that there is also a large anti-supermarket movement and we cannot ignore people’s opinions, however what is quite clear is that the developers are not going to go away and Shipston will have to take its share of new housing for the district and my intensions are to find the common ground and evolve plans for Shipston that are acceptable to residents, councillors, planners and the developers.
Cala Homes and Ainscough Strategic Land have both told me that they are not liaising with one another, I personally suspect that they are in cahoots, but if they are not we certainly need to get them talking as the Norgren site and the ASL land should be developed in unison not as 2 separate sites, so that they have cohesion and form.
With local elections due in May there is little point in our current Town Council engaging with developers, but I implore the new Council to enter into immediate discussions with all developers to establish their intensions and mediate between developers and residents to steer these applications for the good of the town.
Fellow Shipston’ers we have the power! These current planning applications will not succeed at local level and will be refused, but similarly they will not just go away and we should all unite to constructively combine our passions and send a clear and concise message to developers, councillors and planners as to what it is Shipston wants and needs!
My vision of Shipston resulting from these developments is strictly personal to me and I unlike the developers am not dictating what should happen, but for what it brings to the debate (you may/may not agree with all of my points) I have listed what I consider are achievable goals derived from these developments and what we should all attempt to steer the developers towards:
• A sixth form for the High School, built where the old Swimming Pool stood.
• A supermarket, to be built on the Norgren site or ASL land.
• It should be made clear to ASL that the density of development on the land they have an interest in should be much lower than currently proposed, but in appreciation of their efforts and for working with the town (provided they do?) a proportion of the site (to make the development worthwhile) should be permitted, provided they are committed to contributing towards the other points listed herein. The remainder of the site should be landscaped. Potentially the site could have larger (more expensive) homes to lessen their number and whilst I appreciate that “Social” housing is normally priority these days (but this would be on adjoining Norgren site) equally Shipston has not had any substantial executive homes built and it is the occupants of such houses who are industry leaders and employers and I think Shipston would benefit from encouraging such people to make Shipston their home.
• There should be no industrial units built this end of town just housing (there is currently proposed 10,000sq ft on the Cala Homes, Norgren site application). Instead the developers will have to pay contributory funds to an account that can be drawn upon by companies who want to build on the existing industrial estate at Tilemans Lane. This could potentially half the cost of building units (for example) for start up companies who would be attracted to the town by low cost industrial units, injecting a badly needed boost to our towns sorry looking industrial estate.
• A riverside footpath, Park with communal recreation space. For a town the size of Shipston not to have such a space is in my opinion fundamentally one of the main reasons we suffer from a lack of drawing people in from surrounding larger towns and with this facility so close to the town I truly believe that this would go some way to negating any potential negative effect resulting from an out of town supermarket. The river is a vastly underappreciate d and untapped potential for the town, it is after all Shipston “ON” Stour.
I sincerely hope that the above is a call to action and makes people on both sides appreciate where we stand as a town and what potential we can squeeze out of this and that we should be working together instead of against one another, which is exactly what the developers want. If however we stand together they know they will have to work much harder and give up more to get the developments they want and this will benefit us all.
Mark Stephen Wildish
I am sure many people in the town and surrounding area would welcome a supermarket and petrol station of the right scale and in the best location which may or may not be the ASL site.
Lets look at this realistically, Ainscoug are a property developer, buying up land building cheaply and moving on when they have made their profit. From the initial proposals put forward last year that got so much negative feedback, they are trying a different approach and teaming with a retailer to offer them very low rates per sq m to build an "Out of Town" supermarket and petrol station. Now I use the term "Out of Town" not very lightly, as living on the outskirts of Shipston I know it takes a good 10 minutes to walk from the centre to where I live. If people beleive that building a supermarket will enhance their shopping experience, whilst reducing their costs Think Again! You will still need to bring your car to it, they will offer some reduction on household items (to kill off the competition within the town) once, the Co-Operative scale down their stores, the prices will increase. This has been the case in Southam where a Tesco's (hidden on the industrial estate) did exactly the same thing. Do you also think that by building a Petrol station, that they will also be competitive within our area they will try and shut down the Fosse Way Petrol stations by offerring cheap petrol, once they have gone they will own the monopoly within Shipston and again push prices up. Commenst that I have read on this site, seem to be all in favour of the development, but where will it stop? We have as outlined within the Draft Core Strategy that our housing has grown by 95% in the past 10 years against the area average of 23%. Many developers have offerred up incentives to build only to renage on them at a later date, do you think any of them have considered the core infrastructure (Sewage, Water, Mains supply) it cannot cope at present and will require a massive investment to bring them up to the levels required to run the additional houses and a supermarket. Who do you think will end up paying for it? we will in Council Tax. So my final point is, do not think that this will be a Win Win situation for residents, it will be a LOSE LOSE for the residents and a huge profit for Ainscough.
The proposals for a new Medical Centre are part of a project to create a new Health and Wellbeing Park in Shipston, which is intended to include a new community hospital and extra care housing facility. These proposals are entirely separate from the ASL proposals.
The Health and Wellbeing project is being led by Warwickshire County Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Primary Care Trusts and the South Warwickshire Foundation Trust and is at an early stage. More details can be found here www.shipstonhealthpark.co.uk
The extra care housing referred to by ASL would, I believe, be a private provision and not operated by the county council. It would therefore meet a different need from that identified as part of the Health and Wellbeing Park project.
If you have any specific questions about the park project, please email shipston.healthpark
Some good points although I don't agree on how this will impact the town. I think just a foodstore will be a positive. Also, I'm not sure if the medical centre is a bribe. I went to the Townsend Hall and saw the proposals and I didn't see anything in their proposals regarding the medical centre. As far as I see, they are 2 totally seperate issues. Unless of course I am missing something. But of course you are right in ensuring that anything that is offered is actually delivered as developers are known for their lack of scruples. What happened to the new scout hut which was supposed to be built with developer money when they built off Tilemans Lane 10 years ago. The decision on the foodstore will happen with or without The Town Council and I think it's even more likely if permission is given to Cala for the houses at The Norgren. If The Town Council aren't even engaged with ASL, how can they ensure that anything which is promised is actually delivered? How can they ensure that the town centre is protected? The District Council will receive a huge amount of money if this development goes ahead and the town council should ensure that this money goes to protecting and developing our town centre and the rest of the town. Not sure they can do this from the sidelines.
Quoting Peter:
We seem to fall hook line and centre for these new plans, needing a petrol station, another supermarket store, parking etc etc, but realistically...how much employment is it going to create for the town? How many of us now self service at checkouts? They will implement those no doubt so there will be less staff.
Traffic into the town may cause problems and you can bet your bottom dollar that people will stay up there for a coffee and won't venture into the centre of town. It will keep people away from our town which decreases footfall for our local shop owners - our very own entrepreneurs!
I dont think Shipton is in the past, I think we are very much ahead! We have a market town heritage, it's who we are...do you really want a Stratford style Maybird on our doorstep??!! What ever would happen to our Shipston card??!!!
I feel so many people are blinkered by these proposals yet they are a ruse, nothing else!! You think I am wrong then wait for the 'I told you so' in 5 years time and we see boarded shop windows in the main square!
With careful planning Shipston can make itself sustainable! We pretty much have everything on offer already! Look at how Boots naturally fits into the town! I think people seem to think a massive Tescos would solve problems, it won't...it's not the longterm solution. What happens if Tescos one day were to put the prices up? Then what? All our other shops would be gone.
In the previous discussion topic related to this which I read closely 'Supermarket for Shipston?', there was a number of discussions from people who have seen what happened to their town as the result of corporations driving up to their door.
Be smart people, don't just take the carrot! Look broader!
ps loving the festive addition to this site...very cool!
As the council have built many house's over the last few years, they have failed to make additional facilities for parking and medical resources.
The proposed new medical centre is just another bribe to get planning through the back door.
What happens if at the last minute Tesco withdraw the planned medical centre and offer a sum of money towards the cost. This has happened in Scotland but by then the Superstore is built.
Be careful what you wish for.
1 Shipston needs a petrol station.
2. Another small supermarket would give us a CHOICE of where to shop. Also Mid Counties Co-op is closing their store at Stratford in 2 months time so maybe Shipston will be next in their closure programme.
3.Along with the rest of Warwickshire, Shipston has a very high elderly population which is going to get bigger. A retirement village would be a real asset especially if it includes a residential care home.
Shipston needs to move onwards and prepare for the future not stay stuck in the past.
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