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HAVE YOUR SAY - Store campaign group hits back
A RESIDENTS' campaign group against a large-scale bid by Tesco in Whitby has defended claims by some people in the town that they are NIMBYs.
Spokeswoman for Whitby Residents Against Tesco (WRAT), Helen Barker, lives with her husband Wilfred close to the proposed 40m retail and housing development at High Stakesby which includes a Tesco eco store.
She said: "We wish to re-iterate the fact that we are not for or against any supermarket.
"It is the site of the proposed development at Sneaton Castle we oppose.
"It's not about NIMBYism, it's about concern for the future of the town. It's also because we love Whitby. I don't want to see it spoilt.
"I agree we need a supermarket but only in the correct place for it.
"We are concerned that the Tesco's development will create a visual eyesore and be very intrusive from the moor road and key approaches into Whitby and will set an undesirable precedent for permitting development on the fringes of the town."
Mrs Barker (67) said the site on land owned by the Order of the Holy Paraclete lies outside the development limits for Whitby as defined in Scarborough Borough Council's local plan while Sainsbury's proposed site is an "in settlement" Brownfield site.
"About two years ago the Sneaton Castle site was dismissed for housing in the local development plan," she said.
"It states development of the full site would represent a significant intrusion of the area of the whole of Whitby and into the open rural countryside and would alter the wider setting of this rural aspect to the north of Whitby."
Mrs Barker also claimed studies of other Tesco developments show that most of the jobs created are part-time and that for every new job, one and a half existing jobs in the town are lost as a result of existing businesses having to close.
"The criticism by the sisters that the Sainsbury's store at Stainsacre Lane would result in the loss of jobs at a manufacturing facility is not factually correct," she added.
"We understand the firm concerned was considering plans to concentrate its business elsewhere and has offered to existing employees the opportunity to relocate."
Another major concern of the WRATs is traffic.
Mrs Barker said the proposed access arrangements to the planned Tesco site is of "great concern" with access to the Sainsbury's site via an A road while access to Sneaton Castle is via a single entrance from a B road.
She said: "According to Tesco's own predictions the traffic generated by the development would be at least doubled, causing gridlock at certain times.
"This would be made far worse by the fact there would only be one access road into and out of the development.
"High Stakesby is a route along which many children walk to Stakesby School, Whitby Community College and Caedmon School.
"The pavement along High Stakesby is very narrow in areas; pedestrians often have to step into the road when passing each other.
"Thus the increase in traffic will add to the risk of accidents."
Mrs Barker said the WRATs do recognise the need for social housing but believe there are other sites available.
"The land at Sneaton Castle Farm is often waterlogged and drains into Stakesby Vale Beck which then drains into Bagdale Beck underneath Bagdale Hall.
"We understand that flooding of Station Square in the past originated from Stakesby Vale Beck," she said.
"According to an expert the proposed hydrobrakes may not contain the excess run off water if we get a heavy storm.
"This could lead to the possibility of downstream flood risk."
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Weather for Whitby
Saturday 19 May 2012
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