Majority oppose Sainsbury’s plan (From Daily Echo)

Majority oppose Sainsbury’s plan in Bishop's Waltham

5:33pm Thursday 7th January 2010 in News By Ash Bolton, Senior Winchester Reporter

Majority oppose Sainsbury’s plan

A PUBLIC consultation to build a controversial new supermarket in a Hampshire town has revealed the majority of residents are against it.

Sainsbury’s bosses polled more than 13,000 people last July regarding the building of a new superstore on the Abbey Mill site in Bishop’s Waltham.

But of the 37 per cent (1,162) of forms returned from Bishop’s Waltham residents 51 per cent opposed the new store and 46.5 per cent supported it.

Across the nine wards polled the figures were almost exactly the same with 46 per cent (1,532 of respondents) saying they supported the proposals and 51 per cent (1,716 respondents) opposed to Sainsbury’s plans.

Now Sainsbury’s bosses have announced that they will send out details of the finalised proposals to 13,000 people before they press ahead with a planning application, which is expected in the next three months.

A spokesman for Sainsbury’s said: “It’s quite clear that there is not a big majority against the proposals.

“We understand some people are diehard opponents of the supermarket and we won’t change their views. But we want to get the facts in front of the whole community for them to see.”

This week 13,000 residents will be leafleted in and around the market town with the results of the consultation from last July.

Although supermarket bosses are remaining tight-lipped on possible changes to previous plans, they have stated there would be six daily deliveries by Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

These would travel from the M3 via Twyford and Colden Common. There would also be up to four additional deliveries per day by smaller vehicles.

The Bishop’s Waltham Action Group fears that the 35,000 sq ft store will have a detrimental effect on independent shops and could put many out of business.

Up to 500 people crammed into the town’s Jubilee Hall on May 28 to voice almost unanimous opposition to the building of a store.

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, Sainsbury’s bosses admitted that regardless of public opinion they would submit a planning application.

If built, the store would cover an area of land more than two times the size of an Olympic swimming pool and employ about 350 people.

For more information contact Sainsbury’s community information line on 0845 602 1151 or the Bishop’s Waltham Action Group by following the related link below..