Retail giant Tesco has confirmed it will open its fifth store in the Caerphilly town area on the site of the former Bowls Inn in Penyrheol.
South Wales East AM Lindsay Whittle, who is also a ward councillor in Penyrheol, has urged residents to support local businesses as Caerphilly had become a “Tescotown”.
Speculation that Tesco would move into the old Bowls Inn building had been widespread after developers put in a planning application to turn it into retail units.
The scheme by owners Newbridge Construction, which bought the premises from Admiral Taverns, will see the pub building partially demolished and converted into a shop unit. There will also be two other separate shop units built.
When the planning application was approved in December last year, Newbridge Construction said it did not have a tenant for the shop lined up.
Tesco has now confirmed it will open one of its Express stores on the site. This will add to stores already in the town centre, Crossways retail park, Trethomas and Castle View.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We would like to open a small Express store within the former Bowls Inn pub. This will create around 20 jobs that will be prioritised for both Aber Valley and Penyrheol residents. The store will also offer a wide range of fresh produce and essential items at fair prices. It is designed to encourage people to shop closer to home and could be particularly beneficial for those without a car.”
The company, which hopes to open the store next year, has also said that further planning applications will need to be submitted for signs and a cash machine. The store will not be open 24-hours a day and will be open from either 6am to 10pm or 7am to 11pm.
The announcement of the store though has angered Mr Whittle.
He said: “This will be the fifth Tesco in the Caerphilly area. They are saturating the area and that does not take into account Asda, Morrisons and Lidl, which all have a presence in the town.
“Tesco is talking about creating 20 jobs but what will be the impact be on the 16 local businesses in the Penyrheol ward, who also employ people? They are already struggling in very difficult times.
“We were very disappointed that Labour members on the planning committee supported the plans for shops on this site in numbers. Plaid ward members opposed this scheme. We wanted to see housing on the site and my fear is that the already traffic chaos at times at this roundabout will be made much worse when a Tesco Express opens its doors.
“Caerphilly has become Tescotown but I would appeal to people to support their local traders wherever possible. Surveys have shown that money spent in locally-owned shops stays in the community while spending at the big supermarkets flows out of the local area.”
Lyndsey Whittle is correct on the points he makes of traffic problems and congestion at this busy junction, soon to be added too by this development.
I for one stopped shopping at any Tesco`s store a year ago, when the experts disclosed the deception by Tesco on its loyal customers, that is, the deception of their PRICE DROP pricing scheme, it was declared that for every two item prices they reduced on the shelves they increased another three items prices, and the net result was to over compensate for the price drop items, with the potential to increase profits.
This new shop has the potential to destroy ALL other small local independent traders in the area.
Well, of course it is a Labour club just over the road. Just a coicidence I am sure. All they have to do of course is close the Labour club, as they were suggesting quite recently.
I'm not too worried about the possibility of competition with all the shops in Troed y Bryn: Stan should hold out, especially as the prices Tesco charge are higher than in their supermarkets. More concern about the newsagent, especially as it has hardly changed after the ownership changed.
More interesting is the traffic: there are not many spaces outside the old Bowls. Should be chaos!
I don`t think the Labour Club is much of a contributor to what will become a busy road junction.
But, if it suggested the Labour Club is closed, as Clive does, then perhaps the Council should shift the Community Centre and clear all activity from this area.
I for one don`t think anyone or anything which is established as part of the community already should moved, closed down, or, in anyway adversely effected by this objectionable development, Unless of course TESCO property division wants to pay for their relocation and rebuilding elsewhere. It will be interesting to see where the planning gain money is spent by Caerphilly Council, that is, the money Tesco have to pay by way of a planning approval bribe to get permission to build on this site, and I would think this is a considerable amount of money in this case. Perhaps a local Councillor can tell us all how much money Tesco had to make available for the community in this case?.
I cannot understand why Lyndsey Whittle has been reported as saying "'We were very disappointed that Labour members on the planning committee supported the plans for shops on this site in numbers. Plaid ward members opposed this scheme.'" At the time planning was passed, Plaid Cymru had control of the council, surely therefore there would’ve been a larger representation of Plaid Cymru members than Labour members on the planning committee, so if all the Plaid Cymru members had voted against the development it would never have been passed regardless of how Labour members voted? Also at the time of planning there were no Labour ward members to oppose the scheme as there was four Plaid Cymru Councillors and no Labour Councillors.
"They are saturating the area and that does not take into account Asda, Morrisons and Lidl, which all have a presence in the town."
Whose is the they in the above? The Council (Plaid and Labour) who keep approving these plans or the supermarkets who apply for permission. It also fails to mention the Pontygwindy Rd site where various food retailers have come and gone, as well as the Aldi site on Bedwas Rd , proving that there is not the demand the council seems to think there is. You can also add the Tesco in Ystrad Mynach that is a short distance from Caerphilly.
How long do you think it will before we see a similar situation as to what we saw in Trethomas?
Tesco moves in, undercuts the prices of the local shops. The people of the area are driven by price so choose to shop at the cheaper Tesco. The local shops are forced to close down. After they have closed down Tesco increases its prices.
On a different note, I put the blame for allowing Tesco to open on Plaid Cymru for the reason Janice and Matthew have given. It's interesting that no Labour councillor has commented on the issue. Is it because they secretly support Tesco and don't want to upset a big corporate giant or is it because they are too concerned with political correctness and don't want to upset anyone?
Whatever the reasons local politicians cower and fawn in the presence of Tesco property Managers is academic, they will always follow the advice of the Council planning and legal officers, who often warn Councillors that they leave themselves open to surcharges and compensation if they refuse planning applications.
The fact is that planning officers and legal staff in other Authorities throughout the UK often give the opposite advice, that is that Councillors have to consider issues of Commercial planning application ` In the Round` I think that includes the effect such applications can have on existing businesses operating in the area, and particularly how such applications can have an adverse effect on the living environment, on Communities, and on the long term effects of what is considered best for the ` area`.
Tesco already control over 600 shopping hours a day between its existing stores in Caerphilly, that is about 18,000 available shopping hours a month in shops controlled by them within three miles of each other, you can add a further 4,000 available shopping hours to that total if you include the Ystrad Mynach and the Gellihiron stores and if that does not show a totally disproportionate dominance of trade in a rural area, and an element which Councillors should give consideration too I do`t know what does.
Sorry to keep on about this folks but the fact is that Plaid had 9 members on Planning compared to Labour 8 and Independent 3.
So we did not have the majority.
If people are comfortable using these facilities who am I to stop them.Its just this junction is such a bottle neck during peak times that travelling to work will be longer in my opinion.Local shops employ a large number of people and there is only so much money about.Will people lose jobs,I think so but hope not.
Sad the pub closed and wanted see a few new homes on the site to tidy it up.
@ Lindsay Whittle
There were 9 Plaid councillors, 8 Labour and 3 Independent.
All you needed to do was persuade TWO independent members to side with Plaid. Are you honestly trying to say that you could not find the support of two extra people? It was Ron Davies too, the member who ALWAYS sided with Plaid.
Furthermore, what happened to the petition that you were handed by local businesses and residents? It was meant to be handed into the planning commission but it never was. Ulterior motives from you maybe?
"Its just this junction is such" Watch your grammar.