Tesco: Our View

9.10.02am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 31st Aug 2006

Councillor Martin Swainston, quoted in the Northern Echo, expressed the serious doubts that Darlington Liberal Democrats have about the proposed Tesco hypermarket, which the Council wishes to see built on the site of the Town Hall and bus station.

Martin said, "We are concerned that the town centre is already reeling from the Pedestrian Heart works. Something like this on top of it could be a cause of great concern.

"Councillor Fred Lawton queried the development back in the Spring. He was promised in open Council that there would be a full 360-degree consultation before any further approach was made. Here we find ourselves six months later and the proposed 360 degree consultation is already 270-degrees completed.

"Eight weeks' consultation for a huge development like this is nowhere near enough and the Labour Cabinet stands accused of not listening once again.

"The effect of a huge development like this will be on independent retailers and possibly Sainsbury's, which is only 200 metres away. There is only so much money to be spent in Darlington and the town centre is already served by a large supermarket and shops in and around the town. Small retailers and larger outlets will suffer from the aggressive marketing and price under-cutting that has been used by Tesco in the past"

Mike Barker, a member of the North Road ward Focus team and secretary of the Darlington Liberal Democrats said in a letter published in the Echo on August 31st:

"The proposal to build a Tesco superstore will transform our town centre more profoundly than the Pedestrian Heart ever will. Tesco is not a knight in shining armour coming to transform our town hall into a building fit for the 21st century. When Tesco marches into a market town like ours, it does so to dominate the retail environment, and to eliminate competition by cut-price retailing based on bullying purchasing tactics.

"Go to www.tescopoly.org.uk to see examples of what happens to towns like ours when Tesco arrives.

"This decision is so important for the future of the town centre that the short, eight week period allowed for 'consultation' is just not adequate."