Cornwall councillors ready to make decision on Wadebridge superstore war

Cornwall planners will decide next Monday 24 January whether to approve three giant supermarket applications on the outskirts of Wadebridge.

Protest group lovewadebridge.com is fiercely opposing the proposed developments, which would encircle this thriving Cornish market town.

Both Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s want to build brand new superstores on the east side of Wadebridge – Sainsbury’s on council land. Tesco has applied to expand its existing store at the top of West Hill.

Planning officers are recommending that councillors give the go-ahead to both Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s proposals. But they want them to reject the Morrison’s application, which involves moving Wadebridge Town Football Club to a new site outside the town’s boundary on the road to Rock and Polzeath.

Lovewadebridge.com was set up by local residents and traders concerned that all three out-of-town developments are against national, regional and development plan policies and would damage the heart of Wadebridge – its character, economy and quality of life. 

Group members maintain there are already an adequate number of supermarkets in the area and the proposed superstores could turn Wadebridge into a ghost town.

They argue that more would have an adverse effect on the vitality of Wadebridge town centre and the viability of small, independent businesses in the town and surrounding villages in north Cornwall.

More than 577 supermarkets have been approved in the UK in the last two years, leading to accusations that the “big four” are distorting local food markets and putting independent traders out of business.

Update: Tesco’s expansion was given the go-ahead; both Sainsbury’s and Morrision’s applications were turned down during a marathon six-hour council meeting.

We’re enjoying local Cornish veg in spite of the freeze

Camel CSA members are enjoying an awesome selection of fresh, seasonal produce from north Cornwall in their Christmas veg boxes.

Our commitment to eating local food and reducing food miles has paid off. We can blissfully ignore rumours of a national Brussels sprouts shortage and avoid supermarket mayhem.

Happy Christmas everyone!

They’re determined to eat local at Shayne’s house

One of Camel Community Supported Agriculture’s veg box members is going all out to make local food work in north Cornwall.

Shayne House, co-founder of the Tea Appreciation Society, demonstrates in his blogpost Stuff the Supermarkets how to source food locally without going to a superstore. He says:

Everything in my stuffed marrow recipe excluding the balsamic vinegar was produced in Cornwall. If I ignore the salt, the rest of the food came from within a 15 mile radius of my home. My food miles were drastically reduced thanks to a number of fantastic local producers.

This is Shayne’s list of ingredients sourced locally in order to make stuffed marrow:

1 marrow – Camel Community Supported Agriculture vegetable box scheme, St Kew Highway
1 small onion finely chopped – Camel Community Supported Agriculture veg box 
scheme
500g lean minced beef – Button Meats, Michaelstow
30g fresh white breadcrumbs – Malcolm Barnecutt Bakery
1 tbsp chopped parsley – Camel Community Supported Agriculture veg box scheme
1 tbsp chopped chives – Shayne’s garden
1 tsp balsamic vinegar – fail 🙁
sea salt to taste – Cornish Sea Salt Co, Porthkerris
1 egg beaten – Killibury Nursery, Wadebridge
250ml cheese sauce – cheese from Davidstow Creamery; milk from Bradley’s Dairy, Delabole; flour from The Cornish Mill & Bakehouse, St Newlyn East

Lovewadebridge steps up out-of-town supermarket fight

The campaign group lovewadebridge.com is holding another public meeting this Thursday 3 June at 6pm in Wadebridge Town Hall.

Its 500+ members, representing local households and businesses, are opposing three out-of-town supermarket developments. 

Both Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s now want to build brand new superstores on the east side of Wadebridge.  Tesco has applied to expand its existing store at the top of West Hill.

Lovewadebridge.com was set up by local residents concerned that these out-of-town developments would damage the heart of Wadebridge – its character, economy and quality of life.  

It’s proposing alternative ideas to maintain the health and well-being of this historic market town.

We love Wadebridge

The Lovewadebridge website was set up last week to enable the people of Wadebridge to air their feelings regarding the proposed new supermarket(s) on the eastern outskirts of the town.

This initiative has been prompted by the proposal that Cornwall Council should sell its office at Higher Trenant to Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s would demolish the building and create a superstore.

The demolition of this valuable building (built at great expense less than 20 years ago!) would be prompted by short-term financial considerations on the part of the council, and Sainsbury’s wish to access the substantial shopping spend in the town.

It would thus be a double slap in the face for Wadebridge.  The promise of extra jobs is bogus as supermarkets destroy as many jobs as they create.

Independent

Wadebridge has until now cleverly and quietly combined the best of the past while embracing what the present has to offer.

The key survival from the past, that keeps its modern heart beating, is the network of independent traders offering those everyday commodities that bring local people into its streets for supplies and sociability. 

That heart has been carved out of most towns of similar size in Cornwall by their circling superstores. In Wadebridge it is still beating strongly.  If we allowed our independent and local traders to be squeezed out, which would be the inevitable result of supermarket expansion, the future of Wadebridge would become drab and bland.

If you are interested in keeping things local, which if you are looking at the CSA website you undoubtedly are, then take a look at the website – lovewadebridge.com – have your say, and sign the petition.