Letter sent to Welsh Government members and North Wales News:
CONWY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL ATTEMPT TO SUBVERT DEMOCRACY IN ORDER TO TICK THE WELSH ASSEMBLY BOX FOR CONSTRUCTING WASTE TRANSFER STATIONS.
Mr. Bleddyn Evans, Conwy County Valuer & Asset Manager, instructed Llanrwst Town Councillors to attend a secret meeting at 7pm Wednesday 11th July in an attempt to get their agreement to exchange of contracts with Tesco developers by mid August PRIOR to any planning application having been lodged and any public consultation.
He stated, QUOTE " as you'll be aware, a CCBC resolution exists which gives authority to progress with the disposal of Plas yn Dre to a developer and for associated works {building of a waste transfer station and highways depot in green space on the banks of our salmonite river} to be delivered and authorised."
ERGO CCBC have outline planning for both projects and have given tacit agreement to both builds and agreement to 'sell' council owned (people owned) land to tesco for an undisclosed sum and without planning permission granted.
QUOTE - "If the contractual position is not secured there is the risk that the proposals may not progress. This time factor could be a negotiating position put forward by the developer, but appreciating the parious state of the commercial property market, and the reduction in food store floor space uptake on a national basis, and made public by the main supermarkets, this is a situation which CCBC cannot take lightly."
ERGO CCBC have already made the decision that this build must go ahead, IN SPITE of the fact that his own argument for exchanging quickly is one reason why another (3rd) supermarket food store is NOT needed in LLanrwst. Clearly a Tesco will cause hardship and closure to existing food stores ( Spar only needs a 30% downturn in turnover to cause them to shut).
It is our opinion that CCBC can see nothing other than the opportunity to have the Welsh Assembly demand for waste transfer station fullfilled by Tesco building it in exchange for demolishing our Library, Police station and public car park and building a 28,000sq ft super store ON THE BANKS OF OUR SALMONITE RIVER across the front of our riverside footpath and tourist attraction.
The people will have to fund re-building of Library and police station from Council budget, and Council propose to seek half a million in grant aid to subsidise this re-build. - there is nothing wrong with the current buildings and the police station is NOT council owned.
Llanrwst has a population of approx 3000 people and existing retail space, in a declining town centre of LESS than 28000sq ft.
The argument for the Tesco store which CCBC are pedaling to the town councillors is that it will bring footfall into the town - it is going to be on the outer edge of town, the roads will not cope with the lorries or extra traffic, parking time restrictions will apply, people do not do the big supermarket shop in tesco then go off looking at other shops up the road for a couple of hours, they go home - Tesco will be most interested in maximising their turnover not assisting the town's retailers.
We rely on the tourist shoppers in summer months to uplift turnover. Clearly we will loose these shoppers as well as existing town users, and loss in turnover doesn't need to be much to force closures, for most retailers it is less than a 30% reduction which will make the shop unviable.
Our most important tourist USP is "TRADITIONAL MARKET TOWN" -- "just like any other supermarket town" will NOT enhance our tourist industry upon which our economy depends.
60+ people stood in peaceful demonstration just before the "secret" meeting took place in order to present to the town councillors the attached letter. They asked if a representative of the people could listen to the meeting and were refused. Police were called to remove the people from the building, which they did not do. Eventually a councillor promised a statement would be made at the end of the meeting. 2 and a half hours later NO statement was forthcoming.
The letters can be downloaded here:
Please read and distribute.
Your sincerely
LLANRWST CAMPAIGN GROUP
LLANRWST CAMPAIGN GROUP
No comments:
Post a Comment