It isn't just a matter of one supermarket rather than another, but of the impact of a development of this size on the town, its people and existing retail outlets.
"A Monster building that will Dwarf the Landscape"
Why have Sedgemoor not marked out the space which would be occupied by this monster, as we have requested many times? Why? Because they know the shock this will provoke. Many people mistakenly think the development is going to fit into the space occupied by the former Splash, and don't realise that historic buildings and green space will be demolished to make way for a monster building that will dwarf the landscape.
If you want to see a smaller version of the "Tesco effect", go to Eastover and look at the Asda effect on local shops there. You ain't seen nothing yet!
"Aren't enough shopping Baskets to go round"
For a Tesco Extra to be viable as a business proposition, roughly 100,000 shopping baskets and trolleys per week will be needed That isn't just competition, it's annihilation for other businesses - and probably other supermarkets too. There just aren't enough shopping baskets to go round in a town with a population of around 40,000.
The jobs bonanza won't be anything of the sort - jobs will simply move from existing outlets to Tesco.
As for prices: it's a fair bet that Tesco's prices will be low enough at first to attract shoppers' loyalty away from other stores, but what will happen to those prices when the competition has gone bust?
"It's time we showed loyalty to our town"
As for Loyalty cards: Tesco only show loyalty to their corporate profits and shareholders. It's time we showed loyalty to our town and fought to preserve what we've got. And how about some loyalty from a Council that asked us a few years ago what we wanted to see in our town centre. We said overwhelmingly: "No more supermarkets. More leisure facilities".
It's very simple: Bridgwater neither needs nor wants another supermarket.
BRIDGWATER FORWARD
Another supermarket would be a disaster the town is dying already Tesco would be the final nail. But the council have already spent the £7000000 cash that Tesco "donated" so it's already a done deal. The council do not represent the interests of Bridgwater or its people getting rid of the Splash was a travesty.
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