Fears superstore will ‘kill off’ small traders (From News Shopper)

Fears superstore will ‘kill off’ small traders

11:59am Tuesday 8th May 2007 in Bexley By Linda Piper

PLANS for a supermarket and flats in a building up to five storeys high have split a town.

Welling Town Partnership backs the redevelopment of Embassy Court, Welling.

But a new Welling Action Group of residents and traders is strongly opposed to the plans.

Members of Bexley Council's planning control committee also had concerns about the redevelopment and have deferred a decision on the proposals until their next meeting.

John Setford, a trader in Welling for 35 years, told the committee he agreed Embassy Court was desperately in need of regeneration.

But he warned a superstore "would just about kill off the small independent traders in Welling".

Mr Setford pointed out the superstore would have 48,437sq ft of retail space, but only 35,000sq ft would be dedicated to food.

He added: "The rest will be for anything they want to sell.

"More people will come to Welling, park up to shop in the superstore and go home again."

Mr Setford said he was shocked to discover most traders did not know about the plans.

Former councillor Kathryn Smith, who spoke for the action group, claimed although developer Retail Development Partnership said it had no secure tenant for the superstore, everyone knew it would be Tesco, which has a store in Embassy Court.

She claimed a superstore would destroy the livelihoods of many businesses in Welling and asked councillors to defer the decision for traffic analysis.

Andrew Murdoch, speaking on behalf of the architects, Aukett Fitzroy Robinson, said the building would be elegant and contemporary.

Agent for the developer, Malcolm Alsop, also maintained Welling should have at least one major supermarket or superstore.

But councillors were concerned Welling could follow the decline of other shopping centres, such as Erith, Crayford and Sidcup, following the arrival of a large supermarket which also sells non-food goods.

Councillors also questioned whether roads in Welling could cope with the influx of extra traffic the store would bring.

They expressed concerns about the parking ramp for the 64 flats above the superstore and fears the building would tower over neighbouring homes.

But Danson councillor John Waters said the plans were "an exciting opportunity to revitalise the area and bring shopping in Welling into the 21st Century".