Clapton residents slam Tesco plans
Local residents are protesting over plans for a Tesco on Lower Clapton Road
Local residents and businesses have got together against a proposed Tesco store at 144-146 Lower Clapton Road.
The campaigners staged a demonstration on Sunday in opposition to plans to open a new store which, they argue, would cause disruption for those who live nearby and harm local shops. They have also collected nearly 500 signatures on a petition to the council to reject the plans.
Clapton resident Emily Webber said, “I got involved in the campaign as I wanted to let local residents know that Tesco Express was looking at the unit and to give them the chance and information to object if they want to. As a local resident I am concerned about the detrimental affect that a supermarket chain like Tesco will have on the Clapton Pond area and the local businesses that have trading here for many years.”
Clapton resident Violaine added, “I like the local shops, the shopkeepers know us by name. I generally buy locally. We don’t need a supermarket – independent shops are best.”
Local resident Helen Carey agreed, saying, “We don’t need another Tesco store. There’s one about a mile away. There are independent shops that are struggling in the current financial climate, and it’s essential to support them.”
Clapton mother Renee de Luycker suggested that local shops were essential to the social fabric of the local community, “The fact that it’s them [local independent shops] and not Tesco means that if my child gets lost, she walks into any of them and they know who she is.”
Abdullah Solak, the owner of Palm 2 store, said, “I worry more about other small businesses round here. As much as it’s going to affect local businesses, like Mike, the local butchers in Clarence Road, and Mr Singh at Clapton newsagents over the road. We have very good relations with other small businesses and encourage our customers to use them, for example to top up their Oysters and buy their newspapers. I am grateful to the local people here who are supporting us.”
Although Tesco does not require planning permission to open an outlet on the site, permission is required to make necessary alterations to the loading bay on the street outside. Two planning applications have been submitted by the group that owns the building, Lower Clapton LPP.
The planning applications can be found on Hackney Council’s website here and here.
Tesco currently has seven stores in Hackney, including a superstore on Morning Lane.
Hackney Citizen has asked Tesco Corporate Affairs department for comment.
The No Clapton Tesco campaign website can be found here.
Update: 3.50pm Thursday 27 May 2010
In a statement issued today, local environmental campaign group, Hackney and Tower Hamlets Friends of the Earth said,”Hackney and Tower Hamlets Friends of the Earth fully supports the No Clapton Tesco campaign.
“Clapton has many thriving, independent shops that provide much needed jobs to locals. They also sell healthy, low cost fresh food and bring a great sense of community for local people.
“It is well researched that when Tesco moves in to a small area, fresh food, shops, jobs and money go. Supermarkets siphon money away from local economies and towards shareholders and distant corporations. £1 spent in a local shop selling local produce puts twice as much money back into the local economy as £1 spent in a supermarket.
“The community in Clapton is also absolutely right to worry about the impacts of a huge delivery lorry obstructing an important bus and cycle route every day and adding to pollution in the area. We have written with our objections to the planning officer and hope that Hackney Council will reject Tesco’s application and see that it will not bring benefits to the area.”
Update: 1.00pm Saturday 29 May 2010
In a statement to Hackney Citizen, Leabridge ward councillors, Linda Kelly, Deniz Oguzkanli and Ian Rathbone said, “There has been no consultation with us as elected representatives or local residents by this supermarket giant which plans to walk into the area with an Express shop when it is planning to build a gigantic ‘Tesco Extra’ minutes away in Morning Lane.
“We are saying no to this move and we urge all local residents to do the same.”
Related letter: Clapton residents should be applauding Tesco
Related story: Tesco towers criticised
Tesco bags spell out the message at the site of the proposed shop Photo: © Tessa Hart
Spot the ethnic!
All Hackney Citizens fav middle class bloody NIMBIES. Not everyone has a car and fridge freezer for a big weekly shop at ASDA in Stratford or overpriced Farmers Market
GET REAL. Tesco will provide much needed retail jobs for young and old and stop local shops ripping people off
If you are lucky enough to read this before Hackney Stalin Citizen removes it then well done
This is really offensive. We don’t have a car, we are not nimbies and we certainly don’t have a freezer to fill up. We can walk and we do, to the local shops, the local supermarkets but not a giant supermarket of the same name within half a mile. Maybe some people cannot walk and need to have a local shop built straight next door? As for Stalin, he killed millions and this not the issue is it, or have you lost any sense of proportion? Thank you Decima for using this as a means for publicity.
Just how many jobs would be created? & how many in small local businesses lost?
The anti-Tescos campaigners are not middle class nimbies, just normal people who want to preserve the character of their neighbourhood and who appreciate the variety and warmth provided by the local shops.
More low paid labour is not something to celebrate in an area already blighted by economic inertia.
Moreover, ‘Tesco Metro’ branches often charge significantly higher prices than their larger stores, meaning that low income families would, in all likelihood, not be able to use this branch for the bulk of their shopping anyway.
I don’t have a car; I don’t even drive; I have a tiny freezer, which I hardly use because I cook from scratch; and one of the reasons I love living in this area is because of small, family-run shops that offer great food from the four corners of the world. If you really care about the “ethnic” community, perhaps you’d like to support them by patronising their shops?
I can partially see your point about nimbyism but I simply don’t think your argument stands up to scrutiny in this instance.
In large, industrial societies there will, perhaps unfortunately, always be a place for supermarket chains; but that place doesn’t have to be ‘everywhere’.
Of course, the way to satisfy everybody’s needs would be to form a Clapton food co-operative, which could provide high quality, nutritious food at affordable prices. Fair remuneration for staff would also be a feature of such an organisation.
If enough people were interested, I’d certainly get involved.
In the meantime, do your shopping at Ridley Road market – best quality and superb prices. Very good Turkish supermarkets there, also.
People are struggling; there are tough times ahead. I honestly feel, though, that Tesco’s unhindered growth and cannibalisation of SME food retailers is not part of the solution but part of the problem.
What complete patronising rubbish from Clapton Pond Life.
Rubbish because Hackney is utterly saturated with Tescos, and there are already plenty of decent local shops and stalls nearby in Hackney Central and Dalston.
Patronising because you’re implying that the crap that Tesco sells (and the McJobs they have on offer) are good enough and cheap enough for poorer Hackney people who might not have the Volvo to drive to the out-of-area supermarket.
Hackney – and especially Dalston – has among the highest number of independent retailers in any London ‘town centre’ and long may it stay that way.
DOI: hardly ever go anywhere near a supermarket, much happier to know and support my local businesses in Dalston.
Just for the record, I’m a local resident, have been for over 3 years, and I shop at several of the local shops at least a few times a week, in lieu of walking to the big Tesco on Morning Lane.
Palm 2 is an excellent shop. It beats both Tesco and other such small supermarkets in the area hands down on various terms: variety (world foods, organic range); quality; friendliness; proximity to my house; opening hours.
Myself and my housemate were discussing last night how Palm 2 measures up against Tesco. Price would seem to be about the only justification for shopping at the chain store, and then only on individual products. I would add that I spend more anyway in Tesco because I’m tempted by all the 2 for 1 offers and come home with lots of stuff I don’t use.
Palm 2 staff always have a smile and a friendly, sometimes cheeky, comment (or three). They regularly let me off 20 or 50p if I’m short. They sell delicious goat’s cheese for £1.20, amazing tomatoes, good, cheap wines, incredible fresh, turkish pastries. Tell where else I can get that level of service. I daresay not in any Tesco Express you care to mention.
Note to first contributor: unsure if I qualify as either ethnic (Irish – does that count?) or as a nimby (never heard that word before – what does it imply, exactly?)
NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard.
Since its invention it has grown to carry with it connotations of middle class snobbery, which is often an unfair over-simplification of people protesting.
fuk tesco’s … if you want fruit and veg that is not ripe for weeks if ever then bring ’em along … I hate their smug adverts too they really are scum but unfortunatley the have the council and town planners in the palm of their hands …
Dave Hill at Clapton Pond Blog http://davehill.typepad.com/claptonian/ has hit the nail on the head. Tesco are not stupid they won’t open up a shop in Clapton unless people will go there and guess what loads of people will shop there. The students from the sixth form will use it and some will actually get their first ever job there. It’s not a job for life but somewhere to start, maybe work evenings of for someone with kids part time during the day. I started at Safeways when I was 16 and stayed for 3 years until I went off to uni and what is wrong with that?
You can moan as much as you like but it will open
Free cashpoint? Yes please!
There’s an interesting debate on this issue on the No Clapton Tesco blog;
http://www.noclaptontesco.org/tesco-planning-applications-for-144-146-lower-clapton-road/#comments
NIMBY Dave Hill is currently losing. So if anyone fancies helping him out…see you there.
Or maybe it’s Dave Rindl? Anyway “Dave” is now waving a white flag.
enough of this lefty do-goodder love the local butcher rubbish. the local shops at clapton are abismal. it is about time that some chains provided
A) cheaper food prices and variety
B) convenience in terms of distance to shopping
C) a perspective in an isolated desert surrounded by a roundabout and run down buildings.
enough of rubbish shops in Clapton. enough of romantic lefties who could do better if joined the local gangs or left for the 3rd world to deep immerse in decay.
If there weren’t romantic lefties around, the world would be in a far worse state than it is now. For example Joe, you wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to your local Emergency Department, demand vocally to be seen by a doctor for your viral throat infection “because I pay my taxes”…all for free.
Tesco coming to clapton will create a massive traffic in Lower clapton road, just think about the massive lorry they have to deliver the goods and also there is not appropriate place for them to park. I think it will close all the other small shops and lots of people will be unemployed. We are very happy with the small shop that is around the clapton, so tesco should consider looking for other places.
Only just heard about this!
http://www.peoplessupermarket.org/
I’ve written a longer piece on this story, for what it’s worth.
http://spiritleveller.wordpress.com/
Unfortunately, Uriah Morris is right: as much as people are protesting now – they will go and shop at Tesco. They will feel a little bit ashamed in the beginning and will try not to be seen by the owners of the surrounding local shops after signing the petition, but after a while they will lose this inhibition and shop there. Unfortunately that’s how human nature works. It takes willpower and conviction to stick to what you believe in – and shopping preferences are no exception.
We may not prevent Tesco from opening, but we can prevent them from making a profit by not shopping there. I have heard of communities who have managed to shut down some branches of McDonalds in that way.
Another major consideration is that if you are a housing association tenant and live above then you are sleeping on a bed of constant electricity, without any consultation, with possible adverse health outcomes. It seems lots new build HA flats have a Tescos underneath, with strip lights on all day & with fridges on 24-7
No thanks!