Will everyone explode if I dare to suggest that having a larger, better stocked Tesco's would be a good advantage for lots of the less-well-off citizens of Ilkley??
And that the planning meeting was very clearly timed when parents of young children off school etc were highly unlikely to be able to get in and state anything in support of Tesco's plan (not that supporters were allowed to speak anyway, the councillors made it clear they were only there to listen to "objections" from the floor, and referred to people making complaints as their 'star performer').
Not the most professional showing of a planning meeting/committee ever.
Those of you who don't want Tescos to expand, you definitely have the council on your side in this!
Personally, I think a plan to make Tescos bigger would be a good thing. More choice, more cheap brands for those who would benefit, and it doesn't stop anyone going to Booths, when all is said and done. However, I totally understand that people who live close to the proposed site are worried about the impact on their lives/homes.
I've got no problem with people objecting, that's what the process is for, but I do have a problem with the councillors being so un-objective (is that a real word??!) and unprofessional in the planning meeting!
Hardly a fair hearing.
My own thoughts are that, if the move to the new site and re-development of the current site is proving so controversial, could there not be (a) detailed plans to keep the new site lower than the current plan (I gather this is the root of a lot of people's objections), plus a detailed consideration of ways to tackle the traffic issues that already plague Ilkley, OR (b) allow Tesco's to expand on their current site to give people a larger store with more choice without moving it?
Just my 2-penn'orth!

I agree with everything Just_Josie say`s apart from keeping the tesco site were it is now, the site is way to small, remember this was built about 25 years ago times have changed.

Firstly welcome to IM Josie!

I doubt you will get anyone going ballistic on this emotive topic, simply because all that has been said over the past two years, has been said many times. We are all mature adults here (well mostly!).

Whether you are for or against a new store, the simple matter is that Tesco will inevitably get their own way in some form or another. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay!
To be fair, the same would be true of any of the major players such as Morrisons, Sainsburys, Asda or Waitrose!

I too was at the meeting on Monday and contrary to what you perceived, you were in fact entitled to speak at that meeting had you registered an interest to do so.
You would have been allocated a slot to speak either for or against the plans.
Each 'side' had an overall total of 20 minutes each to speak about the main plan for Mayfield Road and a total of 10 minutes to speak about the ouline proposal plans for Springs Lane.
I'm sorry that you didn't have a chance. I would have enjoyed listening to your support as it did seem very one-sided!

I remember the last public meeting in 2007 when Stuart Tillitson stood up as the lone supporter for Tesco. God rest his soul, he's dead now, but I'm sure he would have stood up again and let them know that the young mum's needed nappies for their small children, like he did at that meeting! Sadly missed

The main objectors to the plans all along have been the residents IRATE group and I have followed their campaign with some interest since they began.
It has always been maintained that Tesco should re-build or modernise the current store that they have and I tend to agree with that argument in the main, as do you.
The unsubstantiated issue that the current site is not large enough or unsuitable is absolute rubbish!
That site is plenty big enough to build a decent and up-to-date supermarket with under croft parking.
Tesco, in all of their blurb would want you to believe otherwise and that the site is unsuitable and too small, but in reality it is absolutley fine.
What they don't want to do is close the store down and rebuild it! As this would lose their shareholders money! That is why they protest that the site is unsuitable.
Yes, the site is nearly 25 years old, but that doesn't mean that it cannot be re-used. The current site is far more appropriate than the one on Mayfield Road for lots of reasons, which is why the 'unprofessional' councillors turned down the plans.

I am no architectural engineer, but I think even a child could design a new store with adequate layered parking facilities to fit into the space on Springs Lane!

BTW, I do agree that the chairman of the panel was very sarcastic indeed and a little unprofessional at times!

And that's my two penneth!

I don't think anyone objects to there being a Tesco in town. Surely we all shop there much of the time. The issue is about the size of the store and its relation to the other shops in town. A bigger store can only be sustained if it brings in shoppers from elsewhere, or (and/or, I suppose) if it takes trade from other shops. An important part of Ilkley's appeal for both residents and visitors is its good selection of shops, including many independent stores - something that has vanished from most of the UK's high streets.

A larger Tesco wouldn't overlap all that much with the specialist shops in town, but some would certainly suffer from the competition. If there were closures it would reduce the overall appeal of the town and reduce trade for all. That's the fear.

However, as I understand it, such considerations are excluded from the planning process.

The extra jobs point doesn't appear to hold water, as there will be more job losses from other shops than Tesco creates. There's an interesting article here.

Emil wrote:


I don't think anyone objects to there being a Tesco in town. Surely we all shop there much of the time. The issue is about the size of the store and its relation to the other shops in town.


Now that's the type of quote guaranteed to get Imor's back up.
Not everyone shops at tesco. I, for one, can't stand the place. Either in Ilkley or elsewhere.

I am not a member of IRATE though was asked to join in the first.

Well, there are, without question, exceptions to every single generalisation that's ever been made by anyone (including this one). You're a very rare creature indeed, though, if you've never shopped at Tesco. Go on, admit it - you have!

Hating Tesco is pretty much the default option; the fashionable opinion to spout. It's pretty dim, though. The issue isn't about taking sides, about good shops and bad shops, it's about issues of freedom and control. Every so often we have to fix things, because they get out of control. The extraordinary strength of the supermarkets is widely agreed to be a case in point. There is so much money to be made from a huge supermarket that they can afford to appeal the planning process much longer than a council can afford to defend it. Something wrong here, isn't there?

The planning system doesn't give us a way to say we'd rather have one large shop and fifty little ones, than one enormous one and ten little ones. But that's what I want, and I think that most people in most towns would agree.

It's official!
Tesco have lodged an appeal with Bradford, exactly 6 months to the day since their plans were rejected!
What timing!

I wish Ilkley had a Netto... even just a small one would do