Report on Action Group Meeting Wed 16th Dec
There was an Action Group meeting on Wednesday (16th Dec) at the Plough (though not many were able to attend). Issues raised included:
There isn’t much time to respond to the application: The deadline for comments is currently Wednesday 6th January 2010 (as per the site notices, see also Response from Carmarthenshire Planning Department on our website). However the case won’t be voted on at the January meeting of the Planning Committee (the next planning meeting is Thursday 4th Feb). The whole thing is still clearly a stitch up so we must continue to publicise the issue and press for an extension.
Is this a new application or a re-application? Stuart Willis says it “is a resubmission of the scheme but is a new planning application” and thus “letters of objection or support from the previous application W/20805 cannot be carried over”. Surely then the applicant should pay the appropriate fee for a new application – I am assured that he has not: Richard is chasing up. However it is certain that this “new application” will tick all the boxes and be recommended for approval. Our job is to make sure everyone (councillors, public, etc.) knows that the fundamental objections have not been addressed.
When to hand in the letters being signed. This is still TBD pending decisions of how to get best press/TV coverage.
Newcastle Emlyn Town Council Meeting
The council met on Thursday 17th Dec. This was an “extraordinary” meeting just to discuss this application. Four of us spoke. In order: Barry (Retail Impact), Richard (Geological Survey), myself (Transport Assessment), Helen Hatt (social implications: basically why spoil a nice town).
Kevin also spoke. Among the usual puff, we heard: (I paraphrase):
- The proposed store is nowhere near three times the size of CK’s” (However his own submissions say the sales area of the new store will be 1066sq. metres while CK’s has a sales area of 400sq.metres. i.e. The proposal is two and a half times CK’s, which is not far off three, and possibly with three times the take.)
- A rhetorical question “Who here actually does their regular weekly shop in Newcastle Emlyn”. Of course we all put up our hands. I think he was genuinely surprised, and blustered something about him not being able to verify that. Clearly he can hardly believe that people really do shop in NCE.
Letters of Objection
After Thursday (Jane & I by the Three Compasses) we reached 397 letters signed plus many more in the shops. Two more stalls on Friday (Dave & Rose, Nuala & Jill) got another 100 or so. So that’s some 600 in all. Pretty good for a few days on the street. We now need to publicise this. The number “397″ was in my press release to the Carmarthenshire Journal, but of course it didn’t get a mention. Though we did get a reasonable headline: “Supermarket Bid Sparks Protest”.
What to do now?
We’ve just got to raise the issue in everyone’s mind. So letters/email to papers, Planning Committee, NCE town council, etc.
There won’t be another meeting until January. How about
6:30 Wednesday 6th January 2010, at the Plough
See you there. Happy Christmas.
Tim