'Spend money now on town centre,' council is urged

6:20pm Saturday 16th February 2013 in News

A NEW supermarket for Didcot’s Great Western Park estate will damage trade in the town centre, a leading councillor has warned.

Town council leader Margaret Davies said council bosses should spend £250,000 now on improving Broadway because a new supermarket on the 3,300-home Great Western Park estate will draw shoppers away from the town centre.

As part of South Oxfordshire District Council’s 2013/2014 budget, the money will be spent in Broadway on shop fronts, seating, lighting, wi-fi in the town centre, bins, signs, public toilets and car parks.

Initially there were plans for a convenience store at Great Western Park, but planning consultants RPS have now submitted an application to Vale of White Horse District Council, on behalf of developers Taylor Wimpey, for a supermarket.

The gross internal area of the new store in Didcot Road, Harwell, will cover 2,375 sq m, while the sales area will cover 1,544 sq m.

With the sales area for Tesco in Didcot at 2,242 sq m, and for Abingdon Waitrose 2,457 sq m, Mrs Davies said: “The new supermarket will hurt trade in Didcot town centre.

“It is a strategic threat to the town centre and shops in Broadway.

“A new supermarket at Great Western Park will suck the goodness out of the Orchard Centre and rob Broadway of shoppers.

Related links

“If SODC is going to invest in Broadway it should spend the money right away.”

RPS insists there will be no impact on the town centre.

Comments (9)

9:46pm Sun 17 Feb 13

livid99 says...

Why does Great Western Park need a supermarket ? Tesco (Didcot), Tesco (Abingdon), Sainsburys (Didcot), Waitrose (Abingdon), Waitrose (Wallingford) Morrisons(Planned for Wallingford). Isn't that enough???
If they have money to spend, then spend it on adding a lorry lane to the link road between Milton interchange and Didcot, or upgrading it to a dual carriageway. Apparently Didcot is becoming a decent town in a science enterprise zone with excellent transport links, but you can only get to it slowly from the A34 because of the number of lorries driving along the link road at 30mph !!!!
Why does Great Western Park need a supermarket ? Tesco (Didcot), Tesco (Abingdon), Sainsburys (Didcot), Waitrose (Abingdon), Waitrose (Wallingford) Morrisons(Planned for Wallingford). Isn't that enough??? If they have money to spend, then spend it on adding a lorry lane to the link road between Milton interchange and Didcot, or upgrading it to a dual carriageway. Apparently Didcot is becoming a decent town in a science enterprise zone with excellent transport links, but you can only get to it slowly from the A34 because of the number of lorries driving along the link road at 30mph !!!! livid99

9:55pm Sun 17 Feb 13

Jwr says...

While I agree with livid99, I have to say,I do not agree with the fact that a supermarket on the GWP development will deter shoppers from the orchard centre. GWP are cut off,they need a convenience store to walk to. However the Orchard centre will still attract people with their range of clothes stores,restaurants and cinema. Not to mention the arts centre.

Broadway itself needs to be knocked down and rejuvenated. Turn Broadway's pub into a family pub/restaurant keeping its fantastic architecture but removing its current owners and encouraging the family market back into the centre, the heart of Didcot where it belongs.
While I agree with livid99, I have to say,I do not agree with the fact that a supermarket on the GWP development will deter shoppers from the orchard centre. GWP are cut off,they need a convenience store to walk to. However the Orchard centre will still attract people with their range of clothes stores,restaurants and cinema. Not to mention the arts centre. Broadway itself needs to be knocked down and rejuvenated. Turn Broadway's pub into a family pub/restaurant keeping its fantastic architecture but removing its current owners and encouraging the family market back into the centre, the heart of Didcot where it belongs. Jwr

1:04pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Ellie the Bruce says...

I shop both at Tesco and the Orchard Centre not either/or. So I'm not sure why another supermarket would draw traffic away from the Orchard Centre?

But I was under the impression that the main link road to the A34 interchange would be upgraded as part of the agreement to start building on GWP. Putting in traffic lights to help people get off GWP does not constitute an upgrade in my view.

Maybe any money would be better spent on sorting out the internal road links getting in/out Didcot.
I shop both at Tesco and the Orchard Centre not either/or. So I'm not sure why another supermarket would draw traffic away from the Orchard Centre? But I was under the impression that the main link road to the A34 interchange would be upgraded as part of the agreement to start building on GWP. Putting in traffic lights to help people get off GWP does not constitute an upgrade in my view. Maybe any money would be better spent on sorting out the internal road links getting in/out Didcot. Ellie the Bruce

1:22pm Mon 18 Feb 13

livid99 says...

Jwr wrote:
While I agree with livid99, I have to say,I do not agree with the fact that a supermarket on the GWP development will deter shoppers from the orchard centre. GWP are cut off,they need a convenience store to walk to. However the Orchard centre will still attract people with their range of clothes stores,restaurants and cinema. Not to mention the arts centre.

Broadway itself needs to be knocked down and rejuvenated. Turn Broadway's pub into a family pub/restaurant keeping its fantastic architecture but removing its current owners and encouraging the family market back into the centre, the heart of Didcot where it belongs.
Exactly. Its crazy that, as the main road into Didcot, people often have to crawl along behind a convoy of articulated lorries with no opportunity to get past. If things are not changed, we will end up with a situation like Bicester Village, where the tailbacks just cause gridlock. Any incident at the Milton interchange or on the A34 just brings this road to a stop straightaway. This is mad for a growing town like Didcot.
[quote][p][bold]Jwr[/bold] wrote: While I agree with livid99, I have to say,I do not agree with the fact that a supermarket on the GWP development will deter shoppers from the orchard centre. GWP are cut off,they need a convenience store to walk to. However the Orchard centre will still attract people with their range of clothes stores,restaurants and cinema. Not to mention the arts centre. Broadway itself needs to be knocked down and rejuvenated. Turn Broadway's pub into a family pub/restaurant keeping its fantastic architecture but removing its current owners and encouraging the family market back into the centre, the heart of Didcot where it belongs.[/p][/quote]Exactly. Its crazy that, as the main road into Didcot, people often have to crawl along behind a convoy of articulated lorries with no opportunity to get past. If things are not changed, we will end up with a situation like Bicester Village, where the tailbacks just cause gridlock. Any incident at the Milton interchange or on the A34 just brings this road to a stop straightaway. This is mad for a growing town like Didcot. livid99

6:56pm Mon 18 Feb 13

King Joke says...

Lorries do 56 mph, and the speed limit on a single-carriageway road is 60 mph. Exactly what is the economic damage being done by cars being forced to go 4 mph slower?
Lorries do 56 mph, and the speed limit on a single-carriageway road is 60 mph. Exactly what is the economic damage being done by cars being forced to go 4 mph slower? King Joke

7:36am Tue 19 Feb 13

livid99 says...

King Joke wrote:
Lorries do 56 mph, and the speed limit on a single-carriageway road is 60 mph. Exactly what is the economic damage being done by cars being forced to go 4 mph slower?
So if the speed limit is 60mph, and lorries do 56mph, why do so many of them drive along this road at no more than 40mph, when they can clearly see a long queue behind them ?
[quote][p][bold]King Joke[/bold] wrote: Lorries do 56 mph, and the speed limit on a single-carriageway road is 60 mph. Exactly what is the economic damage being done by cars being forced to go 4 mph slower?[/p][/quote]So if the speed limit is 60mph, and lorries do 56mph, why do so many of them drive along this road at no more than 40mph, when they can clearly see a long queue behind them ? livid99

5:44pm Tue 19 Feb 13

hesperus says...

I, for one, would welcome a new supermarket on the Great Western site. All the retail development in Didcot these days seems to be either at Ladygrove or orchard Centre. When i first moved here we had a local food shop, now nothing. It would be a welcome return to more local shopping.
I, for one, would welcome a new supermarket on the Great Western site. All the retail development in Didcot these days seems to be either at Ladygrove or orchard Centre. When i first moved here we had a local food shop, now nothing. It would be a welcome return to more local shopping. hesperus

12:26pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Adrian1 says...

A friend of mine recently got to go on a 'speed aware course'. He related to me that these days, articulated trucks are restricted to 40mph on single carriageways. Hence most GB plated vehicles of this nature do that.
Regards road improvements, I brought this up at a meeting years ago, asking when the link was to be made dual carriageway? The improvements are apparently the traffic lights and junction alterations from some years back at the Milton interchange. And we're still only on early building of new properties. Glad I know a lot of 'rat runs'.
A friend of mine recently got to go on a 'speed aware course'. He related to me that these days, articulated trucks are restricted to 40mph on single carriageways. Hence most GB plated vehicles of this nature do that. Regards road improvements, I brought this up at a meeting years ago, asking when the link was to be made dual carriageway? The improvements are apparently the traffic lights and junction alterations from some years back at the Milton interchange. And we're still only on early building of new properties. Glad I know a lot of 'rat runs'. Adrian1

12:42pm Wed 20 Feb 13

King Joke says...

Alright then, let's assume the lorries obey the speed limit and do 40 mph on the Milton link road, whatever it's called. It's two miles long, meaning the difference between 40 mph and 60 mph is one minute.

The traffic on the road is moving, so the road is not congested.

Dualling the road at the cost of millions, therefore, would save motorists a minute each, and save the lorries (who are actually doing work to contribute to the economy) nothing. It would add no capacity to the overall road network, as this is constrained by the capacity of the junctions at either end of the road.

Basically there is no economic case to dual this road, yet people are demanding the state put its hand in its pocket to do so, because they don't like driving behind lorries. How self-centred can you get? Tough, get used to it.
Alright then, let's assume the lorries obey the speed limit and do 40 mph on the Milton link road, whatever it's called. It's two miles long, meaning the difference between 40 mph and 60 mph is one minute. The traffic on the road is moving, so the road is not congested. Dualling the road at the cost of millions, therefore, would save motorists a minute each, and save the lorries (who are actually doing work to contribute to the economy) nothing. It would add no capacity to the overall road network, as this is constrained by the capacity of the junctions at either end of the road. Basically there is no economic case to dual this road, yet people are demanding the state put its hand in its pocket to do so, because they don't like driving behind lorries. How self-centred can you get? Tough, get used to it. King Joke

Comments are closed on this article.

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree