Tesco must hold genuine consultation with community on new Milngavie plans - Jo
April 11, 2011 5:28 PM
Jo has emphasised the need for Tesco to take the community's views into consideration before developing their new Milngavie plans.
Rather than consulting with local residents following the rejection of their expansion appeal, Tesco have submitted a Proposal of Application Notice to East Dunbartonshire Council for a redevelopment of their existing Milngavie store.
The Notice will move forward plans for the store's redevelopment, and specifies Tesco's consultation process, which will detail the new plans and only then hear the views of local and community representatives.
Commenting, Jo said:
"From day one, the Milngavie community has been vocal in its opposition to Tesco's monstrous expansion plans, and the Scottish Government-appointed Reporter rightly upheld these views when he rejected Tesco's plans last month.
"The residents of Milngavie are not against the rejuvenation of the existing Tesco store, but the supermarket must allay residents' fears that they will be ignored again. Rather than recycling their previous plans and holding a token consultation after new plans are designed, Tesco should meaningfully engage with the community before drawing up new plans. Sadly their latest actions suggest that no lessons have been learnt."
Jo has also written to Tesco urging them to take the community's views into consideration. The full text of her letter is here:
Ms Gloria Coats
Corporate Affairs Manager
Tesco Scottish Office
21st April 2011
Tesco Milngavie - Proposal of Application Notice
Dear Ms Coats,
Thank you for your letter and sight of the Proposal of Application Notice and attached information, which I received on Friday 8th April.
I was somewhat dismayed to receive your letter so immediately after the Scottish Government-appointed Reporter's rejection of the Tesco Milngavie appeal. Such haste would suggest that rather than allowing time to consider why the Milngavie community were so opposed to the previous plans, Tesco are impatient to push new plans through as soon as possible.
As such, a new store design will not be right for Milngavie unless there is a public consultation before any new plans are drawn up. It would then be necessary to show these designs to local residents and receive feedback, which would be incorporated into the designs, and only afterwards submit a new planning application.
It is a serious concern that in the Proposal of Application Notice, it is stated that an explanation of the differences in the revised redevelopment will be given in consultation material. This would suggest that key decisions on the redevelopment design have already been made, turning the subsequent consultation process into a token exercise.
There is an urgent need to ensure the consultation process is genuine and meaningful. If the views of local people and community representatives are only sought once new plans have been drawn up, this will only reinforce the sense amongst Milngavie residents that their voices are being ignored.
Furthermore, the suggestion of a 2-day in-store exhibition to underpin the consultation process is an unpromising repetition of the previous 'consultation' exercise, which was widely viewed as inadequate. The Milngavie residents affected by Tesco's redevelopment who do not use Tesco would therefore by default be excluded from the consultation, and I would also question why the exhibition would be available for such a limited time: two days is an inadequate opportunity for a meaningful and wide gauge of public opinion on such a major change to a unqiue town centre.
I would welcome an early meeting with you to discuss how the consultation process can best be implemented, and would be most grateful if you could address the points raised above, assuring the residents of Milngavie their serious and legitimate concerns will be taken into account through the consultation process.
Yours sincerely,
Jo Swinson MP
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