Comments on: Tesco Express @ The Essex Arms

By: stowdad

stowdad — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:52:57 +0000

Is it 10 years that the “Arcade” site has been unused? Prhaps the Essex Arms will be the same….

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:35:53 +0000

Thanks for this. It would be interesting to see what the hold up is that’s for sure. That area remains an eyesore!

By: blackhorseroad

blackhorseroad — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:30:20 +0000

Hi Paul,

We last spoke to Tesco back in February after they withdrew their planning permission

http://www.blackhorseactiongroup.org.uk/index.php/2009/02/09/tesco-express-still-planned-the-essex-arms/

See the story above, but basically they said they were reapplying later after consulting with the council. The underlying truth was that I think the council and/or council wanted to put more residential units on the site so were reapplying.

Might give them a ring to see where they are at, but the plan in feb was to go ahead at a later date with more housing squeezed in

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:03:56 +0000

Has anybody heard what is happening with the Tesco Express at the Essex Arms? It’s been 10 months since Tesco sent us a leaflet asking for our support. Is it still going ahead?

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:30:52 +0000

What happened to the Esssex Arms anyway? Anyone know? I used to go in from time to time to watch a football match. Always seemed busy.

As for a Tesco, nah. Too many of them. You’d get the shops further up Forest Road closed down and boarded up in no time.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:39:36 +0000

So Tesco have withdrawn from this site – what a disappointment. I guess the area will now lie derelict for many more years. I hope the council can do more to encourage a suitable redevelopment of this current blot on the landscape for all our sakes.

By: Another Mark

Another Mark — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:28:33 +0000

Hear Hear Barica. Do these people that protest about the “Local Businesses” forget that Walthamstow has two much bigger Supermarkets on the high street, and have they killed the Market? We don’t have a bakery or a butcher, the only other local businesses that will be effected by this mid-size Tesco are a couple of mini marts. These should face this competition, and hopefully make them more efficient, and competitive, for too long have they charged a premium for their convenience. The claim about local employment is surely out of proportion in this case. Do we really think more local people work in these few shops then the Tesco Express shop would employ?

By: Barica

Barica — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:43:40 +0000

A big YES to Tesco! What “local businesses” are you talking about? Do you people actually LIVE here? Blackhorse Rd area is a desert! Local shops are selling overpriced stuff, fruit&vegetables are wilted and old, wine is crapy, the floors are dirty and the owners are surly and rude. They are worse than the shop assistants back in my country during the communist regime. The choice of stuff they are selling is about the same.
I know many older people here who would be happy to have a proper shop here so that they don’t have to walk or take a bus to do their shopping. They all hope that Tesco gets a green light.
Essex Arms was a dump. If you need a meeting place go to the Tryst or the Palmerston or… If you want an adult education centre, put it in the Willowfield school once they move to new premises. But I for one would like to be able to buy fresh bread every day and not walk for miles.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:22:19 +0000

If anyone wants to make their views known, I suggest they contact the planning officer in charge of dealing with the planning application (he writes recommendations which goes to the plannign committe)
kevin.herring@walthamforest.gov.uk
tel 0207 496 6706

You might want to cc in your local councillors as well so they know your views and you can ask them to promote your view to the planning committee and to officials –
cllr.liaquat.ali@walthamforest.gov.uk
cllr.james.orourke@walthamforest.gov.uk
cllr.johar.khan@walthamforest.gov.uk
(remember to give your postal address in your email).

and you might want to cc in the members of the planning committee too, their details can be found here -
http://www1.walthamforest.gov.uk/moderngov/mgCommitteeDetails.asp?ID=297

and of course email BAG to keep them informed!

As far as my view goes, I am worried that if we get a Tescos on that site, it will make it difficult for other local businesses to survive, that it will mean fewer jobs, not more jobs, and also fewer, not more, food and shopping choices (there is lots of research to back this up, for examples see New Economics Foundation research and also http://www.tescopoly.org.uk). Also, the Blackhorse Rd area development plans currently have proposals for a quality market and retail development – but these plans become a lot less feasible, surely, if there is a Tesco just up the road?

I do agree that we need something on the Essex Arms site and I think it is a shame that we have all had our expectations so lowered, that we think Tescos is the best we can hope for!

What ELSE would people like to see there? I’ll start – I’d like to see an adult education centre to replace some of the several we’ve lost, there’s none in our local area! Maybe it could have a covered market or a cafe in the daytime to make some money, but also have much more of a community feel than a Tescos would have? Any other ideas?

By: Steven Smith

Steven Smith — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:19:04 +0000

I live directly behind the Essex Arms site, which is currently an eyesore, and attracts troublemakers, rough sleepers and kids hanging around and causing mischief.
One positive that I saw immediately after the Tesco planning application went in was that the site was made more secure and that the outbuildings round the back (that previously had people sleeping in them) were removed.
Whilst I do share the reservations that many others have about the imminent world domination of Tesco, that site has been a problem for too long and something needs to be done.
So I am afraid that lacking any alternative scheme, I come into the ‘lesser of two evils’ camp, and am in favour of the development.