Council sets record straight over BeWise plan
Thursday, 7th March 2002.
Sir, It has become from the recent comments both in the press and on the Haverhill-UK website, that the town council’s decision to refuse an application to extend the variety of goods that could be sold at the Retail Park may have been misunderstood.
I would like to take this opportunity to state the facts, as presented to the town council.
· The application was not submitted by BeWise, nor their agent.
· The application was submitted by an agent acting on behalf of the landowner.
· This was the same landowner that had previously agreed to the variety of goods that could be sold at the site being restricted.
· If the landowner had not previously agreed to this restriction then no retail site would have been built.
· The retail site can be used for the sale of those items we all nowadays expect at such sites; DIY materials, furniture, carpets, electrical goods etc.
· The application admitted that, if approved trade would be drawn from the 30 existing town centre shops.
· The application admitted that, if approved 40 per cent of the trade would be drawn from the town centre.
· There already exists, in the vicinity of the town centre, sites that could be utilised for this type of development. Significantly these are not in the ownership of the applicant, and there was no financial benefit to the applicant of pursuing them as an option. These sites are available foe BeWise or any other retailer to pursue.
In objecting to this application the town council recognised that there had been no significant change that required a relaxation of the trading rules for the site in question. Neither had there been a significant change in the fragility of the town centre trade.
The town council supports increased retail trade in the town centre area, and believes that this is the best option for the town, as everyone will benefit in the long term. To this end the town and St Edmundsbury Borough Council are working together to promote the town to retailers, and to the wider public.
Gordon Mussett, Town Clerk
Haverhill Town Council
Camps Road, Haverhill
If you would like to reply to Mr Mussett’s comments please click the Points of View.
If you have a letter for Haverhill News On-Line, write to the editor by email: editor@haverhill-news.com
I would like to take this opportunity to state the facts, as presented to the town council.
· The application was not submitted by BeWise, nor their agent.
· The application was submitted by an agent acting on behalf of the landowner.
· This was the same landowner that had previously agreed to the variety of goods that could be sold at the site being restricted.
· If the landowner had not previously agreed to this restriction then no retail site would have been built.
· The retail site can be used for the sale of those items we all nowadays expect at such sites; DIY materials, furniture, carpets, electrical goods etc.
· The application admitted that, if approved trade would be drawn from the 30 existing town centre shops.
· The application admitted that, if approved 40 per cent of the trade would be drawn from the town centre.
· There already exists, in the vicinity of the town centre, sites that could be utilised for this type of development. Significantly these are not in the ownership of the applicant, and there was no financial benefit to the applicant of pursuing them as an option. These sites are available foe BeWise or any other retailer to pursue.
In objecting to this application the town council recognised that there had been no significant change that required a relaxation of the trading rules for the site in question. Neither had there been a significant change in the fragility of the town centre trade.
The town council supports increased retail trade in the town centre area, and believes that this is the best option for the town, as everyone will benefit in the long term. To this end the town and St Edmundsbury Borough Council are working together to promote the town to retailers, and to the wider public.
Gordon Mussett, Town Clerk
Haverhill Town Council
Camps Road, Haverhill
If you would like to reply to Mr Mussett’s comments please click the Points of View.
If you have a letter for Haverhill News On-Line, write to the editor by email: editor@haverhill-news.com
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