Yes, maybe the Co-op needs a competitor to keep it in check but I don't think Tesco is the right answer. Tesco dominates from Gloucester through to Caldicot. If they have the go-ahead it won't mean cheaper prices for food and petrol. Put another serious competitor in the frame and it should be competition for the Co-op and Tesco unless, of course, they work together!
I believe it was reported that this store will be a food store only. This was also said of Lydney but still they sell newspapers, cds, electrical goods, kitchenware and flowers.
Coleford, as Lydney, will lose the relevant independent shops along with the grocery shop and possibly all three butchers. Tesco may create 40 jobs but at least 40 jobs will be lost in Coleford due to closure of businesses in the near future. Just take a look at Chepstow and Lydney to see how Tesco has affected their town centres within a relatively short time of each store opening.
Reading the report I didn't understand how Tesco can say they are encouraging less pollution and less use of the car. Bus services are being reduced in the Forest and it would be very difficult for someone to do their shopping on a bike!
Now, what Tesco could do to overcome this is to provide a bus service to cover the whole of the Forest, linking it in with all of their stores providing adequate bus service to the whole Forest area from Gloucester through to Chepstow. Money-wise I am sure it would still be beneficial to them.
The plans will create traffic problems with vehicles leaving the site to turn right onto the A4228 in the Chepstow direction. This will cause tailbacks within the site. Roads and entrance are not adequate to cater for the extra volume of vehicles plus delivery lorries and don't forget Glaxo Smithkline is expanding so probably more lorries there too.
Queues from the traffic lights (police station) already exist in the mornings and afternoons. This will only get worse. There will be a total bottleneck on the only main through road. It could also encourage more traffic to take a short cut through Coleford itself which the infrastructure probably couldn't cope with. That is until traffic is stopped and then imagine the chaos at the Bank Street/ Gloucester Road traffic lights?
If the scheme goes ahead any new buildings should be in keeping with Coleford and its older buildings. Any further developments to Pyart Court or the Co-op for that matter should be on the same lines (Tesco did this after years of negotiation in Ludlow apparently). The split of new and old buildings will cause more of a divide which will not bring further business or visitors to the town.
Tesco must pay for the relevant road changes taking into consideration long term problems such as mentioned above. Forest of Dean District Council cannot make the same mistake as they did with the Lydney store, which has created the problems that now exist with the Bream Road junction (A4231).
I dare say it will be inevitable that the applicants will get their way in the end but if they do I don't think the Forest of Dean will be any better for it. The applicants certainly won't be losing out with this proposal; in the long run people in the Forest will be in the same position as they are now paying higher prices for food and petrol.
If it does go through I shall continue to shop at friendly local grocery and butcher shops but for the main shop go to mysupermarket.com which tells me where my shopping list is cheapest and I shall put my order there.
Maybe our district councillors could take this forward as everyone seems to be very quiet about it!
– Jane Lloyd, Coleford.