Give credit where credit is due! Mr Royden has proved once again that no matter what title he wears at the time, he'll make sure the media pick up on 'his' accomplishments.
To give credit where due we would like to thank Mr Ian John and other local residents who called and emailed Mr Royden and others with the problems taking place with construction vans and traffic along the Brickhill Drive shopping parade and Kestrel Road. Mr John diligently photographed and logged problems and passed this information onto Mr Royden who then proceeded to DO HIS JOB. Deputy Mayor, Parish Councillor, Rev. Royden had to take this in hand and get the right persons to monitor the problems etc as its his duty as an elected official regardless of what title he wishes to go by. This is not done because of his 'support' for local shops and residents but more for the fact that local residents will not be forgetting what his idea of 'support' is come election time. These problems were highlighted by residents and shop owners as far back as September 2011. It all remains to be seen of course but all the problems and concerns the public have voiced over the last 6-8 months which fell on deaf ears may very well come to be. It will be interesting to see what 'assurances' and/or excuses will be received then. |
Dear Sir,
I moved to Brickhill as a 4 year old child, in 1963, and I know the area particularly well. I am deeply concerned about the impact this proposed store will have on the residents living nearby: increased traffic, additional hazards caused by parking, the noise, and otjher associated dangers that will be increased for all residents but especially the youngsters and the elderly. The row of shops has served the community for over 40 years and the Newsagents in particular have given the local people excellent personal service; they lost the Post Office franchise recently and despite diversifying and offering other services (dry cleaning, photocopying etc.) their future is worryingly uncertain. It seems quite astonishing that retailers such as this newsagent are likely to face closure due to competition by an organisation that cares little for the individual shopper. Even more astonishing is the failure of the Borough Council to enforce the restrictive covenant on the property of the Bird in Hand, when at the recent poll, 94% of those who voted, cast their votes against this Store. I work with the East of England Ambulance Service and I am all too well aware of the dangers that alcohol causes. We already have shops who sell alcohol in the area, we do not need another off license. Our local shopkeepers are largely local folk who know many of our local residents (young and old) and they have an interest in the well being of local people...I doubt Tesco has any interest whatsoever in the welfare of the Brickhill residents. We know that the Tesco store in Flitwick has failed a number trading standards tests for the sale of alcohol to underage youngsters. In 2011, Brickhill had 655 reported crimes of which 354 were antisocial in nature. The presence of a shop with longer business hours than the other Brickhill shops is surely only going to exacerbate the problem of antisocial behaviour and underage drinking. It is my hope that the Licensing Authority will turn down this application from Tesco and show it is prepared to listen to and act on the wishes of those who expressed the desire to keep Tesco out of Brickhill. Your faithfully: L.Coldwell |
_Dear Sir/Madam,
re: Application BBC/PNEW/247/11 Tesco Stores 117 Brickhill Drive MK41 7QF I am a local resident living in close proximity to the proposed Tesco Express Store on Brickhill Drive, Bedford. I am very concerned that Tesco has submitted an application for a premises licence to allow the sale of alcohol at the proposed store seven days a week from 06.00 to 23.00. I believe that Tesco has actually not followed the statutory requirements regarding the display of notices, as reported in the 'Beds on Sunday' newspaper dated 25th December 2011. I wish to record my personal objection to this application under the 'Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Prevention of Public Nuisance, and protection of children from Harm' criteria. I work at Bedford Hospital on the medical wards where an increasing number of people (including young people) are admitted with serious and often life threatening liver disease from alcohol misuse.This problem has worsened dramatically since I started work there 18 years ago. I see first hand what damage excessive use of alcohol can do, and by increasing its ease of availability in my residential area, may well worsen this problem. The Guardian newspaper printed an article by Don Shenker in September 2011 which stated " the increase in hospital admissions amoung young drinkers is a real cause for concern and is particularly worrying that the increased number and concentration of off-licences may be contributing to this. Local areas must have the ability to decide for themselves how many licenced premises they allow....." There are already two established stores in the Brickhill Drive parade of shops which both have licences to sell alcohol. A third store with longer opening hours will only make alcohol even easier to obtain, with implications for public disorder as well. I was interested to note this week in the news that Tescos annual sales have reduced by 2.3%. I and many of my friends (both locally and nationally) are dismayed at Tescos perceived decision to have a Tesco Express on every street corner. I stopped shopping at Tesco last year as a boycott to their behaviour, and many of my friends have done also. I don't think it is co-incidence that their sales figures (and subsequently share price) have gone down.People are finally getting wise to their tactics. I don't want Tesco to be present in my local parade of shops as I have two perfectly good stores already there. I urge you to refuse this application on the reasons I have highlighted in my email. Yours faithfully, Helen Russell (Mrs) |
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