Countrywide Planning Application

[grahame]

Countrywide run a store on the A350 / A3102 corner on the edge of the town - selling a wide variety of rural products to farmers, animal owners, etc.   They have been in the town for over 40 years, and employ between 35 and 40 people on the site. They tell me that their Melksham store is one of their most successful in the country, and they're a well liked / respected company in the community.

Their current store is due to be demolished to make way for a new Asda store for which planning permission was granted in the Spring, and Countrywide have applied for permission to replace the derelict grain silos which they own on the adjacent piece of land with a new store, so that they can carry on their existing trade and continue to employ their current staff.  In essence, they are applying for a like for like replacement, which will continue to serve the same customer base and be accessed from the same point on the road system by the same number of people - a like for like replacement

Melksham Town Council, Melksham Without Parish Council, and Melksham Chamber of Commerce and Industry publicly support the application.   Officers at Wiltshire Council's spatial planning recommend that the application be rejected because of the detrimental effect it will have on business in Melksham Town Centre; they have suggested that Countrywide look for an alternative site in Trowbridge or Chippenham and restart the planning application for there.

The planning committee meets (a public meeting on 28th October in Trowbridge) where the elected Wiltshire Councillors who are on the committee will make a decision (they can also defer for more information).

What do you think? Would a continuation of the Countrywide business a few yards from the current location harm Melksham Town Centre in a way it doesn't do at present?

[grahame]

I have added a "mini poll" on the from of this website where you can vote ... I'll be going to the planning meeting on 28th and will talk to the planning committee with any significant results in my role as President of the Chamber.

Please vote at http://www.melkshamchamber.org.uk/

Additional comments welcome by email - mailto:graham@wellho.net

[grahame]

I understand that Wiltshire Council's officers are considering the application further and it will not be on the agenda at next week's meeting. I am leaving the poll open as full details aren't clear to me at this stage, and the opinion gathered will certainly be useful.

[grahame]

Here, pictured today, are too good reasons that Countrywide should stay on the same site ...

They sell a great deal of bulky goods at it would be really impractical for them to be in the centre of town ...

I can't imagine this scene, repeated every couple of minutes, outside the old Wollies store ...

They offer products that aren't available elsewhere and bring people TO Melksham. 

People travel to get to Countrywide, then do the rest of their shopping nearby.  With their store moved to Trowbridge or Chippenham, those towns would gain the spin off business and Melksham would loose it.  But of course Countrywide, if turned down for Melksham, would just as likely go to Chipping Norton as Chippenham, and Tonbridge as Trowbridge

[grahame]

Here's a brief update.

The planning application was withdrawn from the meeting on 28th October, as the officers of Wiltshire Council are taking another look at it, and are "minded to pass it" rather than going head to head against strong public opinion. It also appears that certain elements of Wiltshire Council may not have been made aware that the appication, which could lead to a loss of 35 to 40 jobs in Melksham, as it had been characterised as "just a move of a few yards" and had only had limited exposure.   As I understand it, the application is still under consideration so please continue to give your opinion on our front page but it no longer has the major "on principle" objections against it, and it should now be a case of sorting out a few relatively minor issues.

[grahame]

A further update ... firstly on the voting:

Here are the "raw votes"  so far...

::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote def ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote no ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes ::: vote yes

Counting those (by computer) ...

Of a total of 62 votes cast

60 are in favour of planning permission being GRANTED
1 is in favour of planning permission being REFUSED
1 vote was submitted without either option being chosen

The vote is running on the web site of the Melksham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and has been publicised around the town's retail businesses via a Chamber of Commerce newsletter, around chamber members by email, and in the local press. 

57 of the respondents said they live or work in Melksham, 3 that they live or work elsewhere in Wiltshire, and none that they live and work outside Wiltshire; 2 respondents failed to answer this question. 

11 respondents are members of the Chamber of Commerce or work for a member, 40 work for companies who are not, and 6 do not know. The membership question does not apply to two of the people who voted on countrywide (e.g. retired), and three people did not answer the question.

With any open public vote like this, there is a possibility that individuals will try to load the poll by voting multiple times, will vote frivolously, or will vote from out-of-area at the request of a contact with a strong view in the area. I have examined the votes carefully, and I see no evidence of any significant skewing of the results from any such causes, and I would be happy to go through the details of this and how we are running the poll with interested parties.


An update on the application.  It remains undecided (so I am leaving the vote open to add in any further views), but the feedback is that it is now more likely to be approved. If that proves to be the case, my personal view (and, it has been confirmed) the view of the traders and other people of Melksham is that it will be the decision that the town wants.

[grahame]

A brief message from Countrywide's PR team:

The S106 has now been signed and so finally Countrywide can build their new store.

My understanding is that was the final planning hurdle ... it has taken too long (far too long) and there really should be a better way of getting planning approvals for something that's just a move from one building to another of an existing business, across a site, to safeguard jobs and that business.  The system would have driven a less determined applicant away!

But - having said that - Congratulations to Countrywide and we look forward to them remaining in the town for the foreseeable future, and wish them luck in their move of - what - less than 100 yards!