‘We do have room for a supermarket’
Thursday 18th March 2010, 2:58PM GMT.
An impression of the development in Bath Street
A PERFECT site for a supermarket already exists in town, according to the director of one of the Island’s largest property companies.
Brian McCarthy, managing director of C Le Masurier, made the comment this week after an official States report concluded that no suitable town sites existed for a major new supermarket in the Island.
The report, which was leaked to the JEP, stated that a rural site would have to be developed and that competition was needed to bring down prices. It stated that protection for the countryside should be scrapped to make way for a supermarket in a rural location.
But Mr McCarthy said that he lodged plans in 2006 for a proposed 70,000 sq ft supermarket and parking on the site of the old Odeon cinema. He is still waiting for a decision from the Planning Department.
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Genius location, and so easy to access with no traffic issues. You can’t move in town on a good day and Bath St is the worst part.
Bulldoze some field out of town and upset the environmentalists – kill 2 birds with one stone.
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Not a good spot have you been in le riches capitol always empty…..Sorry silly me always empty cos the prices in there!….You know they charge £1.80 a pound for tomatoes…jeepers 42 today and moaning about prices!!! getting old is me!!
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…or the Jersey Dairy site. Oh wait, how fast was that sold to a housing developer? Couldn’t wait to take that off the table for a supermarket site – much more useful than even more houses to jam up 5 Oaks Roundabout completely 4 hours each weekday.
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2 questions:
(1) Can anyone list 5 examples of increased competition in the Island bringing LONG TERM price reductions?
(2) Can those people who state that they want more choice, please specify which products they are unable to purchase locally or on the internet?
To follow the recommendations of the leaked report would set a precedent for destruction of green fields at the request of large foreign businesses.
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I heard about that propsal for bath street but was beginning to think it was my imagination, mind you I also heard about a town park and plans for a new car park at Ann court!
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Isn’t the Odeon Cinema/Forum Cinema a listed building?
They could put a supermarket on the old Ann Street Housing estate site, or the Gas Street Car Park site.
Hang on a mo. There have been ads in the UK that Somerfield and the Co-Op have merged, are we seeing the benefits of that locally yet?
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2006 application still awaiting an answer?! I love to hear somebody from Planning explain what they’ve been doing for 4years!
This site could revitilise the whole area, and create the conditions and oppourtunities for finally getting the Town Park developed.
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@ deputy dog #2
“Not a good spot have you been in le riches capitol always empty…”
Most likely due to parking, and that Capitol is not a huge shop, probably less than half the size talked about in the article.
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@ J #3
“…more houses to jam up 5 Oaks Roundabout completely 4 hours each weekday”
Are you suggesting that a super market would create less traffic movements each day than housing? If so I’d say you’re very wrong.
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Happy Birthday Deputy Dog, I’d buy you some tomatoes but I can’t afford it.
Have a good one and don’t get leathered again and embarass yourself
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6)eeyore – the Co-op in Jersey is an independent retailer and is NOT part of the UK group which is why we pay premium prices locally!
BRING IT ON TESCO !!!
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The Co Op is not a highly centralised organisation.
The Cooperative Wholesale Society acts as the main supplier to Jersey Co Op Society but they do buy local vegetables, meat, dairy products, etc as well.
Jersey Co Op has some Somerfield goods on their shelves but it is up to them what they take.
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If you have a look on the Internet you will see that there are regional Co Op societies eg Midlands, Southern, Wales, etc.
Each regional society is semi independant and runs its stores in its own way, no different from Jersey really!
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Instead of a supermarket or more homes, bring in another airline. Because of the limited flights in and out of Jersey, the air ticket prices we pay are a bomb. And neither can we get this locally or on the internet
Bring in some flights to Heathrow as well while we are at it…
And i hope no one tells me to go take a boat!!
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I think the french should commision a big boat, a floating supermarket, and sail it to jersey, it could be Dock and shop! then to restock it just sails back to france job done, no land to worry about and low prices. One day a week it could moor off shore and local boat owners could go to it, then gst can be scrapped as well??? Lol
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A PERFECT site for a supermarket already
He would say that, he needs a buyer.
Unless Sandpiper is to give up the Safeway site we will need to find a new site. Bath Street is too crowded, so how about redeveloping the La Collet reclamation site or Snowhill car park
J Lamborrari (8) spot on.
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It seems to me from that picture that the supermarket somewhat missed the site of the Odeon and has obliterated the Africa House, Original Wine Bar and a number of other places.
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Really blends in doesnt it!
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@ Mark #16
“…Bath Street is too crowded…”
Do you mean with vehicular traffic?
I think that done right a supermarket development on the Bath Street site in the article could reduce significantly the vehicular traffic on Bath Street, even allowing it to be part pedestrianised.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was a perfect site, but I can think of not many sites that could be more perfect, all have their problems. At least this one would use a pretty derelict site and improve it, provide parking and be within a short walk from a very densely populated area. I believe it would greatly improve that area of town too, sparking life back into it.
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Do we really need a new supermarket?!?!?!?!
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J Lamborrari (19) provide parking and be within a short walk from a very densely populated area.
I will concede to you on your proposals for the Odean site if the site is to have a dual role. Supermarket on ground floor, a large public car park above.
A public car park to replace Gas Place car park, but not a TTS States controlled car park!
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Does anyone on here actually believe that a situation could arise where one supermarket was cheap and all the others were expensive….? what possible outcome could there be….everyone shops at the cheap one and the others go bust ?…then you have only one and it can charge what it likes….or would Tesco/Lidl Aldi soon even out their prices within a year or so…..slowly ,slowly ,catchee monkey..same same.
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22
Do you not remember Safeway/morrisons?
Everything UK priced.
Jersey potatoes,sent away to be packed,sent back to jersey and sold half the price of any other outlet here.
Food for thought.
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3 and 9 – re five oaks roundabout J is probably right about the housing development jamming the roundabout even more for 4 hours each day, but J Lamborrari you are also right about the traffic movements. I think if there were a supermarket on the dairy site there would be increased traffic movements making the roundabout more busy throughout the day and during the evening rush.
As for putting a supermarket on the Odeon site…would simply prefer not to see that. If it’s a listed building, surely a more fitting use for the site would be for an “alternative” cinema showing world films and others that wouldn’t be shown at cineworld. It could also house an art gallery and cafe too. I’m sure there are many potential uses for that site which would enhance the area without drawing in more vehicular traffic.
@ themagnum93 (15) – I think that’s a brilliant idea! Dare I say it but the other channel islands could be incorporated into that too so that each Island gets a once per week visit from the French supermarket. If not floating, it perhaps could be permitted to set up a marquee somewhere such as the RJHS showground (which has parking) and sell it’s goods. It could also set up a system of taking pre-orders from Islanders to go and “collect” on said weekly visit.
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Competition has done wonders to bring down the prices of Jersey Telecom.
It can do the same for supermarkets. Should be down to market forces with more than 2 players in the game.
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