Alexandra Road - proposed redevelopment for Waitrose

Waitrose has acquired an interest in the old B&Q site at Alexandra Road, and is in the process of working up proposals for its redevelopment, to house a new Waitrose food store and car park. The argument for the development is that Waitrose and Wimbledon are a good mix, the argument against, that a food store on the site would suck vitality out of the Town Centre and encourage car-borne shopping. What do you think?

Wimbledon Guardian say the vast majority are in favour of the new Waitrose, although the Council is against.

I think that if people were able to undestand the link between supermarkets and the state of their local high street they would be aganst the Waitrose proposal. As in most othey towns and cities across the UK, high streets now consist of nothing but glossy chain stores feeding our additction to consumerism and killing off any local businesses. Giving money to supermarkets not only means a boring, homogenous high street, it means all that money goes out of the local area into a multinational company. If we say no to supermarkets and encourage local independent businesses we get a richer, more individual and varied high street, PLUS our money goes to all the local business owner and he/she passes this on the all the suppliers of the produce they sell in their shop. In the long term supermarkets will kill of all high streets leaving no choice about where to shop and what to buy. Much more sustainable to support a network of local businesses which are less vulnerable to global issues eg oil price rises, transport strikes. Say NO to Waitrose!

I would rather see any new shop in Wimbledon town centre. However, if a suitable space can not be found there and Waitrose does go ahead at the old B & Q site, then I think this should be on condition that there are high quality links for pedestrians and cyclists with the town centre and the rest of Wimbledon. In particular, there should be a bridge across the railway for pedestrians and cyclists (if this is possible). This would give access to the new store for people living south of the railway without having to use a car and would also give a better link into the existing shopping area i.e. to the back of Centre Court. Having to walk via the town centre would be a long detour for many people and people are put off cycling through the town centre as it is not safe. Any retail development at B & Q without those linkages would just encourage more cars and would be unsustainable.

The vast majority of people are in favour of this proposal because they don’t really understand the long term consequences for their town in terms of homogenisation of their high street and the loss of jobs and money from their local economy. Money spent in supermarkets goes into the global multinational pot, money spent in shops owned by local people goes into the pockets of local people, and all the other small businesses that supply those outlets. Also we all seem to have been sucessfully moulded by the marketing men, into perfect consumers blindly believing that we will be happy if we just keep buying more and more ‘stuff’.

Supermarkets provide a valuable contribution to society by providing value for money. There is no point in trying to wind back the clock: they are here to stay. Waitrose is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, an organisation owned by its employees. The John Lewis Partnership is recognised as a good employer and one that recognises its wider responsibilities to society. The redevelopment of the old B&Q site should not be a matter of political debate, and certainly there should not be discrimination against shops on the basis of who owns them. It should be decided upon what is good for the residents of Wimbledon. Improving the attractiveness of Wimbledon Town centre as a destination for shopping, entertainment and culture is a very important issue which needs to be tackled. Success in that regard would act as a magnet for independents. But the reality is that shoppers like the reassurance of recognised brands. Hence why Starbucks, for example, seems to be permanently full. I would rather see a supermarket on the old B&Q site than, say, a Storage warehouse, which seem to be popping up all over the place. A Waitrose store on that site would cater for a sector of the market not well served at the moment. It is more likely to increase the attractiveness of Wimbledon as a shopping destination and thus pull people in. It is very unlikely to have an adverse impact on existing independents. Indeed, its impact is likely to benefit them. Waitrose should be welcomed.

I am a Wimbledon resident and I oppose a supermarket on Alexandra road at the ex-B&Q site. I believe that this would draw shoppers out of the town centre who would otherwise go into town for their groceries. This would mean less shoppers in town to support the wider range of shops and services. As a resident I would like the town centre to be as vibrant as possible and this is reliant on people going there.

My second concern is the effect a supermarket on Alexandra road would have on the parade of shops on Leopold road. These shops give the area a sense of community and several are likely to close if a supermarket were to open on their doorstep. From a personal point of view I am particulalry concerned about the excellent local butcher who would no doubt suffer a reduced trade as locals popping to the supermarket in their cars would then be unlikely to make another stop.

My third point is in relation to traffic. A supermarket would draw in a much higher volume of cars along Alexandra road than B&Q used to. The area in question is a residential one so increased traffic should be discouraged. However I would expect the one way system in the town centre to also come under a lot of pressure as cars clog up the bottom of Wimbledon Hill road while they wait to turn right onto Alexandra road. Traffic would also become backed up along Gap road as cars queue to get into the car park. Or even worse, shoppers will be encouraged by convenience to illegally park while they just “pop in” for items. This would put a bigger strain on local residents parking.

On a personal note, I am not against Waitrose. If Alexandra road has to have a super market then my first choice would be Waitrose. However it would be more desireable if they had a town centre site.