Traders in Dungannon are up - in - arms at plans for a massive extension of the town's Tesco Store.

The retail giant has submitted plans to expand their current store by 20,000 square, making it a "Tesco Extra". The proposal, if given the go ahead, would mean an extension of groceries and non-foods products. It is also anticipated that up to 80 jobs could be created at the Beechvalley store as a result of the £14 million proposal.

The plans had been recommended for refusal by planners as it would have an adverse affect on the town centre. But at a recent meeting of Dungannon Borough Council, councillors supported the proposals and asked that he application be referred back to the Planning Management Board for reconsideration. However, some town traders have expressed their opposition to the proposals.

Andrew Totter of SA Trotter said that their could be future job loses in the town should Tesco expand. He told the Courier: "Tesco just seem to want to take any bit of business that is going to the town. They talk about the jobs that may be created, but what about the jobs that could be lost if businesses start to close down?
"At the minute, business is really tough and it is difficult to turn any sort of profit." And Mr Trotter said that any Tesco Expansion could affect many businesses in the town.

I'm not just thinking of my own business," he said, "but also the other traders in the town that will be affected. I would say that Tesco will affect every type of shop and business in this town except perhaps charity shops.

"Tesco, like a lot of other big names, will offer the best selling products, but smaller shops can actually stock a much wider range. Consumers need to have that choice."

Jimmy Stuart of Gene Stuart's Records in the town voiced his fears that if given the go-ahead, Tesco's plans to transform itself into an "Extra" Store will effectively "Close the town centre down".
Said Mr Stuart: "Well, personally I would have big concerns about it. These stores just monopolise the retail trade in small towns like Dungannon and seems like there's no end to it. It will close the town centre down. At this rate Dungannon will be nothing more than a huge housing estate in 20 years time."
And he said that councillors should be on the side of traders: "The Council should be showing sympathy to traditional shops here," he said. "There's no point in spending a fortune developing the town centre if big stores are going to expand like this."

Expressing similar fears about the potential impact on the Wisebuys store in Scotch Street, Barbara Armstrong, Area Manager of the chain, said that local shops had already suffered a downturn in trade when Tesco first arrived and feared expansion would only cause further losses.
"I'm quite upset to hear that the Council is supporting the plans, they should be supporting local, small businesses. Shops have already found it hard to cope and this will only make things worse.
"To be honest I think it's going to end in shops being forced to close. And as for plans to carry out works on the town centre, well we won't see the results of that for about three years and it's just going to come too late for many businesses because they still have rates, overheads and staff wages to pay in the meantime. Tesco may say they're bringing jobs to the town, but jobs are going to be lost in other businesses."
"Finally from a customer perspective, I know that many of them enjoy the personal nature of shopping in a small store. They like having a wee chat and seeing a friendly face. It's important that we hold on to personal nature of small, local shops." She added.

Tesco however are adamant that if planners review their recommendations to refuse the application, the move will mean good news for Dungannon.
A spokesperson for the chain told the Courier. "What we have proposed is an extension of each range and the introduction of new services. Currently the Dungannon Tesco is a 'Super Store' but we aim to bring it to an 'Extra Store'. It's a big leap of faith for Tesco in Dungannon and the Council have been very supportive of the application."

Stating that the expansion could create up to 80 new jobs, he continued: "Tesco are 100 per cent committed to Dungannon, after all it was the first purpose-built Tesco store in Northern Ireland and we have a real support for the retail sector here.
"The proposal includes a 20,000 sq ft or so addition, to the store and although the details wouldn't be officially signed off unless the application is approved, it could include things like a café and an extension of food and non-food products across the board. However, as I said, these decisions haven't been made yet.

"Ultimately Tesco wants to cement Dungannon as a retail destination that can complete with other towns such as Cookstown."

A spokesperson for the Planning Service told the Courier that they were still considering whether or not to review the application.
The spokesperson said: "The application is with Planning Service HQ and we are currently assessing the proposal against the criteria for accepting Management Board referrals. If it is not accepted it will be returned to the Division to continue processing. A decision will be made on how the application will be processed in the near future."

Plans to build a massive Tesco store in Craigavon have also attracted opposition from traders. At a recent meeting in Portadown, businessmen gathered to express their concerns at the impact the proposals would have on the town centre.

In December, plans for a giant Tesco store in Banbridge were blocked amid huge opposition from town traders.
Proposals for the Banbridge development were turned down by the Planning Appeals Commission, the second time the application had been refused.

Tesco had planned to build a 130,000sq ft store at the Bridgewater Park complex - which would have been the biggest store in Ireland had it been given the go-ahead. Plans had been refused in 2008 and a public inquiry into the proposals was held in June, 2009.

Source: Tyrone Courier
Date: Wednesday 3 February 2010