Author: Sonja Francis

A study commissioned by Thame Town Council has concluded that a large format foodstore, such as that proposed by Tesco, could significantly harm the town centre.

The full Thame Retail Capacity and Impact Study will be discussed at a meeting of  Thame Town Council on Tuesday evening (03/10).  Town Councillors recommended refusal of Tesco’s plans for an edge-of-town supermarket on the current DAF site, on August 25, 2015. The plans are currently with South Oxfordshire District Council but no date has yet been set for a planning decision as the Planning Officer is awaiting revised figures from Tesco of its projected profits from the proposed Thame store, which SODC’s independent consultants believe were ‘under stated’.

The Thame Retail Impact Study’s findings include the observation that food shopping is the principle reason for shoppers in Thame’s primary catchment area visiting the Town Centre, and that 80% of shoppers link their food shopping trip to other activities, in particular for non-food shopping and for financial services like banking.

The report suggests that although a new, edge of town foodstore could help to claw back leaked expenditure from larger shopping centres, turnover would be drawn away from Thame’s key anchor store, Waitrose, as well as from other convenience retailers such as Co-op and Sainsbury, causing linked trips to other shops in Thame to be lost; linked trips that would otherwise have been supported between Waitrose and other town centre businesses.

As the report puts it: “The potential diversion of food shoppers to a competing edge or out-of-centre foodstore will impact on the potential for linked trips. This in turn will impact on the vitality and viability of the wider town centre.”

In its conclusions and recommendations, the impact assessment states that: “.. a smaller format foodstore or a deep discount foodstore (such as Lidl or Aldi) would have a lower impact on the trading performance of the town centre and its retailers. In contrast, the assessment indicates that a larger format traditional foodstore could have a significant harmful impact on the town centre, leading to the potential closure of the existing Co-op store.

The full Thame Retail Capacity & Impact Study, which has been prepared by Carter Jonas, can be read here: LINK TO PDF

You can read all previous posts on the subject of Tesco’s proposals here: LINK

THAME Town Council is starting work on setting its budget for 2016-17, and it wants residents to tell them where they think more money, less money or the same amount of money should be spent on the council’s various projects, functions and services.

Currently the average household contributes £2.40 per week towards the funding TTC’s various areas of responsibility. The council states on its website: ” Under the current drive for Localism, there is much discussion about devolution of services from County / District to parishes and we must consider whether to take on certain services that Oxfordshire County Council can no longer fund.

“There are other pressures on the budget through National Insurance changes and the removal of a Government grant. The cost of monitoring and ensuring continuity of the Neighbourhood Plan is also significant and there are also suggestions that Thame would benefit from a Market Town Co-Ordinator.”

The town council will agree its budget at a meeting scheduled for January, 19, 2016. Contact the council via the website: http://tiny.cc/oq9c5x

WITH Halloween fast approaching, on Saturday, October 31, Thames Valley Police is reminding people to make sure they spend their time trick-or-treating responsibly and have issued advise for householders.

Many residents enjoy Halloween and view it as harmless fun, but for others it can be distressing receiving visits from unexpected callers, particularly for the elderly and those who live alone.

Neighbourhood police teams in the Thames Valley will be undertaking high-visibility patrols over the Halloween period to deal with any anti-social behaviour. They also work with schools and parents to reduce the incidents of nuisance and criminal damage that can happen at this time of year.

Those who do not want to be visited by trick-or-treaters can download and print a ‘No trick-or-treat’ flyer from the Thames Valley Police website and display it in a window or visit their local station to pick up a copy.

Parents should be reminded that if they or their children see this flyer displayed, they should move on to the next house. Most people will have a pumpkin or Halloween decorations on display to welcome callers.

TVP is also encouraging people to watch the ‘Click Your Trick’  film which highlights the consequences of anti-social behaviour. The film features a teenager who was convicted of arson after he and his friend put a firework through a family home as a prank. The prank went horribly wrong with the firework setting the house on fire. Luckily nobody was seriously injured.

Supt Richard James from Thames Valley Police Neighbourhood Policing said: “This is not about stopping responsible Halloween fun but preventing anti-social behaviour linked to trick or treating. One person’s ‘trick’ can be a disturbing experience to the person on the receiving end. Not only that but one reckless trick and you could end up with a criminal record.”

Keith Williams from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service community safety team, said: “We don’t want to stop people enjoying Halloween, but we do want them to celebrate safely. There is nothing more terrifying than having a fire at home or seeing your clothes catch fire.

“Just follow this safety advice for a safer Halloween: never make costumes from flammable materials, always check costumes and masks are labelled as flame resistant, keep candles away from children and ensure they are extinguished at night, and do not overload electricity sockets with lights. Better still, use LED candles. ” 

If you are trick-or-treating this year:
Don’t knock where you see a ‘No Trick-or-Treat’ poster.
Be visible and stick to well-lit streets.
Although Halloween is meant to be spooky, be careful not to frighten people.
Plan your trick-or-treat route before you go and let an adult know where you’ll be going and what time you will be back.
Go with an adult when possible.
If at any point you do feel nervous or unsafe:
Don’t open your door if you’re unsure who is there. Use your spy-hole, look out of a window, and use your door chain if you do decide to open your door.
Have a contact number of a close relative or good neighbour by your telephone, just in case you need to phone them.
If you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, let your coordinator know that you will be on your own at Halloween. If you are a coordinator, please identify people in your scheme that may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance.
Thames Valley Police will not tolerate any anti-social behaviour at any time of the year.

To report anti-social behaviour please call the 24 hour non-emergency number 101. If it is a crime in progress, call 999 immediately.