RESIDENTS OPPOSE TESCO

Residents of Arlington House in Margate are up in arms at plans which will result in them facing traffic nightmares as a result of a giant Tesco development next to their homes.


Plans have been submitted to Thanet Council for a superstore to be built adjacent to the 18 storey tower block near Margate’s seafront. Part of the Arlington site is due to be redeveloped by Freshwater who will then sublet the store to Tesco. One of Freshwaters reports to the Council claims that there will be over 9,000 traffic movements in and out of the store on a Friday.


Ron Greene, Chairman of the Residents Association says, “ That level of traffic would result in congestion at both the Station Roundabout and the Clocktower Roundabout because of the size of the proposed Tesco store. The situation will be even worse during the summer months when we have traffic queuing to get into Margate in any event. The Turner Centre is opening this year and the Dreamland Heritage Park is planned for next year. The seafront will become a car park and no-one will be going anywhere”.
The residents committee has produced a 34-page list of objections to the planning application and submitted it to Thanet Council. Residents claim that the developers have exaggerated the size of the proposed Tesco store in order to justify the need for a larger customer car park. Ron Greene added, “Freshwater plans are for 344 Tesco parking spaces but we have calculated that they are only entitled to 206 in accordance with the Council’s parking policy. The additional traffic will have a detrimental effect to the environment of Margate which TDC  is trying to promote as a healthy seaside resort”.


AH Residents’ Association report, link 


http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/411/id4.htm

Arlington House could look more like this -
rather than like it does . . .

Arlington House Residents Association has unveiled its own aspirations for the refurbishment of the tower block. The exterior of Arlington House is due to be upgraded as part of the redevelopment of the Arlington site.

The site is owned by Thanet Council and is on lease to multi-national property investment company Freshwater. Freshwater has made several attempts to steam clean and stain the exterior concrete panels of the seafront tower but the results are far from satisfactory. Residents Association Chairman Ron Greene says, “I am amazed that Freshwater is continuing to experiment with trying to paint over the concrete panels. They have been exposed to nearly 50 years of weathering in an exposed environment. Salt, sand and dirt have taken their toll. The steam cleaning merely pushes the dirt and salt further into the concrete. The painting of the panels does nothing to rid the building of its reputation as an eyesore as the inherent discolouration can still be seen. The Association has presented the Council with a report detailing options which would meet the requirements of the Councils own planning brief. This latest report contains sample images to give an idea of what the block could look like if this one off opportunity is properly grasped. Freshwater should not be allowed to just to the bare minimum in order to get planning permission for Tesco to be allowed onto the site.”

The Councils Adopted Planning Brief was published in October 2008 and outlines the requirements for the redevelopment of the Arlington site. The document makes numerous references to matters relating to Arlington House including:
improve the environment of residents; improving the visual impact; changing the public perception; high quality external refurbishment; sustainability; energy efficiency and environmental impact improvement.

The Planning Brief also provides for a Section 106 agreement which allows the Council to require the developer to refurbish Arlington House to become a positive landmark. The Council has recently issued a press release entitled “Countdown to Turner” announcing £100,000 to be spent on improving seafront eyesores. However, the biggest of those eyesores – Arlington House – is missing from the list. Cllr. Latchford is quoted as saying, in essence, that he does not want the eyesores to impact the views of Turner Contemporary visitors.

The Residents Association first put forward a report in February 2009 showing the sort of changes and improvements that could be made to the building as a result of complete external cladding. Other tower blocks in Thanet had already been refurbished using a similar principle.

Ron Greene commented, “I do not feel that what we have seen from Freshwater so far comes anywhere near what is needed to improve the block to the satisfaction of the Arlington residents, the Council or the people of Margate. Freshwater plans have still not materialised – here we are nearly two years on from the planning brief and still awaiting details of what Freshwater intends to do. Clearly, the eyesore of Arlington House will still be the first thing that people arriving by road or train to visit the Turner Contemporary will see when it opens in May next year. ”. ENDS

Contact: Ron Greene 07754 588193/01843 230074





Please note that the illustration of how Arlington House COULD look is for illustration

purposes only and is not meant to be an accurate representation of the actual façade of

Arlington House.

MARGATE SAYS "NO TO TESCO"

Campaigners against a proposed new Tesco store in Margate packed a meeting at a local church hall on Monday evening (28th June 2010).

The gathering was hosted by Arlington House Residents Association who are unhappy about redevelopment plans which will see them losing their car park and flat owners having to foot a bill of £17.000 each.

The multi-million pound scheme would see the demolition of a derelict public car park and shops on the controversial Arlington site on Margate seafront.

Association Chairman, Ron Greene, told the assembled crowd that neither property developers Freshwater nor Tesco had provided answers to questions raised during public consultations three months ago. He added, “Research has shown that surrounding property prices go down when a Tesco store is built in a residential area”.

Ward Councillor, Iris Johnston, and Council planning officer, Doug Brown, fielded a barrage of questions from Margate residents and businesses. Arlington House residents also questioned the Council’s right to agree to the demolition of the existing residents’ car park.

Concerned locals also heard from Ron Greene that plans to redevelop the whole of the site had been shelved. “Freshwater are only going for full planning permission for Tesco to go on the car park site”, he said, “The proposed shops, hotel and doctors surgery will only be subjected to outline planning permission as there are no takers for those units. This means that the seaside frontage could remain boarded up for years to come”.

Councillor Iris Johnson called for a show of hands to indicate those in favour of a new Tesco and those against. The vote was unanimously against the Tesco development.

After the meeting Ron Green said, “It is clear that the people of Margate do not want another Tesco superstore. I was initially in favour a scheme that would see the derelict site regenerated and the exterior of Arlington House improved. However, I now believe that a Superstore, of that size, (comparable to the existing 24hour Superstore on Manston Road) will be detrimental for local residents and existing businesses in Margate.

Kent County Council statistics reveal that more than 20,000 cars a day pass along the seafront at present. That number will obviously increase with the opening of the Turner Centre and Dreamland Heritage Park. The further addition of a 24 hour Tesco superstore will likely cause traffic gridlock at the Station Roundabout due to customer traffic and delivery lorries. If the Council does give the go-ahead for Tesco, I am asking that planning conditions be imposed to restrict the hours for opening and deliveries and that adequate sound insulation be provided to Arlington House, at the expense of the developer.”