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Town green petition gets 130 backers

7:00pm Sunday 14th March 2010 in


AN ONLINE petition backing calls to declare the site of Wimborne’s new Waitrose store a town green has gained nearly 130 backers.

Petitioners from around the world have posted their support for a bid to have the former cricket pitch on Hanhams Lane given protected status.

Retired engineer John Baxendale started the petition after passing the construction site on Rowlands Hill.

“If you look at the artwork issued for public consumption, it looks as if the store occupies quite a small part of the site. But the reality shows that has been a complete misrepresentation,” said Mr Baxendale.

Petitioners from Holland, Spain, and America are among those who have added their names to the petition. Mr Baxendale said he was not surprised by the response.

“Wimborne belongs to the world, not just a few people who want to shop there.

“People visit the town and the folk festival and find it charming,” he said.

Lisle Hall posted his support from Massachusetts and said: “Sounds just like what happens in the States. Seems that, soon, the surface of the Earth will be nothing but a giant shopping mall.

“I hope you are successful.”

Fiona Castleton posted from Brighton to say: “Wishing your community every success in saving Wimborne Green from the scourge of another superstore.”

Campaigner Philip Atlay said he was delighted by the level of support shown for his application to Dorset County Council to have the site declared a town green.

If campaigners convince County Hall rights of way chiefs to declare the pitch a town green, Waitrose could face a legal challenge to return the site to its condition before building work started.

The petition will end on March 19 – the closing date for a public consultation by Dorset County Council to assess Mr Atlay’s contribution.

Dorset County Council’s roads and rights of way committee will make the final ruling on the application later this year.

Comments(20)

mta says...
9:00pm Sun 14 Mar 10

Perhaps if you speak to waitrose nicely they may stop the building work and put some grass there instead ? BOOOO you've missed the boat !!

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baxi22 says...
11:37pm Sun 14 Mar 10

In fact, the petition is climbing very steadily and has now reached 430. We only set up the web site and petition a few days ago, the response has been fantastic.

I tried speaking to Waitrose nicely, and they were patronising in the extreme, they don't actually give a ****! They might if the town green application is approved!

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kizziegirl says...
7:20am Mon 15 Mar 10

Oh Please give it up, i am sick of the idots who keep on about it being a villiage green. It never was, the landowners sold so just get a life. You came up with no money to buy it yourselves so what does that say. Waitrose has bent over backwards for Wimborne e.g The Food Fesival, bet you all went there !!! I hate the idea that my tax money is funding this sad little operation. **** off and give us pease.

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MJD says...
7:24am Mon 15 Mar 10

I hope this development gets stopped and has to be returned to a green.

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baron hardup says...
8:05am Mon 15 Mar 10

Come on all you sad people,give us a break.When I was a young Lad some 50 years ago,we were never allowed on it full stop.It was only open on match days to watch the cricket.All you people want to do is cover it with Dogs s--t.I bet half of you don"t even know where the site is,so keep out of it.Considering what Wimborne has to offer at Present you need Waitrose more than it needs you lot.

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lizziechats says...
8:19am Mon 15 Mar 10

Having lived in wimorne area all of my life, 50 plus years, i can confirm the cricket pitch has NEVER been a village green and gates remained locked between matches.
Wimborne deparately needs a well stocked supermarket, at the moment i travel to ringwood , poole or ferndown for my groceries but will shop in wimborne once waitrose is open.

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gfw says...
9:08am Mon 15 Mar 10

Oh Yea

The protesters all out for 130.

Waitrose 5,999 declared.

Game over.

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baron hardup says...
10:21am Mon 15 Mar 10

Yes and take away the people who live opposite,their family and friends,I guess 130 would become 30 or less.Think of it you will be able to stroll across to shop and get some decent produce,not the grunge sold at Somerfield.Lucky you eh.

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johnwaite says...
1:48pm Mon 15 Mar 10

This is a first time 'letter' to the Echo. It's about the Waitrose saga and I'm exasperated by the faintly ridiculous push for Town Green status. We have only lived in the area for a few years but prior to that visited for the market,for the folk festival , for the wonderful Tivoli and for the Minster. WE decided to move here. We must have passed the old cricket pitch hundreds of times...mostly it was deserted; when it wasn't it was being usedby the cricketers. No sign of dog walkers, of free unfettered access for children to have a kick about etc.. What Wimborne needs to supplement all that is good about the Town is a quality shop, like Waitrose. It will bring a real boost to the Town, draw in more visitors and create employment...and those visiting for the Folk festival will at last be able to get some decent food. As for "Wimborne belongs to the world", well what a load of tosh...it doesn't. If it had World Heritage status / UNESCO status different rules would apply. As it stands the planning decision was made following statutory frameworks and in a democratic way. The planning decision was not "perverse" as campaigners have suggested ; on the contrary it was a correct and logical conclusion to an application that will amongst other things allow me and anyone else free access to a river walk as well as access to a decent supermarket.

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Emma.1 says...
2:29pm Mon 15 Mar 10

I too beleive its just too late and support Waitrose coming to Wimborne. Wait until its finished it will look alot better then! The cricket green wasn't a town green and was only used for games and the Folk festival. I personally can't wait until it opens!!!

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gudmenrmist says...
8:57pm Mon 15 Mar 10

The planning was actually decided when the Model Town gave back the meadow land that was given to them with now the all important planning permission that was to be for a never to be built restaurant which allowed for the cricket clubhouse (shades of Leigh playing field tactics) with one Councillor declaring " Common Sense HAS PREVAILED" as they rejected their own planning officers recommendation. So like it or lump it the WAITROSE decision was engineered a long time ago.

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richardwbooth says...
10:08pm Mon 15 Mar 10

A few hundred signatures on the petition is fair enough, until we realise that the number of parishioners in Wimborne is closer to 5,000 than it is to 500. Likewise, the news that this town green campaign is being supported by one individual in Massachusetts may sell a few newspapers, until we realise that this is a matter for our local residents and not for external protesters; globalisation's tentacles have reached far and wide, but Wimborne and Massachusetts are not quite conjoined yet. Still, it's absolutely right that overdevelopment is protested against and any form of local development is properly scrutinised, but in this instance I sincerely hope that Waitrose will bring things to Wimborne that the town needs. In a few years' time I trust we will look back with minimal regret, a new cricket ground and a thriving economic community.

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WimborneLad says...
11:30pm Mon 15 Mar 10

Who is going to pay for the cost of the application?I have heard reports that it could cost in the region of £50,000.I suppose however much or little it cost it will be paid for from council tax-more expense for the pensioners

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Account Suspended says...
9:48am Tue 16 Mar 10

Whilst it's clutching at straws I for one really hope that the application succeeds.

Allowing supermarkets to be built on sports pitches is perverse and utterly wrong.

If Waitrose wanted to be in Wimborne so desperately then they could have bought the Sommerfield store. There's absolutely no need for two supermarkets so close together - and certainly no excuse for the destruction of this open space just because snobs want a posh label on their food.

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baron hardup says...
11:41am Tue 16 Mar 10

Account Suspended wrote:
Whilst it's clutching at straws I for one really hope that the application succeeds. Allowing supermarkets to be built on sports pitches is perverse and utterly wrong. If Waitrose wanted to be in Wimborne so desperately then they could have bought the Sommerfield store. There's absolutely no need for two supermarkets so close together - and certainly no excuse for the destruction of this open space just because snobs want a posh label on their food.
Btw Somerfield has 1m.Its all about choice my friend,most other areas have it ie Ferndown,Poole Ringwood etc.Wimborne has achioce of sports facilities right now but shopping is dire.I hope Somerfield move out and is replaced by something worth having,like a large Boots or even Marks and Spencer Food Hall. Now that would lift Wimborne.

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hemlock says...
1:46pm Tue 16 Mar 10

What I am finding quite funny about this is that people keep referring to the current supermarket in Wimborne as Somerfield. Surely if you did actually shop there you would refer to it as The Co-Op, due to most of the products being of Co-Op origin.

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baxi22 says...
2:18pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Mig new developments by the 'planners' are seldom successful. Just look at the featureless brick wall alongside the present Co-op store, it is dark, dank and oppressive.
Wimborne developed over the centuries by slow, organic growth, a new house here, a shop there. The planners will never learn that slow, organic growth is the best way, once they create the right environment and taxation regime.
Even with the best will in the world, developments such as Poundbury totally fail to achieve that organic feel. You could never design the Lanes or the Pantiles from scratch.

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Account Suspended says...
2:26pm Tue 16 Mar 10

baron hardup wrote:
Account Suspended wrote:
Whilst it's clutching at straws I for one really hope that the application succeeds. Allowing supermarkets to be built on sports pitches is perverse and utterly wrong. If Waitrose wanted to be in Wimborne so desperately then they could have bought the Sommerfield store. There's absolutely no need for two supermarkets so close together - and certainly no excuse for the destruction of this open space just because snobs want a posh label on their food.
Btw Somerfield has 1m.Its all about choice my friend,most other areas have it ie Ferndown,Poole Ringwood etc.Wimborne has achioce of sports facilities right now but shopping is dire.I hope Somerfield move out and is replaced by something worth having,like a large Boots or even Marks and Spencer Food Hall. Now that would lift Wimborne.
Btw, you should have a space after commas and full stops... and there's no such word as "achoice". :p

The best thing for Wimborne would be to encourage good quality, diverse, specialist, independent retailers - rather than the same identical shop fronts we can see in any market town in the country.

That would actually give people a choice - something unique that would persuade them to come into Wimborne. No-one from Poole, Bournemouth or Ringwood is going to go to Wimborne just for a Waitrose are they - they already have them!!

Back on the topic of the cricket pitch though... even if a new supermarket is the best thing for the town - why build it there when Cobham were desperately trying to flog some of their unused land off for it instead?

Why ruin the character of the town? Next you'll be knocking down the Minster to build a Lidl.

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baron hardup says...
4:56pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Specialist Independent Retailers yes, all for it.With Waitrose up and running it will be much more attractive to the above, to set up in the town. Would make a change from all the Estate Agents and empty premises lining the streets at present. Lidl ? never heard of em Ha. Maybe Tesco will have a go at Cobham ? perish the thought.Co-op yes they now have a tie up with Somerfield as stated on tv,not much difference there then quality wise.

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Palantir says...
9:10pm Wed 17 Mar 10

We may or we may not need a Waitrose. It could, in theory, retain 9% of commerce in Wimborne, which is good. But would that 9% REALLY naff off down to Ringwood or Parkstone just because the building was built on the edge of the town instead?

Just because the cricket ground was private land previously does NOT mean than it could have been left as open space instead this time!

Open gardens would be much nicer; all we have left is Redcotts, and it's pretty much just a couple of fields.

Well, until someone takes 30 pieces of silver and sells it off to build a shopping mall anyway.

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