So The Swan Centre is now almost gone for ever. How will the planned new Tesco Centre affect the heart of Acocks Green. After visiting today we saw it like this. We loved the advertising hoarding over the underpass next to the site. Can we believe this?
Birmingham: A Global City with a Local Heart’ the placard over the nearby underpass reads. But where is our ‘local heart’ to be after the Tesco’s Development is finished?
A Birmingham Mail Story on the site is Here
If Acocks Green centre is to retain its status as the local ‘heart’ of the area it needs to be re-thought and updated as a matter of urgency. We think the Council preliminary plans and studies are a step in the right direction. Let’s keep on now, to make sure the Council follows through.
We will be two doors away from Tesco. I attended all the meetings telling people what was happening with Church Road. Now it’s happening every day moan moan moan. Why have they chopped the trees down? I say for a car park, and when people now see the road is going in the park, too late, they don’t want Tesco. Sainsbury’s would have been better for us. Tesco still havent got all the land. Apparently Asda own the top piece next to Equipoint, so it’s holding them up and the Fox and Goose Tesco is going ahead first. So how many more years? No one knows. Arup who should have started the new road in April “hope” to start December.
Spotted this article in the Birmingham Post Yardley MP faces legal action over leaflet’s Tesco land claims
http://www.birminghampost.net/news/newsaggregator/2009/08/10/yardley-mp-faces-legal-action-over-leaflet-s-tesco-land-claims-65233-24357492/
What interests me about this article is that the work at the Swan seems to have stalled, is this because Mr Knight Adams and a disput over the land he owns? Anyone know anything more?
Mr Knight-Adams said he would not sell to Tesco because the development being proposed was “not right for Yardley”. He is proposing an alternative, based on a supermarket, indoor market, bars, restaurants, hotel and health facilities, which he argues would be more community-orientated and preserve the Swan as a shopping centre.
Mr Knight-Adams added: “I am not in for a scrap with anyone. I just want to see the right development for Yardley.
“Mr Hemming either doesn’t understand what I am proposing or chooses to misrepresent me.”
Further to the delay, this Mr Knight Adams has “employed” a firm of Architects to make a so called new image of what he wants on his little piece of land. Look it up on Google: S.R.Davis Harbourne. The bottom line is this man wants as much as he can get for his land. Also Tesco are just as bad they knew all about this six years ago – they are in my opinion as bad as each other. Meanwhile another year nearly over still no shops … Yardley looking a mess.
I have been a resident in this area for twenty two years, – it’s touching that someone who lives so far away is concerned about the quality of shopping in this area (even if they own just a small part of the land concerned). However, I feel that the Tesco store is widely accepted and that most local residents would just like to see an end to this eyesore that has plagued us for so long.
Please let the appeal fail- quickly so that we can benefit from the new store.
As this MrKnight Adams is resident in Mavern do what I did E mail the editor of the Malvern Gassette John.Murphy@newsquest.co.uk A few letters telling him what we think published in the paper may wake him up
Yesterday John Hemmings spoke in parliament about Mr Knight Adams Solicitors Withers LLP tel 020797 6000. They are now involved so this will go on and on. In 1998 Estelle Morris who was then MP For Yardley had a Small group of Yardley residents myself included to thrash out Sainsburys plans We were close to reaching agreements with Sainsburys about giving 1/2 a million pound to upgrade the market creating a nature centre at The causeway and maintaining Oaklands. …WHEN John Hemmings turned up with TESCO David Hall and GRIMLEYS AGENT They had the plans already drawn up as if it was planned that way. This is the truth I was there the minutes of these meeting are public documents and were at South Yardley Library. John Hemmings and two other Liberal councillors then persuaded the traders at the Swan that Sainsburys would take their trade away….Tesco Flattened it….The local people here (especially after this bad weather when the elderly at Bakeman House had no shops)are fed up and dont think anything will ever get built
Well, as I have said before, it looks like Mr Knight Adams waited until half the work was done for him before he dug his proverbial “oar” in!
A hotel at the Swan? Now what on earth for? People want hotels at airports and in the city, if they need a hotel, there’s one across the way on the old Good Companions site!
Lets stop all this bickering and get on woth the task in matter. The area looks shoddy, the road has become a beaten track and the whole area is now a total eyesore. Ive lived here all my more than 40 years and watched it go down and down and down since this arguement has been dragging on.
If something isn’t done soon, it will be too late to pull it all back again. Stop the arguing and think about the fairness not only to the local residents but how it looks to those travelling through and new to the area, imagine the impression it has…. At present it looks no more that a shanty town!
Mr Knight Adams, I can tell you of so much derelict land where your hotel and leisure facilities can go…. I just hope you can find your customers in this present economic climate!
OH MY GOD THIS MAN IS A LOONEY!!!
Follow this link to see what he is planning,,, his plans are about developing the area by around 50% more than what TESCO would,,, including a hotel and ANOTHER office block. restaurants and bars!!!.. this would be a bad thing for the area, creating more traffic and invite more drunken people to the area,,, If this is to be a sort of Touchwood project then I would need to know more about it,,, But I really think this is over development for this area…
COME ON PEOPLE<< LETS get this sorted and build a tesco..
Well, it seems you are sightly behind the times Shabba. This was in the Birmingham Post this morning. http://tiny.cc/Tesco What do other people think?
YAY…….. Now the area will start to look better, we just need to work on the new inn pub!!! :@)
http://www.swancentreyardley.co.uk/
Mr Knight Adams now has the right to appeal. In the past he has waited until 2 days before his time is up to appeal. The appeal takes 3 to 6 months again depending on whether or not Parliament is on summer break. If things go through smoothly the actual road would start November this year. with the shops and Tesco starting too. So it will be 2012 before we see any improvement. Don’t hold your breath the Olympic Games will come and go and we will still be in a mess.