Swindon Council's planning committee passed plans put forward by Asda Wal-Mart for a 37 acre development at the North Swindon district centre site at its meeting on 30 October. The first phase will be open for trade by Christmas next year.

This will be the 150,000 square foot Asda Wal-Mart supercentre, almost twice as big as Tesco on Ocotal Way (82,00 sq.ft.). In total there will 360,000 square feet of retail space, equal to the size of Greenbridge Park.

Other big high street names will be found at the centre, as well as small shop units, cafes and restaurants. A 20,000 square feet garden centre is proposed plus support facilities: banks, building societies and a petrol station. There is provision for a library and a health centre, and a private health and fitness centre.

At the public exhibition concern was raised at the lack of general recreation facilities and places for young people. Keith Gool from Thames Avenue, Haydon Wick said people in the north of the town were envious of West Swindon with its combination of shopping, sports and entertainment facilities. "The shops will serve the area because it is growing. But a private fitness club is not good enough. It is disappointing that there only seems to be shops."

Pete Bird from Haydon Wick said he was worried about the effect on the Safeway supermarket. "A lot of people rely on Safeway because it is very local to their homes, especially elderly people."

Julie and Barrie Card from Ash Brake were impressed by what they saw in the plans, but were concerned that the private fitness club would be restricted to those who can pay. "We welcome the shops but it's worrying that the centre could be a gathering place for youth which might lead to problems," said Barrie.

But what will be the effect of such a large development on businesses in Swindon and the surrounding region?

Below, Mark Turner of Asda Walmart hails the arrival of the North Swindon Centre, whilst Jean Saunders spells out the potential disaster for business elsewhere.

Building on Asda value in Swindon

Mark Turner, Senior Development Surveyor, Asda, writes

One of the fastest growing towns in Europe, Swindon, continues to go from strength to strength with the recent announcement of visionary new plans to regenerate the town centre.

It is against this backdrop of continuous growth and innovative development that Asda awaits the final go ahead for proposals to create a thriving community focused district centre for the north of the town. Asda is delighted that it will be the anchor for the exciting new mixed-use development which will create more than 1,000 new jobs for local people.

Recently praised by the Competition Commission for our low prices and national pricing policy (which means that all our customers pay the same prices in every store regardless of age or location), the new store will enable us to bring our legendary Asda value to a wider audience.

The principle of a superstore of this size has long been established by the planning permission granted by the borough council. However, it has been important to all concerned to ensure that the final design of the development meets not only the needs but also the aspirations of the local community. To this end, Asda has consulted closely with the council during the evolution of its design. In addition, the public exhibition giving details of the proposals held during the last week in September allowed local people to have the chance to say what they would like to see included within the scheme.

The new store will encompass the best of Asda and Wal-Mart under one roof, and offer shoppers in North Swindon a unique product range at incredible prices. The interior layout will be based on the successful formula of our first ASDA Wal-Mart Supercentre in Patchway, Bristol. The external design of the Swindon store reflects and compliments the specific needs of the local surroundings.

Careful consideration has been given to such details as public transport links and landscaping, as well as the other proposed uses within the centre. If planning permission for the Framework Plan is granted, the scheme will contain a state-of-the art Asda store which will act as an anchor for the development, together with some 17 other retail units. These are likely to include uses such as hairdressers, drycleaners and so on, as well as a large non-food retail unit and garden centre.

A public square and canopy will provide a central focal point, and the scheme will also provide a library, creche, fitness centre, bar/café and restaurant to meet the wider leisure needs of the local community. The final result should be a vibrant local facility of which we can all be proud.

Beware of Wal-Mart

If you run a retail business in Swindon - or Faringdon, Highworth, Lechlade, Cricklade - 'be afraid, be very afraid,' writes Jean Saunders of Swindon Friends of the Earth.

The coming of Asda Walmart to the North Swindon District Centre by this time next year will have a powerful effect on established businesses in supposedly strong areas like Swindon. It could be devastating to traders in small towns, up to 50 miles away.

At 150,000 square feet in the main shop and 210,000 in the other units, this is a huge amount of retail space. With cheaper fuel, 1,900 free car parking spaces and probably a subsidised bus service, it will prove a major attraction. Compare this to the Asda Walmart in Bristol: 93,000 square feet and 1,300 car parking spaces.

As I wrote in Swindon's magazine The Link in April, in America Wal-Mart has a reputation for selling anything and everything at knockdown prices, often using unethical practices, until they have shut down competition and cornered the market. This may sound good for the consumer in the short term, and many jobs will be created, but if it means that smaller shops in Swindon and further afield have to shut down because of loss of trade, is it so desirable in terms of job losses and harm to the environment as people get in their cars to drive to North Swindon?

What we have is a legacy of the Thatcher Government of the 1980s when planning laws were passed to reduce restrictions on development opportunities. Nothing was to stand in the way of the private sector, nor the car driver. In 1989 Swindon Council (then Thamesdown) objected to expansion in the north and a planning enquiry was held. However the then Secretary of State permitted the growth of the town by another 10,000 homes, which included the North Swindon District Centre, without any survey of the environmental impact.

Once a plan is passed, it is very difficult to change it without incurring huge cost. I do not know the figures for Swindon town centre but a Government study 'The Impact of Large Foodstores on Market Towns and District Centres,' published in October 1988 by Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, stated:

"our research identified impacts on market share of between 13% to 50% on the principal food retailers in market towns and district centres as a result of large foodstores in edge-of-centre and out-of-centre locations. The decline in market share for the town centre convenience sector as a whole ranged from 21% in St Neots to 64% in Fakenham and 75% in Warminster.

Contrary to the widely held perception, our research indicates that impact is not confined solely to other supermarkets. Edge-of-centre and out-of-centre large foodstores sell an increasingly wide range of convenience and comparison goods, and often include other services such as a Post Office, pharmacy, dry cleaner and cash point.

Our research shows that (such) developments ... can lead to a decline in the turnover of town centre foodstores (38% impact in the case of Tesco in Cirencester). This can and has led to the closure of some town centre food retailers."

By today's planning standards the North Swindon District Centre would be restricted to a large supermarket, not something the size of Greenbridge. No leisure or cultural facilities are planned - such as to be found at the West Swindon Centre. We shall have to wait to see if those provided at the secondary school will be big enough to cope with the needs of the 10,000 homes in North Swindon.

I am sorry to say that 'City for the 21st Century,' the slogan for Abbey Meads, is a legacy of the twentieth where corporate greed and savage competition prevailed, no matter what the consequences on communities elsewhere.