The new Sainsburys at Meols Cop has been officially opened by the town’s MP, but his predecessor John Pugh, now a Sefton councillor, who opposed the plan and triggered a planning inquiry over the development has still got his concerns and continues to voice them.

“I really don’t want to be a dismal jimmy about this,” he says ,” and am more than happy to be proved wrong but I fret about the town centre. It’s rare to find our Conservative MP and Labour run Sefton Council equally warm about this out of town development and signed up on the same page, but I fear they may not have read the small print.

The town centre and particularly Lord St used to be famous for high quality shopping and seems neglected in Sefton Council’s plans. It is actually acknowledged by the Council that the new store will lead to a trade diversion of at least £7.9M from town centre turnover, but my fear is that the impact will not be ‘limited’ as they claim. Other new stores will cluster around the a bright new shiny supermarket. More people will use their cars to shop out of town.”

We need an updated assessment of the retail health of the town centre, but more importantly a retail strategy that makes sense. At the moment the Council’s efforts are expended simply on making it easier to cycle into town and harder to take the car. A reality check is needed.

As it is the Sainsbury development was give the go-ahead on the assumption it would provide 400 new jobs.This week the actual figure is 150 new jobs and we do not really know how many corresponding jobs are being lost in the town centre. I definitely applaud every new job but also notice that all the measures of employment in our area have remained in recent months stubbornly unchanged as has the unemployment (claimant) rate.

He makes a fair point, the reality that punters are drawn to out-of-town retail,mainly because of the anti-car policies in the town centre just seems to fly over people's heads.


Yes, it would be better for all sorts of reasons if they didn't but we have to deal with the reality.

Once again, I wonder what Cllr. Pugh & Co. would have done differently? Does he (do they) think Councils anywhere have powers to revitalize retail in the face of changing technology and consumer habits? Southport (for once) benefitted from Conservative central government doling out dosh for our town centre, namely the Town Deal. Does Cllr. Pugh think Sefton should tried harder to block Sainsbury making an investment in our town?

Originally Posted by sandGroundZero

Once again, I wonder what Cllr. Pugh & Co. would have done differently? Does he (do they) think Councils anywhere have powers to revitalize retail in the face of changing technology and consumer habits?

Very true....Whist some love to blame bicycles for Southport's demise as a retail hub, the reality is somewhat different!

Originally Posted by editor

As it is the Sainsbury development was give the go-ahead on the assumption it would provide 400 new jobs.This week the actual figure is 150 new jobs and we do not really know how many corresponding jobs are being lost in the town centre. I definitely applaud every new job but also notice that all the measures of employment in our area have remained in recent months stubbornly unchanged as has the unemployment (claimant) rate.

Just read on the BBC News website that Sainsbury's are cutting 1500 jobs in order to reduce costs. Most are evidently coming from their 'contact centre' in Cheshire and their in-store bakeries.

Not really a good advertisement for their new store !

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Just read on the BBC News website that Sainsbury's are cutting 1500 jobs in order to reduce costs. Most are evidently coming from their 'contact centre' in Cheshire and their in-store bakeries.

Not really a good advertisement for their new store !

All the large supermarkets are doing exactly the same, they could have pulled out of the store, would you have been happier with that?

Originally Posted by onehorsetown2

All the large supermarkets are doing exactly the same, they could have pulled out of the store, would you have been happier with that?

Why do you think supermarkets are laying off staff? Consumer trends have changed and have been doing so over the past twenty years. People do not want to traverse up and down long aisles to get their shopping now. Customers know what they need and want to just get in and out of a shop and go. This was the problem with the Strand in Bootle with several other shopping arcades and large stores that have had to close while many supermarkets have opened smaller corner shop premises. It is not the internet either - the internet is useful while high streets get their act together. There is a growing need for smaller, privately owned local businesses that can offer a more personal service.

Many years ago, all shops were within walking distance of most people's homes. The streets belonged to the public until the motor industry used propaganda to instil into people that the streets are meant for cars. Car manufacturing became widespread, More cars on the roads meant more roads being needed. More roads mean more traffic with increased pollution. The roads are directed to outlying shopping areas with their large car parks. The areas are non-habitable due to pollution and non social due to people travelling from various locations and strangers to one another. This is now changing again. The idea is that by creating pedestrianised areas and encouraging people to purchase goods on line, and having items delivered that there will be a much reduced need for motor vehicles. Travel to and from leisure areas can be achieved by public transport.

This cannot work because people still need to commute to work. Public Transport is not an option when carrying large or heavy items, and there will always be a demand for urgently required goods. Shops are not just for needs, they are a social attraction also and people will open smaller enterprises and attract those who prefer to see what they are buying. In time these outlets will once again attract people from distant areas who will need transport and motor vehicles will still be popular.

Far better to look ahead and encourage smaller enterprise to expand in every area now.

Originally Posted by onehorsetown2

All the large supermarkets are doing exactly the same, they could have pulled out of the store, would you have been happier with that?

Why would I be happy or unhappy about job losses? It was merely an observation that the adverse publicity came at a bad time with their new store opening !

John Pugh claims Sefton are Anti-Car in Southport. Is this guy for real.?
There is and always has been plenty of routes into, and around Southport for cars, there are also thousands of parking spaces.

A very small percentage (less than half a percentage) of road space has been utilised for cycling, an even smaller percentage of parking spaces have been lost to accommodate those lanes.

Along the ‘contentious’ section of the route, not a single business has closed as a result of said lanes, yet Lord St, which is exceptionally easy to access by car, with its hundreds of on road parking spaces has many empty units. Can he explain why.?

It’s not cycling that’s killing the town centre, it’s the exorbitant rent and rates, combined with on-line laziness. When Sainsbury’s eventually close their Lord St store, their car park could be utilised - in Mr Pughs eyes Southport Town centre would be a hive of bustling activity again.

Originally Posted by lawed143

John Pugh claims Sefton are Anti-Car in Southport. Is this guy for real.?
There is and always has been plenty of routes into, and around Southport for cars, there are also thousands of parking spaces.

A very small percentage (less than half a percentage) of road space has been utilised for cycling, an even smaller percentage of parking spaces have been lost to accommodate those lanes.

Along the ‘contentious’ section of the route, not a single business has closed as a result of said lanes, yet Lord St, which is exceptionally easy to access by car, with its hundreds of on road parking spaces has many empty units. Can he explain why.?

Reuters? a single business that has closed down.
Have you canvassed all the solicitors and Insurance companies etc along Hoghton St to see if business has tailed off since the roadside parking was removed to accommodate the empty lanes, The Royal Train comes to Southport more often than a cyclist using the lanes.

Routes into and out of Southport not forgetting routes Across Southport Queens Rd CLOSED to traffic Albert Rd taking the Queens Rd traffic if Sefton employed a traffic management expert with a few more brain cells One way traffic Into the Town Centre down Queens Rd and one way traffic Out of Town via Albert Rd could possibly have been a light bulb moment if he/she had the brains to switch it on.

Lord St the woodburning pedaler wants a 20 mph speed limit imposing if the clown can get above 20 mph between the roundabouts at each end then I suggest he does the lottery more often he might win enough to buy a house in Holland and he can have constant orgasms riding his bike.
Norwood Ave/Norwood Rd/Meols Cop road from Roe Lane to Kew Roundabout there are more lights than Christmas on Lord St.
Finally the Promenade quiet at most times but the most slow sequence traffic lights in the World at the Neville St junction I imagine Tolstoy could have written some more epic stories sat at those traffic lights so your rose tinted specs might need a new coating.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

Reuters? a single business that has closed down.
Have you canvassed all the solicitors and Insurance companies etc along Hoghton St to see if business has tailed off since the roadside parking was removed to accommodate the empty lanes, The Royal Train comes to Southport more often than a cyclist using the lanes.

Routes into and out of Southport not forgetting routes Across Southport Queens Rd CLOSED to traffic Albert Rd taking the Queens Rd traffic if Sefton employed a traffic management expert with a few more brain cells One way traffic Into the Town Centre down Queens Rd and one way traffic Out of Town via Albert Rd could possibly have been a light bulb moment if he/she had the brains to switch it on.

Lord St the woodburning pedaler wants a 20 mph speed limit imposing if the clown can get above 20 mph between the roundabouts at each end then I suggest he does the lottery more often he might win enough to buy a house in Holland and he can have constant orgasms riding his bike.
Norwood Ave/Norwood Rd/Meols Cop road from Roe Lane to Kew Roundabout there are more lights than Christmas on Lord St.
Finally the Promenade quiet at most times but the most slow sequence traffic lights in the World at the Neville St junction I imagine Tolstoy could have written some more epic stories sat at those traffic lights so your rose tinted specs might need a new coating.

Reuters didn’t close as a result of the cycle lanes - they closed due to increasing unsustainable costs.
Also I never said there weren’t issue to solve. What I did say was that pughs claim of cycling killing the town is just down right wrong and imo ridiculous.

He’s trying to ‘bottom of the barrel’ point score with the electorate - there must be an election coming up.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

Lord St, the woodburning pedaller wants a 20 mph speed limit imposing. If the clown can get above 20 mph between the roundabouts at each end then I suggest he does the lottery more often he might win enough to buy a house in Holland and he can have constant orgasms riding his bike.

Not only Lord St, but the rest of central Southport. That includes Eastbank St, the Promenade and Albert Rd, Park Rd West, etc. All should be 20mph.

Norwood Ave/Norwood Rd/Meols Cop road from Roe Lane to Kew Roundabout there are more lights than Christmas on Lord St.
Finally the Promenade quiet at most times but the most slow sequence traffic lights in the World at the Neville St junction I imagine Tolstoy could have written some more epic stories sat at those traffic lights so your rose tinted specs might need a new coating.

With so many cars on our roads, traffic-lights have become necessary to control them....Back in the day, all that was needed were Police on point-duty at a couple of junctions during busy periods.

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Just read on the BBC News website that Sainsbury's are cutting 1500 jobs in order to reduce costs. Most are evidently coming from their 'contact centre' in Cheshire and their in-store bakeries.

Not really a good advertisement for their new store !

It comes under the heading of becoming more efficient.
Cost effective.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

Reuters? a single business that has closed down.
Have you canvassed all the solicitors and Insurance companies etc along Hoghton St to see if business has tailed off since the roadside parking was removed to accommodate the empty lanes, The Royal Train comes to Southport more often than a cyclist using the lanes.

Routes into and out of Southport not forgetting routes Across Southport Queens Rd CLOSED to traffic Albert Rd taking the Queens Rd traffic if Sefton employed a traffic management expert with a few more brain cells One way traffic Into the Town Centre down Queens Rd and one way traffic Out of Town via Albert Rd could possibly have been a light bulb moment if he/she had the brains to switch it on.

Lord St the woodburning pedaler wants a 20 mph speed limit imposing if the clown can get above 20 mph between the roundabouts at each end then I suggest he does the lottery more often he might win enough to buy a house in Holland and he can have constant orgasms riding his bike.
Norwood Ave/Norwood Rd/Meols Cop road from Roe Lane to Kew Roundabout there are more lights than Christmas on Lord St.
Finally the Promenade quiet at most times but the most slow sequence traffic lights in the World at the Neville St junction I imagine Tolstoy could have written some more epic stories sat at those traffic lights so your rose tinted specs might need a new coating.

I've been up and down Meols Cop Rd, Norwood Rd / Ave half a dozen times since the new store opened and I've found that the traffic is moving a lot freer than before the building works started.