Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Work is progressing well on the Cross Hands West site which will create hundreds of jobs and provide housing and health facilities. The multi-million-pound development includes planning consent for a new Sainsbury’s store; a 250-home residential scheme; new bus bays and access for Ysgol Maes y Gwendraeth; petrol station; highways work; a health centre; and refurbishment of Cross Hands Workingmen’s Club. The land is being developed through a Joint Venture partnership between Carmarthenshire County Council and property developers George LB. Work is on target for the main infrastructure including the link road and is progressing well on the refurbishment of the Workingmen’s Club. A deal has been signed with national housebuilder Persimmon Homes for the 16 acres of residential development and planning permission has been applied for. The Cross Hands West site is situated on brown-field land next to the A48, between the former Kwiksave store and Heol-y-Parc Road. Carmarthenshire ’s Leade...

Llandeilo businessman Simon Buckley has reacted angrily to criticism of campaigners who successfully blocked the proposed Sainsbury's superstore plan in the Tywi Valley town. Mr Buckley said comments about the campaigners who objected to the development were being fuelled by mis-information. Mr Buckley said: "We won the argument against Sainsbury's fair and square, but there have been comments in the local press which have been totally out of order." The chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans brewery and owner of the White Horse Inn in Llandeilo, Mr Buckley said he had been singled out for criticism for his co-ordination of the objections to the superstore plan. "I am all for freedom of speech and the right of everyone to express their views. But my hackles are up after reading comments by Carmarthenshire Council chief executive Mark James in last week's Carmarthen Journal and some of the letters to the editor (I would hope that they were b...

Campaigners in the battle to keep Sainsbury's superstore out of Llandeilo have won a stunning victory. The supermarket giant withdrew its controvserial plan for a Llandeilo store this afternoon. Simon Buckley, chief executive of the Evan-Evans Brewery and owner of the White Horse Inn, said - "I am glad that common-sense has prevailed. "The people of Llandeilo have had to work very hard to lobby against Sainsbury's plans. "I welcome the news that our great town of Llandeilo is not going to be blighted by this oversized development. "The campaigners against the development can feel a great sense of pride in that all their hard work has paid off. Plainly, Sainsbury's recognised that they would not win the argument. "But the Sainsbury's issues must now be consigned to the past. "We now must focus on developing new job opportunities and working with the various agencies to help people find alternative work opportunities in this ...

Plaid Cymru’s AM and MP are trying to stop a £60million investment with the creation of around 1,200 jobs in the Tywi and Gwendraeth Valleys, a Carmarthenshire Council press release claims. MP Jonathan Edwards and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM have asked for the Sainsbury’s planning applications to be called in a move which, it is claimed, now jeopardises developments which mean major investment in Carmarthenshire. Sainsbury's plans to open two new stores – one at Llandeilo and one at Cross Hands, creating up to 600 new jobs. There would also be several hundred jobs created or supported through construction. At Cross Hands, the investment includes the remediation of a derelict and contaminated site providing land for housing, including affordable homes, a new doctor’s surgery, health centre and care home. It will also include significant improvements to Maes yr Yrfa School to drive forward Carmarthenshire County Council’s investment in Welsh medium education in the Gwendraeth Valley. ...

Simon Buckley's letter to the Carmarthen Journal Editor re Sainsbury's in Llandeilo - I write with some degree of satisfaction that Welsh Government has decided to question the planning decision of Carmarthenshire County Council in relation to the application  re Sainsbury's in Llandeilo and to call the planning application in for determination by the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, John Griffiths AM. The way in which the developers and Sainsbury's conducted themselves in contacting the planning committee members the evening before the planning meeting was nothing more than disgraceful. Add to this the fact that the council’s solicitor had to stop members leaving the meeting to go and get drinks, and I am sure you will appreciate the relief that comes with the decision of the Welsh Government and the fact that they will arbitrate this matter once and for all. I will never forget the day of the meeting and the fact that within 10 minutes of G...

Llandeilo businessman Simon Buckley has reacted angrily to the decision of Carmarthenshire Council planning officials to recommend approval for a new 25,000 sq ft Sainsbury's superstore in the town. “It is just as we have feared all along in the battle to stop the destruction of one of the finest market towns in the country,” said Mr Buckley. “It smacks of a total carve-up, with the council officers going against their own planning designation rules as laid down in the UDP Unitary Development Plan “Regular followers of the monthly planning committee meetings will appreciate that councillors rarely go against the recommendations of their planning officers. I wonder how many of them take any other person's view into account, how many of the so called 'Independents' actually read the full documentation, and then vote with their conscience?  “This is a controversial plan with huge impact for the town of Llandeilo, and the surrounding area. They will have been sold the story...

The planning application for the proposed new Sainsbury's superstore in Llandeilo is not on the agenda for Thursday's Carmarthenshire Council planning committee. It is not yet clear if the item has been removed - or if it was actually scheduled for this month's meeting. Watch this space. Earlier story on Sainsbury's plans for Llandeilo - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/countdown-to-big-sainsburys-llandeilo.html

The planning committee of Carmarthenshire County Council will be put to the test at their next meeting on Thursday, February 2. The committee will decide whether to give approval to supermarket giant Sainsbury’s for their proposed new Llandeilo development. The supermarket chain has carried out a determined campaign to develop a superstore on the edge of Llandeilo. The planned store is in excess of 25,000 square feet and dwarfs all other retail outlets in the area. Objectors fear that, instead of creating much-needed jobs, the plan will kill off the smaller competition. ‘Save Llandeilo’s Future’ is an active campaign group fighting the proposed development. The campaigners have highlighted the negative impact giant supermarkets have had in other parts of Wales. The campaigners are demanding that the county council protects Llandeilo as an important gateway to the Tywi Valley. Lead campaigner Tim Shaw said: “It is a well-known fact that wherever the mega stores go they create unemployme...

The following letter has been sent by the team from 'Transition Town Llandeilo' to the Carmarthen Journal as part of the continued debate about the planned Sainsbury's supermarket in the Tywi Valley town - We, of Transition Town/Tref Trawsnewid Llandeilo welcome Llandeilo Town Council’s initiative in calling a public meeting on October 5 to discuss the Sainsbury’s proposal to build one of its stores on the outskirts of the town. We are pleased to discover that Sainsbury’s appears now to have reversed its earlier refusal to attend such public events. As the Carmarthen Journal’s letter page records, the proposed supermarket has stimulated a broad range of opinions and it is right that they should all receive a fair hearing. This was our motivation in organising the first event, which crammed the meeting room in August and spawned the Save Llandeilo’s Future campaign group. The Transition initiative is a rapidly growing worldwide network of local communities started just five ...

Llandeilo businessman, brewer and pub owner Simon Buckley has written the following article for the Carmarthen Journal about the current debate about the planned Sainsbury’s superstore for Llandeilo - Llandeilo is an unspoilt town in a fantastic setting in rural west Wales. It is a town that has developed its historic roots to become one of the most sought-after places to live in. It has become a hot-spot tourist destination. Llandeilo has been praised in The Sunday Times, The Mail on Sunday, The Independent and many more internationally-recognised Journals. So why, on the back of that success, do we not want the culminating glory of a Sainsbury’s superstore? Llandeilo is a market town where we are blessed with a significant number of owner-operator shops - shops that are sensitive to local needs and source their produce in the local marketplace. For example, our butchers source their meat from local farms. The wider community travels to Llandeilo as an administrative centre to use the...

Llandeilo businessman, brewer and pub owner Simon Buckley has written the following letter to the Ammanford-based South Wales Guardian about the current debate about the planned Sainsbury’s superstore for Llandeilo - I read with interest your leader (comment and opinion) column where you suggested that the generational planning decision of whether to grant Sainsbury’s planning or not in Llandeilo should be considered in the light of moving on. Moving on infers that we should lower our ideals and standards and accept any development, at any costs. I am delighted that Llandeilo is no Ammanford. The problems that the community of Ammanford is now suffering with the lack of choice of shops and traffic gridlock as a result of the massive Tesco development is a very good reason for us not to move on as you suggest. The development is not for Llandeilo either under the guise of Tesco, Sainsbury’s or any other massive retailer. Llandeilo is a market town that is now internationally reco...

Llandeilo businessman, brewer and pub owner Simon Buckley has written the following letter to the Carmarthen Journal about the current debate about the planned Sainsbury’s superstore for Llandeilo - With the debate continuing over the planned Sainsbury’s superstore for Llandeilo, I am moved to ask - Is local democracy dead? Why will the three councillors, who claim have our interests at heart, not talk to us? Ieuan Jones for a long time hid behind the fact ‘it is not my area of responsibility and it’s not in my ward’. JJ Davies has either not worked out how to turn on his computer or has just simply decided not to respond - ignorance beyond belief. Clive Scourfield, who has the most important role in all of this, has declined to meet, with no reason given. But, I suppose, we must be thankful for a response! Simplistically, our elected representatives are failing us. In this case, neither Councillor Scourfield nor Councillor Davies should sit on the planning committee for th...

The debate over the development of the new Sainsbury’s superstore in Llandeilo has taken a new twist with the arrival of the Sainsbury’s Public Relations (PR) team in the town. Yesterday, the PR team from JBP partners of Bristol, came to Llandeilo to determine public -opinion and to get feedback on the local support for the development. The PR team took straw-poll soundings from people on Rhosmaen street and from visiting certain retailers. They said the information they collected was confidential, but it is likely to show the developers that there is an underlying feeling of discontent about the planned store. There are also worries about job losses in the area. Llandeilo businessman Simon Buckley, who runs the town’s Evan-Evans brewery and The White Horse pub, said: “We spoke to Richard Brown from JBP yesterday. “Far from allaying our fears, I am afraid he was unable to answer any of the questions we put to him. In particular, he chose not to answer specific questions. “No...

I am grateful to my good friend Alan Evans from St Clears for this contribution to the current debate on whether Llandeilo should have a new Sainsbury's superstore. Community Based Model Community owns and shares land for allotments Community purchases seed from local farmers and suppliers Community grows fruit and vegetables and trades with other communities for non-localised goods at fair trade prices Community supplies community-owned shops, cafe and population Community-owned shops and café pays community supplier Community shop and café provides for community Community supplier spends money in the community Community shares monopoly on food production and supply Community prospers Corporate Based Model (This model although simplistic highlights what most supermarkets are aiming for) Corporates own land Corporates dictate who grows what from what seeds Corporate brings in own goods from corporate suppliers from anywhere they can get it at the lowest price Corporate supplies co...

Award winning West Wales brewer Evan-Evans has joined forces with a group of Llandeilo residents to campaign against the planned Sainsbury’s superstore development on the outskirts of the town. The proposed superstore is currently being considered by Carmarthenshire County Council. The Chief Executive of Evan-Evans brewery, Simon Buckley, said: ‘This superstore will destroy our wonderful market town. “The store will be four times bigger than all the retail stores in Llandeilo combined together. “There will be a massive increase in the number of cars and delivery vehicles coming through Llandeilo, and for many small food retailers in Llandeilo it will be the beginning of the end. “Is that what we want for our lovely and historic market town of Llandeilo? “Sainsbury’s have lulled the town’s people into believing that they will bring a cheaper food and fuel to the town. “But, hang on, we are in a rural agricultural area, where many of the shops use local suppliers! “In addition, the new s...

Brewer Simon Buckley, of Evan-Evans in Llandeilo, gives his views on the current debate about whether Sainsbury's should be allowed to build a supermarket on the outskirts of the historic town - Are the people of Llandeilo going to roll over and let the town be destroyed by a major development that will increase pollution, and destroy generational family businesses that are trading in the town? The simple answer is yes; if we do not oppose the proposed development. I am not against Sainsbury's as a retailer, but I am opposed to Sainsbury's in Llandeilo. Why are the people of Llandeilo lulled into the false belief that Sainsbury's will be the company that brings us cheap everything? We live in an agricultural community. The farmers have been outspoken critics of the supermarkets, and yet we have heard nothing from them over the proposed development in Llandeilo. Nor have we had any professional guidance from our town council, whom it appears are offering no lead on this....

It's the big debate in Llandeilo - Sainsbury's : Yes or No? Now there's a public meeting on the horizon as the arguments for and against Sainsbury's building a supermarket in Llandeilo gather momentum. I am grateful to Gerry Gold, of Transition Town Llandeilo, for the following information on a public meeting which is being billed as - The first assembly of the people of Llandeilo and the Towy Valley. It is being held at 7:30 pm on Thursday July 21 upstairs at The Angel, Rhosmaen Street, Llandeilo. Sainsbury's planning application for its proposed new supermarket on the A40 just outside Llandeilo was submitted on July 4. The deadline for comments is July 25. Sainsbury’s say that 600 of the 800 people who visited their brief exhibition in Rhosmaen Street are in favour of their plans for a new supermarket, but the exhibition and associated publicity didn’t address many of the questions people have been asking. JBP, Sainsbury’s PR company, say ‘public meetings are neve...

Llandeilo brewer Simon Buckley's letter to the Carmarthen Journal about the current debate over planning permission for a new Sainsbury's superstore on the outskirts of the town - I have read with increasing disbelief the arguments of the people of Llandeilo to justify destroying our town, with the building of a new, by Llandeilo size, super store. Why did those of us not born and bred in Llandeilo come here? For me 30 years ago it was about coming to a magnificent market town, blessed with everything that the town’s people could want - A sports shop, food shops, shoes shops, and a first class clutch of butchers. We even had our own Llandeilo sized supermarket. The character of the town was market town, with a magnificent history, and without doubt some of the finest rural heritage any town could ask for. As is always the case, these shops disappeared, mainly through lack of support by the locals, and that wanton west Wales desire not to support people whom we believe to be doi...