Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Only six days before the decision is made...

Local traders are joing forces to lobby against the supermarket/cinema development.

They have released the following statement:-

'Trowbridge traders campaign against plans for Bowyers site.

Local business owners and traders in Trowbridge have been active in campaigning against the plans by developer Prorsus for the Bowyers site; days before Wiltshire Council are due to make a decision on the matter.

Plans for the former Bowyers site include a Morrisons superstore, which will draw trade away from Trowbridge’s town centre retailers, and a new cinema, which would risk the future viability of Legal & General’s consented scheme for the former Tesco site at St Stephens Place. Local traders have unified in their opposition of the plans and say that if Wiltshire Council were to approve the plans for the Bowyer’s site, it would create uncertainty, confusion and result in a damaging effect on Trowbridge town centre.

Spokesman for the TRAM (Trowbridge TRaders Against Morrisons) campaign Shaun Clarke, of Phoenix Computer Systems, said:

‘As the lifeblood of this town, local businesses must demonstrate to Wiltshire Council that a new superstore on the edge of town would be catastrophic to the future prosperity of the town centre. Providing a new superstore will dilute current trade in the town centre and simply migrate jobs from current traders to the new superstore rather than creating new jobs.’ ‘Trowbridge can’t sustain two cinemas and having two competing plans would only cast doubt over both schemes and cast further doubt over the future of small traders in the town centre. Why do some Councillors support a second cinema when contractors are already on site building the ODEON multiplex at St Stephens Place Leisure Park?’

Tino Polledri, Chair of Trowbridge County Town Initiative said:

‘We need to ensure that Trowbridge becomes the destination deserving of County town status and this type of proposed development would be detrimental to the future regeneration of the town centre. Our main objective should be to protect the vibrancy and identity of the existing town centre and therefore approval of the current plans for the Bowyers site would be disastrous for town centre trade.

The ODEON multiplex at St Stephens Place is already being built which will link well to the town centre and will be complementary to its role as the retail centre. Our aims should be to work with Wiltshire Council to find alternatives uses for the Bowyers site and any future retail should be sited within close proximity of the town centre .i.e. within the ring road.’'