Kendal Cricket Club defiant over Sainsbury's plans (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Kendal Cricket Club defiant over Sainsbury's plans

8:10am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in

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Plans by supermarket giant Sainsbury’s for a new Kendal store have been opened to public scrutiny this week. We gauged the reaction of the cricket club and that of town centre traders.

KENDAL Cricket Club insists that it will not move from its Shap Road home to make way for a new Sainsbury’s store.

The club has a lease on the land until 2026, and despite Sainsbury’s promise to build a multi-million pound Sports Village, which includes a brand new cricket ground, the club says it wishes to see out the remainder of their lease, which is owned by Fields In Trust (FIT).

The cricket ground was originally owned by a local cricket enthusiast William Farrer and was transferred to a charity, the National Playing Fields Association - now FIT - in 1936.

A spokesman for Kendal Cricket Club said: “Whilst neither the developer, Sainsbury’s nor the Fields in Trust appear to take no for an answer we wish to make it clear that it is our desire to remain at our current site and improve on our facilities there.

“We recently applied for and obtained planning permission to extend our current club house facilities - this would not have been done if we had plans to relocate.

“Whilst we have on a number of occasions expressed our desire to remain at our current site, Fields in Trust appear to continue to support the developer.

"Throughout the whole process the club has been unhappy with the pressure placed on us from all parties.

“It is difficult to understand why a national charity appears to be supporting a national supermarket chain, rather than a local amateur sports club.

“Kendal Cricket Club have not been party to, agreed or approved the plans that will be on preview this week. ”

KCC are also seeking advice from Cumbria Cricket Board and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

A KCC spokesman added: “We are looking forward to our future at the site in Kendal where cricket has been played for over 100 years.”

The South Lakeland Action On Climate Change group is also protesting against Sainsbury’s Plans It plans to hold a protest outside Stricklandgate House ahead of the public consultation tonight from 5.30pm.

The group believes that a new store would have a negative impact on the environment and also be detrimental to independent local businesses and local producers.

Meanwhile, a well-established Kendal store claims that Sainsbury’s plan to build a new store in the town will harm their business.

Sainsbury’s will showcase plans for the proposed Shap Road store tomorrow and Saturday at a public consultation at Kendal’s Stricklandgate House before submitting an application to South Lakeland District Council.

The company says the store will create 400 full-time and part-time jobs.

However, one business expecting to be hit hard should Sainsbury’s get the go-ahead is the Spar shop on nearby Sandylands Road.

It employs 18 staff and manager Sharon Walker believes there are already enough supermarkets in the town.

She said: “It will obviously take business off me should it be given the go ahead.

"We’ve been here 25 years and we have a great rapport with our customers, but if they build another supermarket it will inevitably have a detrimental affect on us.

“It may well create 400 jobs, but we would have to get rid of staff here.”

Other town centre traders are more optimistic about the prospect of Sainsbury’s opening in the town.

Cherith Platt, co-owner of Baba Ganoush Food Store in Berry’s Yard, said: “It won’t affect the town centre at all.

"I think another supermarket is healthy competition for the other supermarkets, but perhaps one at Canal Head would be better than where Sainsbury’s plan to build one.”

Andy Dobson, of Dobson’s Fruit and Veg shop on Highgate, said: “I think it is good competition for the likes of Booths and Morrisons.

“It won’t affect independent traders in the town centre.

"I’ve been here 10 years and we have a good customer base.”

George Inchmore, of the Kendal Retail Forum, said: “I think that there are so many supermarkets now they are just competing with each other rather than taking business away from the town centre.

"I hope the town centre has weathered any storm and that we can continue to grow.”

Morrisons and Asda have said that they welcome competition from any other supermarkets looking to set up in Kendal.

Booths and Marks and Spencer declined to comment.