Asda withdraws Exmouth store plan

“in response to tim t - the people who didn't want the Asda are largely retirees with pleanty of time to shop where they fancy and organsie protests - those that want the Asda have busy lives (one reason they want it) and no time to organise NIMBY complaints, especially when a dead town centre forces us to shop out of town for many itmes.

And I used to be an Exmouth shop co-owner before our shop died due to lack of support.”

“Well Done EDDC and campaigners, you've really kicked Exmouth when its down. Exmouth will become a ghost town, every week i see another shop boarded up and closed. ASDA would have brought people into the town rather than outside the town where TESCO is. ADSA would have made jobs for those people who lost their jobs in town centre. The Estuary would have been cleaned up and looking in a better state than it is today.

Will the campaigners that have stopped ASDA now campaign to get the lorry and boat park cleared up and raise the money themselves in order to landscape the estuary.

If they actually know where it is?”

“An Asda spokesman said: "Unfortunately, in the time it has taken Asda to progress, the economic climate has deteriorated significantly, impacting the value of the scheme's residential element and its prospects for rental income. As a result, the economics of the development have changed, leaving the proposal, as it stands, unachievable in the current environment."


All but one of the respondents to your original revelation have clearly totally ignored this statement from Asda ... it's a particularly English reaction isn't it!”

“I find this all so disappointing. I was looking forward to Asda coming to the town and bringing some much needed life back into this town.
Like it or not this town is practically dead and buried. Over the years we have lost a lot of shops, The Body Shop, Index, Woolworths, Currys, Adams, Images etc which have been replaced with coffee shops, card shops, mobile phone shops or charity shops.
Go to a place like Barnstaple which has M&S, Argos, Body Shop, Boots, Superdrug, Top Shop, Primark, Burtons etc as well as The Green Lanes Shopping centre, loads of quirky individual shops and the Roundswell centre just a stones throw from the city centre!! Why can't Exmouth have a similar set up!! I know loads of people from Exeter who go to Asda in Newton Abbot to do their shopping and who also have a potter around the town, buy a few things and have coffee/lunch somewhere. This could have happened for Exmouth.
If people can do their shopping in the town then great - but this isn't a realistic option for many people who don't have 3 hours to go in 8 different shops to buy their weekly groceries.
Most people need to go to a large supermarket to do their weekly shop and anybody that has ever set foot in Tesco on a Saturday morning will understand why Asda coming here was so desperately needed!!
Now myself and my family will continue to do what we have done for the last few years ¿ shop out of the town!! Go to the supermarkets in Exeter and the Asda at Newton Abbot and Taunton!!
Well done Exmouth”

“Its obvious the 11,000 signatures were holidaymakers and duplicate signatures as not one person out of all these messages has been in favour of this decision. 19 - 0”

“All I can say is well done to all of those Exmouth campaigners against Asda, you have finally done it. Congratuations on finally killing off what life Exmouth had left.
I am Exmouth born and bred unlike a lot of the people against this Asda store.
I was all for it, more choice, competiton and yes after doing my shopping there I would have spent time looking around the town. It was about time this town moved into the 21st century, but no just as before, this town is run by old people who have just come here to retire and hate to see things change for the better. Twenty years ago there were plans put forward for a new library, multi-story car park, so what happened to these. Yes I have seen this all before the minority ruling the roost, having just what they want.
Asda was going to offer more jobs, choice and competition.
So what have we been left with TESCO, and they have the whole town in their hands, Just look at their petrol prices at least 2-3p a litre dearer than anywhere in Exeter, thats where I buy my petrol NOT Exmouth.
I am afraid that I now shop out of Exmouth, I am fed up with the limited choice you have at TESCO so I now shop at Sainsburys or even Asda at Newton Abbot.
You only have to look at that little town of Newton Abbot, it has a big TESCO, ASDA, M&S and it lovely to shop in. Now just look at Exmouth charity shops, Estate Agents and Coffee shops. Where can anyone look around should it be raining now that Woolworths has gone?
Boy what a choice we have!
Go back to the 1970's and Exmouth had 6, yes 6 supermarkets and we had, jobs, choice and competition.
So well done the minority in killing the town. it is always the minority who spoil things for everyone. I wonder just how many of these campaigners were born and lived their whole lives in Exmouth not many I bet.”

“When are these people ever going to learn! i lived in exmouth for many years and was considering returning to the town as exmouth seemed to be going places with the seafront development and all the great facilities that asda were going to bring.That is out of the window now,Exmouth will go on to be a rundown seaside town with all the problems that go with it,If all the plans over the years had come to anything then exmouth could have been a real gem,attracting tourists and giving the youngsters lots to do. As it is,its a case of exmouth RIP.”

“Well I am delighted that Asda, will not be on the Exe Estuaryside.
Re the jobs front, those who think the Asda promises were good for jobs might look a little more critically at the evidence. A respected research group whom all the supermarkets belong to, came up with the embarrassing evidence that when a supermarket such as Asda comes to a town, whilst they may provide jobs, others are lost because of the unfair competition and places that close because they can't compete. Their own body reported an average net loss of 276 jobs. Is that what you want?
None of the anti Asda people, or the ECF people I know, think that the estuaryside should stay as it is. The suggestion that they do think that is council spin.
I hope that it will now be possible to remove the worst of the eyesores and green it, make it a place where we can all enjoy the natural splendour. I would also like to see some provision for small retail outfits supporting sporting activities that are associated with our greatest asset, the waterside. Just because it hasd been allowed to become ****** doesn't mean it can't be returned to a better state.
On the shopping front, lets not forget that Iceland is coming to the old Woolworths, that Tesco is bound to win its appeal and grow, that Lidl is coming. Two of those will go a long way towards dealing with the competition problem and one at least will help with provision in the town centre.
I also hope that now the blight of Asda is lifted, more retailers will have confidence in the town, that their living won't be ripped from underneath them and see a future here.An Asda would have just seem more close to become take aways, charity shops or worse just left boarded up.
When the first Unlocking Exmouth came out all those years ago, I personally approached Planning Aid,an advice arm of the Royal Town Planning institute, and asked if regeneration could be achieved through a supermarket development. They said the evidence was that it would be a risky strategy.
Let me ask, where have all the pro Asda people been then if there are so many - or do some of you, like EDDC think that you know how the silent majority think? I don't, but I know that very many have seen through the spin and concluded it would have been bad for Exmouth. I argue with many of these folk over various aspects but I do belive they want what is best for Exmouth, not for themselves but for their children and grandchildren. I've seen some of the 10,00 odd signatures and they were mostly local or pretty local. Yes some were visitors- just the peolle we need bringing money yo the town, but the visitors were a very small percentage.
Lets face it, the pro- Asda lobby have had years to organise a campaign for a supermarket on the estuary but what support has there been? Why couldn't rhey match the anti- numbers?
By the by ,isn't it better we keep our existing bus station than have two laybys in the road in its place- that was what Asda were proposing at first. The anti-Asda lobby have been arguing for a proper transport interchange, but the powers that be didn't seem keen on the land that would take up.
Please, argue your points by all means, and strongly, but don''t believe everything the council tell you. Check it- and indeed check what the anti Asda people like me say . Then make your minds up who was right - and then lets all put that behind us and focus on getting what is best for the town in the long term and not what is best for the accounts at EDDC HQ at Sidmouth.
PS. We try to do as much shopping as we can in town and as little as possible at Tescos- as do most of the people I know who were anti-Asda on the Exe.
Note for Rich. I'm an incomer (so some can have a pot at me for that) and spent many years out of Devon, and in one particular town that was ruined by a big supermarket. It killed the town - as has happened all over the country.”

“Congratulations residents of Exmouth. Or when I say 'residents', I obviously mean tourists - as they are the only people short-sighted enough to be signing an 11,000 strong petition - lacking any knowledge about the locality. I used to watch on a Saturday in Exmouth Town Centre, as tourists were targeted by those gathering signatures. Everyone knows Exmouth needs another Supermarket, not to mention the facilities, employment opportunities, and boost to the economy Asda were offering. But instead no - let¿s stick to what we already have - which is what exactly? Poor community facilities, dire transport links, and a stagnant economy. Asda quite rightly got fed up with waiting. They will now take their millions else where. What an opportunity missed, and ironically many of those opposed to this development do not originate from Exmouth anyway!! So to my fellow 'residents' of Exmouth, I salute you!!!”

“Our Council is a disgrace how could they let a small minded minorty stop the rest of us having a much needed Supermarket!! Not only would it have breathed life into the town
but it would have brought with it some much needed jobs.
How dare these LITTLE campaigners decide they speak for the vast majority of Exmouth.
I bet none of them ever go anywhere near the estuary . Funny how they've never campaigned about the state of it the lorry park .
That whole area would have been landscaped and openned up to us all. I'm sure they all trek through the beauiful Lorry park on a regular basis.
The only good thing about all this is that we no longer have to see all the "campaigners" outside the post office on a saturday morning!
Apparently over the last 3 years they have collected 11,000 signatures!! I bet only 1,000 of those signatures were actually from Exmouth residents, the other 10,000 were probably duplicate signatures and holidaymakers!!!”