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Controversial Darwen supermarket plan approved

2:41pm Friday 25th April 2008

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Photograph of the Author By Camilla Sutcliffe »

A NEW supermarket has been approved for Darwen town centre.

The Lidl store, between Duckworth Street, Vale Street and Robert Street was backed by councillors despite concerns from town centre traders that it would badly affect their businesses and result in more traffic congestion.

Members of the Blackburn with Darwen Council planning and highways committee said the supermarket would mean regeneration for a run-down area of the town centre.

Planning officers had also backed the plans, which will mean a supermarket with 1,036 square metres of shop space, along with a 73-space car park.

But town centre traders said it was not right to open another supermarket, alongside the existing Sainsbury's Netto and Iceland, while one resident wrote to the council to say the extra traffic congestion would deter shoppers from Darwen.

In a letter the owner of a Gurji News, Duckworth Street, Darwen, across the road from the new development, said: "I am not happy of its affects on my business - I will lose my business.

"If Lidl opens nobody will go into the town centre - people from Blackburn or in Darwen, they will not go into the town centre , then all businesses will close."

However Andrew McAllister, president of Darwen Chamber of Trade, welcomed the decision. He said: "Anything that brings business into the town is a good thing.

"I don't think it would effect other businesses in Darwen and because of the type of shop it is, it should bring people to the area. It is not a standard supermarket."

Chris Hawley, development executive for the supermarket, told the meeting: "This proposal contains a great many benefits to Darwen - regeneration with a quality scheme, retention of jobs and establishment of new ones, and an extension of consumer choice in the town."

Councillor Tony Melia added: "I have spoken to a number of people in the community and they agree 100 per cent that this is a fantastic opportunity."

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juls, darwen says...
3:34pm Wed 18 Jun 08

well i dont know supper markets charity shops shops banks and takeaways. wheres the shoe shops clothes shops. i like lidels if im skint. but how i would love to be able to. to say i ve been to darwen shopping yes .i was glad to be able to tell someone to go to darwen market cos they were selling elvis keys. and on the monday she came. spent quite a bit. thats the sort of shops we need. where people can take back . and say ive got this from darwen . that will get people talking spread the word elvis fans keys with elvis on them.
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juls, darwen says...
3:31pm Wed 18 Jun 08

well i dont know supper markets charity shops shops banks and takeaways. wheres the shoe shops clothes shops. i like lidels if im skint. but how i would love to be able to. to say i ve been to darwen shopping yes .i was glad to be able to tell someone to go to darwen market cos they were selling elvis keys. and on the monday she came. spent quite a bit. thats the sort of shops we need. where people can take back . and say ive got this from darwen . that will get people talking spread the word elvis fans keys with elvis on them.
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Marco, Darwen says...
7:41pm Fri 2 May 08

WOW! A LIDL... gosh! Just think of all the cheap imported crapola-in-a-tin I can now buy! The choice is just bewildering... will it be Netto, Iceland, Fultons foods, LIDL or shall I really go posh and head for Sainsburys today? Get your heads screwed on! Try a Tesco or an Asda... and while you’re at it, get some actual retailers in too!

On a separate note... Historic market town? Historic is right! I think they should change that to "Currently a few shoddy racks selling left over tat Town" The only decent stalls on the good for nothing market are the new Italian deli and the fish stall.
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thoma, Darwen says...
7:19pm Mon 28 Apr 08

I asked why Andrew McAllister considered Lidl to be "not a threat to other local businesses?" I have just had a look at their website and I can see all sorts of threats - they sell fresh food for a start which will affect our market. The only hope for Darwen Town Centre trade is to re-open Duckworth Street and Market Street to through traffic as before. Also to open Bridge Street to breath new life into that area too. Let us hope that after May 1st. the Coalition will have sufficient clout and courage to do these things and get rid of the legacy of the previous Labour administration.
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michael, says...
3:44pm Mon 28 Apr 08

Well I understand what people are saying but Darwen needs people to stay in the town, lets be happy that companies like this are still willing to open here and maybe then people will shop there and nip into town for bits. People don't want to buy history but I know I currently shop in blackburn but hey an extra store means I can use the Darwen Liddle instead of Blackburns and hey maybe just maybe other companies will have the opinion of liddle and try darwen out
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boycott, albert says...
1:44pm Sat 26 Apr 08

Lidl is upmarket for an armpit like Darwen..Historic smackheads paradise morelike...look on the bright side you could have ended up with Poundstretcher
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JH, darwen says...
6:55pm Fri 25 Apr 08

I would not have thought it would make any difference, people from Darwen go to Lidl and Farmfoods in Blackburn anyway so why not bring it here, I go to the Reebok but if they built a similar place nearer then I would go there, unfortunatley we have no-where in Blackckburn Accrington or Darwen big enough to build on that scale.
a lot of people go on about Darwen being a market town, I honestly feel that the markets have had their day, the younger generation wont go to markets, they catch the train and go to manchester and the trafford centre.
you cant blame the councillors for people not using the markets.
also if they go ahead with the disc parking and paying to park it will probaly kill Darwen altogher.
I think the councillors should hold a survey and ask the people going into Darwen what they want, to ask me they would have to be on railway road or the car park I dont go further than the library.

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thomas, Darwen says...
6:06pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Andrew McAlLister says that Lidl is not a standard supermarket - what does he mean? He is living in cloud cuckoo land - It is not a Sainsbury's where prices are "reasonable" to be sure!! Lidl is a cheap alternative selling little known "labels" at a very low price. Just see those car parking spaces fill up. They are also placed in s key position - right in the path of the town centre so people who are interested won't need to go further into town. Another nail in the coffin in my humble opinion!!
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darrener, says...
6:01pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Its Lidl
have you actualy been in one of these shops. It will be like the old Kwik Save without the big brands.
The one is Blackburn is the meeting point for the Chavs who live off 9p beans and non branded cola
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David Worsley, Super Secret Secret Bunker says...
4:05pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Confused.com, do you buy all your goods from your Historic Market Town or do you find yourself actually going to the supermarkets for items?

If the market is so brilliant why should it matter than a supermarket is opening up?
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Confused.com, Darwen says...
3:43pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Hmmm ANOTHER supermarket? now, Councillors, sit back and look at the complete picture, we have a Historic Market Townthat is gradually being pulled apart. SOME of this is good - we need a bigger better school, leisure facilites (not convinced on the posh new homeless shelet, but hey it looks nice!) health centre.. the slummy areas are being pulled down all this is great! but are the Councillors trying to tell us something here? Darwen appears to need an awful lot of Supermarkets and Takeaways... Come on and give us a bit more variety before the town loses its character completely! (but then they can sneakily merge Darwen into Blackburn which is what the Concillors really want)
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Parkin Mad, Empty Darwen says...
2:57pm Fri 25 Apr 08

However Andrew McAllister, president of Darwen Chamber of Trade, welcomed the decision. He said: "Anything that brings business into the town is a good thing.
"I don't think it would effect other businesses in Darwen and because of the type of shop it is, it should bring people to the area. It is not a standard supermarket."


Who in their right minds voted for this imbecilic cretin to represent the towns traders? I suspect that if Lidl had a section that photocopied he might have understood the problem! Drag the soapbox from under him quickly before he agrees to the town centre being flooded to create a duck pond!

Rock on Parkin Mad
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