Chorlton has the second largest shopping district in Manchester. It stands out as a place where independent local traders thrive. KCI want this to continue. We believe:

- it will not be possible for independent traders to thrive alongside another supermarket. We oppose the inclusion of a new supermarket any larger than the existing Quality Save store (around 10,000 sq feet).

- an influx of chain stores able to afford high rents in a new precinct would upset the balance of retail provision and destroy Chorlton's identity.

I was in St Helens yesterday and came across a 'Be Local Buy Local' campaign - launched by the local council in May 2009. I  thought people might find it interesting!  Sadly St Helens doesn't seem to have too many local shops - the place was littered with chain stores but its great to see the Council doing this.  Wouldn't it be good if Manchester City Council did something similar?!

Keep Chorlton Interesting would like to hear about any examples of private developments that support independent retail.  What follows is some work our group did last year. Please send us details of other examples with web links if possible.

Redevelopment of Chorlton’s shopping precinct has been on the cards for many years. Built in the 1970’s, it is fairly typical of its time, and perhaps a bit neglected. But it is well-used, home to a mixture of independents, smallish chains, and a Boots and a Quality Save. Recently, plans for redevelopment have become definite, and the owners of the precinct are soon to sign an agreement with Ask Developments for a large-scale redevelopment of the precinct, and possibly the surrounding area as well.

Campaigns against Tesco began back in 2006, when the company applied to build a Tesco ‘Extra' on playing fields on Chester Rd, Stretford. This format is the biggest of all, and the proposal was for a store of over 8000 square metres, selling everything from groceries to clothing to electronics. Although the area around the proposed site is certainly not well served for shopping, these needs could easily have been met by a small supermarket, or preferably a number of small local shops. A store of this size would not only drain business from other local centres and local shops, but also prevent any sort of alternative ever developing in the area.

So what's wrong with supermarkets anyway?

Supermarkets are seen by many as the ‘deliverers' of some of the worst aspects of our modern capitalist system, and the ‘cheap' food that they've turned into a national obsession comes at a high cost to us all.

Local businesses vs Clone Town Britain

Our aim as a group is to help protect and expand Chorlton's great variety of locally-based, independent businesses. This has to involve limiting the growth of supermarkets and chain stores - after all, supermarket expansion relies on new customers taken from existing shops in the area, and it usually seems to be the smaller and independent shops that suffer. Supermarkets have grown at a direct cost to these businesses - it's no coincidence that during the period that supermarkets have grown so huge in the UK we have lost around 50 small businesses every week. The All-Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group reported in 2006 that independent convenience stores were unlikely to survive by 2015.
Read the full report here.

• How to Oppose (pdf, 153 KB)
• The New English Planning System (pdf, 656 KB)
• Space Invaders poster (pdf, 218KB)

The potential local impacts of the Chorlton Tesco are numerous, and most are issues covered by local and national planning guidance. Here is the local case against the Chorlton store. For more detail, download our full report to the planners.