Tesco - Public Exhibition June 2008
Tesco held an exhibition of their plans on 5th to 7th June 2008 at the Optex Building in Victoria Road which forms part of their 'regeneration' site.
The exhibition was very slick and glossy. Tesco were trying hard to make their development look very 'green' - the floor had been carpeted in astroturf, huge pot plants sat between the display panels and numerous plasma screens, seating was on wooden park benches, and in the background a subliminal recording of birdsong was playing.
The huge scale of the development could be seen via a model and a number of 'artists impressions'.
Artists Impressions
1. East Barnet Road, near Margaret Road traffic lights, looking north west.
2. Roundabout at junction of East Barnet Road and Victoria Road, looking east.
3. East Barnet Road entrance to Tesco store, looking east.
4. Victoria Road, flats above 'piazza', looking west.
5. Podium level gardens and flats above Tesco store, looking north west.
6. 'Piazza' on East Barnet Road, looking north from Sainsbury's.
Key to the approximate locations of the artists impressions
Documents
An outline of Tesco's proposed development were also in a leaflet available at the exhibition.
Tesco were asking for the public's response via a questionnaire.
Publicity
Tesco placed adverts in May 2008 in the two local newspapers announcing a public exhibition of their 'regeneration' plans. The text of the advert is below:
New Barnet
Public ExhibitionWe want to know your views on our plans to bring new shops, homes and community facilities to the heart of New Barnet.
Come along and see our proposals and let us know what you think.
AT: Optex Building, 22-26 Victoria Road, New Barnet
ON: Thursday 5 June 11am - 8:30pm
Friday 6 June 11am - 8:30pm
Saturday 7 June 10am - 4pmMembers of the development team will be available to answer your questions.
Come and let us know your views.
Tesco
A leaflet was also distributed. However the distribution of this leaflet was curious. It was received in homes as far away as two miles from the development site, yet homes immediately surrounding the site that would be directly impacted received nothing through their letterboxes.
Local residents who had attended Tesco's 'workshop' consultation sessions had been strongly assured that they would be kept fully informed of all progress of the project. Despite Tesco having a record of the name, addresses, phone or email of all those who had attended, no direct notification of the public exhibition was given. Many people do not regularly receive the local papers and so would not have seen the adverts. Eventually Tesco were persuaded to send out copies of their leaflet by post, which were received on the first day of the exhibition giving no reasonable advance notice.
As had happened in January 2008, the campaign group also distributed our own leaflet to thousands of local residents informing them of the public exhibitions being held by Tesco and ASDA.
