Firms’ dismay at store plans

Two businessmen face having to relocate if plans to build a Tesco in Bingham go ahead.

Mr Shaun King, of Lowdham, employs 23 people at King Stone Products Ltd on Chapel Lane.

According to the plans, a petrol station would be built where his business now stands.

Mr King, who rents his premises, said: “I only found out last Friday afternoon when one of my employees gave me a letter that had been dropped through their door.

“If it gets permission, they will bulldoze us down.

“A number of my employees live in Bingham and they are shell-shocked at the moment. I will do what I can to find premises elsewhere.

“We have resigned ourselves to looking for new premises, which is unfortunate because we have been here for six years. The first few years were a struggle but the last couple of years have started to come good.

“As usual, just as things start to go really well something like this happens.

“It is frustrating more than anything. It is going to be expensive and inconvenient to move a factory of this size.

“How can I fight this? It is little King Stone Products against Tesco. There is no point fighting Tesco.”

Mr King said there was already less manufacturing taking place in England and it was important to keep it going for the local economy.

Mr Phil Jacques owns the neighbouring Sercon Building Supplies Ltd that employs six people.

He said although Tesco would bring more than 200 new jobs to the area, around 50 manufacturing jobs could be lost because they would have to relocate.

Mr Jacques said: “Sercon have leased the premises for more than 20 years. I did not know anything about the proposals for Tesco until I learned of it through a letter sent to a member of the public.

“After serving the building and landscaping trade for over 20 years, we are obviously disappointed and we will look to try and relocate.”

He did not feel he could fight it because the landowners had the right to do what they wanted.

Mr Jacques said there were concerns about the traffic needing to use Chapel Lane to access the new supermarket and petrol station.

He said the level crossing often struggled with the number of vehicles already using it.

Mr Eoin Dardis, the regional corporate affairs manager for Tesco, said: “We are aware of Mr King’s and Mr Jacques’s concerns regarding the short-term lease on the site. When we recently met with them we offered to provide them with support and advice in resolving some of these issues.

“To this end, we are seeking to assist them in identifying a new site for the factories and will remain in regular contact with them throughout the planning process.”