Linklater's Scotland - Supermarkets

Magnus Linklater

Columnist, Scotland on Sunday

This article, which was originally published in the Spectrum section of Scotland on Sunday
on 17th April 2005, is reproduced on Land-Care with the kind permission
of the author and the newspaper.

Filed 19 Apr 05
©Magnus Linklater

LAST week Sir Terence Leahy, the chief executive of Tesco, Britain’s biggest food retailer, received the first of what is likely to be a shoal of letters postmarked ‘Scottish Borders’. I trust that he will take time to read them, because they carry the voice of Galashiels, and when Galashiels speaks, it is time to listen. As G K Chesterton said of the English, Smile at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget/For we are the people of England, that have never spoken yet.

The Galashiels protest comes late - too late, perhaps, to save one of the town’s great monuments - but it is gathering momentum, and, from Kiev to Kyrgyzstan, we all know what people-power can achieve. At issue is the fate not just of a fine Edwardian building, but the welfare and direction of the town’s economy, as well as that of the surrounding area. What is happening in Galashiels has implications for every small town in Scotland, where the inexorable march of giant superstores threatens the network of local shops and producers that forms the bedrock of so many rural communities.

Magnus Linklater
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In Galashiels, Tesco wants to establish the biggest superstore in the Borders, not on the outskirts of the town, but right in its very heart. To do so, the company will need to tear down several buildings, including the old College of Textiles - a splendid structure in red sandstone, complete with classical pillars, porticoes and pediments, where generations of Borders weavers and dyers learnt their trade, and which is an integral part of the industrial heritage of the Borders. For nearly two years, the planning application has been weaving its way through the system, and though there have been letters and leaders in the local paper, there have, until now, been few signs of outright opposition to the proposal.

The fight-back took shape this month, in the Volunteer Hall on St John Street, on a windy Thursday evening. On the platform, and chairing the meeting, was Tom Douglas, a local farmer, flanked by David Roemmele, from the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, Chris Ballance, the Green MSP, Rosie Byrne, from the Scottish Socialist Party, Michael Hall, whose great-great-grandfather had built the College of Textiles back in 1908 - and yours truly. I was there, as an outside intruder, because I had written about the affair in this paper, and because I could not quite believe that, in this day and age, a local council would be prepared to stand back and watch the destruction of its own architectural heritage.

As it turns out, I was wrong - Borders Council is doing just that. But, having listened to the angry protests of the 150 or so Galashiels residents who turned out to voice their indignation that evening, it may even now be regretting its failure to act. It was a heady occasion, a genuine case of grassroots protest, made all the more effective because no one had known in advance how many would be there. As Tom Douglas told the audience, "If there had been only six of you, this protest would have died the death. As it is, we can go out and fight with renewed confidence."

The meeting was a fine example of genuine, if passionate, debate. Those taking part were ordinary Galashiels folk, both young and old. They may be slow to move but, once roused, they make up a formidable force. To its credit, the council turned up in the shape of its leader, David Parker, and its development officer, Brian Frater. Both put their case with robust conviction, but the mood was against them, and as the evening wore on their arguments seemed to shrivel in the gale force of opposition. Speaker after speaker inveighed against their inability to speak out against the Tesco plan. "Are the Tesco folk here?" demanded a woman in the front row. "No - I thought not."

"What would you rather see - a beautiful building or a ruddy great Tesco?" demanded one elderly resident.

"The council should have laid this before the people of Gala," said a middle-aged man.

"There has been a hidden agenda here," muttered another.

The council claims that, since the building had not been listed by Historic Scotland, there is nothing that can be done to prevent its demolition. That sounds incredible, but technically it appears to be true. Because the council does not own the building, it has no ‘locus’ in the affair. Whereas in England a local authority has the power to step in and impose its own preservation order, in Scotland it is only entitled to object on environmental issues such as transport, water or access. In this case, the only condition imposed on Tesco was that the company find alternative accommodation for the government employees who still use office space in the old building.

There is more to this, however, than just a dry discussion of legal rights. It raises fundamental questions of who decides the future shape of our small towns - a large and powerful commercial company, with high-paid advisers and lawyers, or the representatives of the people.

In the case of Galashiels, there was no contest. Tesco has had things all its own way. From the start it argued that the town would benefit from its vast new store, organised a petition among shoppers to demonstrate that it had grassroots support, and when, disastrously late in the whole proceedings, Historic Scotland attempted to list the building in order to save it, Tesco took the case to court and won.

At no point did the council oppose the superstore’s application - perhaps because it believed its hands were tied; more likely because it bought the argument that what was good for Tesco was good for Galashiels.

In the course of the meeting, however, some unpalatable facts emerged. Planning permission had been granted, it appeared, "because there was no reason not to". At no stage had the council carried out an impact assessment to see how what effect the store would have on local businesses. And it had made no effort to canvas local opinion; the only voice of opposition emerged from a petition gathered on the streets of Galashiels by David Roemmele.

There is, however, mounting evidence against these massive takeovers of a local economy. Surveys carried out in England show that superstores in small market towns spell death to local businesses. As Chris Ballance points out, their arrival can "wipe out an entire high street". One report, drawn up by Boots, which surveyed the effect of 90 supermarkets, showed that within a ten-mile radius there is a net loss of 270 jobs whenever a new store opens. In Suffolk, Caroline Cranbrook, a local campaigner, demonstrated that local economies depend on a network of suppliers and retailers, all of whom are at risk when the supermarket come to town.

Across Scotland, these issues confront small towns everywhere. Kelso, Selkirk and Melrose have thus far resisted the advance. But Castle Douglas, ironically designated the food capital of the Borders, faces the imminent arrival of a Tesco store, which is likely to obliterate the very independence that gives the town its distinctiveness. The same thing is happening to the Perthshire town of Crieff. Both deserve to be defended.

All these points and more were discussed, debated and loudly applauded by a Galashiels audience, which showed in no uncertain manner what residents think of the plan. At the end of the evening, Tom Douglas asked for all those who supported the demolition to raise their hands. Not one went up. "I think that’s unanimous, don’t you?" he said. "The fight goes on.

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Linklater's Scotland - Supermarkets

Magnus Linklater

Columnist, Scotland on Sunday

Filed 19 Apr 05
©Magnus Linklater

©Magnus Linklater

Further Reading

MENU

Linklater's Scotland - Supermarkets

Magnus Linklater

Columnist, Scotland on Sunday

Filed 19 Apr 05 ©Magnus Linklater

©Magnus Linklater

Further Reading

Filed 19 Apr 05
©Magnus Linklater