Villagers have been left in middle class panic after plans were unveiled that could see them losing their branch of Waitrose.
Proposals have been put forward to redevelop a shopping centre and car park in Hersham, Surrey, replcaing it with a six-storey complex for older people.
There are fears that lorries and construction work could be dangerous for school children, not to mention the reduction of parking spaces. However, it is the loss of the supermarket that is causing most angst in the area.
Trisha Miller, 68, said: ‘It’s going to cause total upheaval. We’re going to lose all of these shops, including the Waitrose. Where am I going to get a pint of Cravendale?’
Developers Quadrant Repurpose said the £6 million project would ‘future-proof’ Hersham Shopping Centre, adding the ‘investment in the retail units is only viable through the delivery of the residential side’.
Phillip Smith, 61, who has lived in Hersham all his life, said: ‘I live in the flats opposite where the development will be and I’m furious.
‘Those flats are going to be high – people will be looking straight into my home. I’ll have no privacy. It’s going to cause havoc. There will be loads of traffic. It will be chaos with all the lorries.
‘And what are the elderly people going to do? A lot of them rely on the proximity of these shops. Some are disabled. They need to be able to walk here or park here. They can’t be going anywhere else.
‘It’s going to muck everything up.’
Carol Kawoh, 72, had similar concerns about the development’s impact on older generations.
She said: ‘I really feel for the people who live around here and come to this centre as a way to be a part of the community.
‘It gives people something to get up for in the mornings. Lots of people can only do the short walk here from their flats – or they need the disabled parking spaces here.
‘They can’t get a bus anywhere. So I feel for them.’
She said the development will affect her personally too – as the dry cleaners she works in will be forced to close: ‘I’m going to lose my job. I’ll be forced to retire. And I don’t want to stop working.
‘I’ve worked here for a decade and I love it. I just don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve really tried to campaign. I’ve encouraged people to sign the petitions and I’ve written my own personal letter of protest. It’s just awful.’
Marge Barley, 63, who work at a charity shop in the centre, is also worried about her job stability.
She said: ‘We don’t know if the shop is able to relocate so we could all lose our jobs. All we know is we have to be out by March.
‘It’s stressful – all the uncertainty. And it’s sad. I’ve worked here for 21 years.’
Discussing the impact the development will have on the area, Ms Barley added: ‘This is meant to be a village. It’s a community.
‘People come here as a place to bump into each other – to chat. For some of the elderly who live alone, this is the only time they talk to someone.
‘That’s all going to change.
‘It’s just going to be horrendous. Where are people who live in the new flats going to park? Where are people who already live here going to park?
‘There are a bunch of empty spaces above all of these shops. Turn those into flats instead.’
Other residents were worried about the impacts on the facilities which will be left behind.
Gill Harrington, 61, said: ‘It’s going to be dangerous for the school. How are parents going to drop their kids off safely?
‘The GP will be under more pressure – if you’re relocating lots more elderly people here.
‘And there will be no parking for any of them. They aren’t including enough parking for the number of flats they want to build.’
A spokesperson for Quadrant Repurpose said: ‘We have carried out extensive consultation with the local community and feedback has greatly influenced our proposals, resulting in a 50% reduction in the height and massing.
‘We are committed to preserving the centre for the community and continuing engagement with them through planning and beyond.’
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