Parkgate will kill Shirley claim traders

Buy photos» John Owen, Sean Harold and Ray Mingle of Classic Meats butchers are hoping community spirit will stay strong in Shirley despite the arrival of a new supermarket.

Chris Willmott

03 August. Updated: 03 August 17:23

THE NEW Parkgate scheme - and in particular the ASDA supermarket it is hinged on - will kill Shirley.
That was the view of traders in the town when Observer editor Chris Willmott paid a visit to gauge opinion on the development.
Speaking to the paper John Owen, manager of Classic Meats butchers, said supermarkets are too powerful for local stores to compete and the arrival of ASDA would land a crunching blow against independent retailers in the town.
"The same happened in Hay Mills when they opened a supermarket there," he added.
"The local shopping centre was ruined and that is the fear for Shirley.
"Supermarkets pick cream off the best-selling products at any one time and offer them at such low prices that people can't afford to compete."
He also raised concerns about the problems it would create for traffic and parking, saying more people would be visiting Shirley so the traffic jams would be worse and there would be less parking for people when they got there.
"The ASDA parking may well be free but will only be for two hours so by the time people have done their shopping there it will almost be up and they won't have time to walk along the High Street and visit us or the other stores," he added.
"We will be relying on the people of Shirley to support local traders as they always have and realise the personal touch we can offer."
Fellow manager Ray Mingle used the example of one of their older customers who was ill and couldn't get to the shops to highlight the personal touch local traders can offer.
"She gave us a call, told us what she wanted and we dropped it round for her free of charge - supermarkets will never do that ind of thing, but it is part and parcel of our everyday community service," he said.
"We are part of the community."
Pensioner Ronald Parkes said there was a big difference of opinion between the young and the old in the town.
"The younger generation often don't look to the future so many of them are delighted Parkgate is coming, but the older generation see the bigger picture and I'm worried about what it will do to Shirley," he said.
"This development is taking up valuable park land and soon we will be left with loads more shops, loads more houses and subsequently loads more children - but they will have nowehere to play."
Young mum Emma Jones proves Mr Parkes' theory, saying she was delighted the project had been given the go-ahead.
"It will be great for Shirley, especially the new High Street stores it will hopefully attract," she added.
"If we have good shops in the town it will keep people shopping in Shirley rather than heading off to Solihull and taking our trade elsewhere."