Tesco at Little Lever - Dossier - Point No 6

 

Point No 6

Distinction between Little Lever Town Centre and Zone 6 of the BRLS

The Bolton Retail and Leisure Survey, carried out in March 2008, divided Bolton Borough and its Catchment Areas into Zones defined by Post Code.

Zone 6 covered Post Codes BL3 1 and BL3 2

This area covers not only Little Lever ‘Village’ but all the way through to Moses Gate and down the Manchester Rd corridor as far as and including Asda Burnden – taking in a sizeable chunk of Great Lever to the left of that corridor. (See Appendix)

The ‘Dominant’ store in this Zone is Asda Burnden.

All figures resulting from that survey relate to the whole of Zone 6 rather than Little Lever ‘Village’

In the BRLS Main report and subsequently the Bolton Core Strategy, the two are confused in such statements, figures and charts annotated ‘Zone 6 (Little Lever)’

Where figures are quoted- such as retention of spending within the zone, it is easy to work out whether they refer to the ‘Village’ or the whole of Zone 6. (See chart in Appendix)

With broader statements it is much more difficult to distinguish between the two.

It is interesting to note that if the ‘deficiency in convenience floor space’ stated in the BRLS, is relating to the whole of Zone 6 rather than the ‘Village’, then such a store could be built anywhere in the Zone – eg the old Greyhound Track off Manchester Rd.

This would have the consequence that since the Applicant has not considered other sites outside of the Village (but within Zone 6), then the Sequential aspect of site selection has not been fulfilled and the Application falls.

Conclusion

The Committee, in my view, must decide whether the BRLS and Core Strategy are recommending that a new store is needed within the ‘Village’ or could it be at any other location within Zone 6.