Saturday 31 July 2010

So whats it all about??

Welcome to our Blog, if you've not looked before.

So what is going on??

Simply we want Crosby Village to be a lot better than it is.
We are local people who have been stirred into action when we saw how damaging Sainsbury's proposals for their new supermarket would be -to see some images click here  - This proposal is due to go to Planning Committee on 18th August for approval (!) by our councillors.

Over the last few months over 5000 local people have signed our petition,  we also have a online version of - click here which will tell you what it is specifically campaigning for.

We have been discussing the issue with Councillors and our MP and we are buidling support for something better.  Sainsbury's have said 'there is no alternative solution' and are trying to force their plans through - so we have proposed our own suggestion of an alternative, which still gives us a nice new big supermarket but wthout destroying the historic buildings or creating ugly new carparks everywhere - see (and download) our ideas CLICK HERE 

We need all the help we can get before the 18th August and today should be fun with the LAST STAND FESTIVAL - please come to show your support for a better future for Crosby Village. A celebrity might be helping us at around 4.30pm.

Apart from all this stuff, this Blog is about Crosby more widely and if you look through old posts you might find a few things of interest - like where to get the best fish, or coffee in Crosby.

To the right hand side of this page you will also find links to other various stories and links about Sainsbury's and our campaign for them to do something better for Crosby.

If you would like to get involved please email us at abettercrosby@googlemail.com

Thank you for your interest.

Friday 9 July 2010

Wouldn't it be good....

... if, because the local community (ie all of us) has had to stand up and fight for Crosby Village, that in the future the Village was just better, more used, and more loved.


We insist that it has to become better, beacuse it really is sink or swim time for Crosby. 


Sainsbury's current plans will destroy Crosby as a 'village' forever.  We want Sainsbury's to invest in Crosby, but in a way that helps all of us.


Nearly everyone agrees with us, but some people say we don't have a chance against such a big business.  
Now thousands of people have signed our petiton, leaders of the community are coming out to support the Village and the risks to Crosby are in the papers, and we've only just started. 


We really want the Council and Sainsbury's to work with us, the 'Community', the ones who pay the taxes and buy the food. But just in case, in the background we are praparing legal/planning submissions with expert advice.


Man from Sainsburys, if you're reading this - and we think you are, please work with, and not against, a community that has supported your supermarket for many years. 
You may have all the money and the land, but we've got the love and are having more fun.


See you at the LAST STAND FESTIVAL...31st July, Crosby Village.

Thursday 1 July 2010

Whitewash!!

Hello,

If you are visiting this Blog site for the first time, having spotted us in today’s Crosby Herald – welcome.
Apart from the lastest Blog entries – if you search through the older postings in the Blog archive you may find items of interest.

Our campaign for ABetterCrosby, and against Sainsburys current proposals is described in the separate feature boxes.

Please add comments & your thoughts to any stories you like.

Regarding todays Herald front page, it is great that the 3d image of the new store showing the true size of it, has made the front page.
It is less great that the Herald decided to run the front page with the spin of Sainsbury’s , and we fear Sefton Council’s, view of the world.

We have a copy of the ‘experts’ report. WYG who wrote it are Sefton’s ‘retained retail consultants’, who advise them on all such matters.  They are a massive international property/construction consultancy, who also happen to work directly for Sainsbury’s in other parts of the country.  As a consultancy they also design supermarkets and highways/carparks for supermarkets.  We all understand how difficult it is to have two different paymasters at work, and WYG are a part of the supermarket industry.

It is a bit like asking an arms-dealer how to resolve a war....

Regarding the report itself the opening paragraph describes the site of the new Sainsbury’s as a ‘Brownfield Site’.  Maybe they have not been to Crosby for a while, most of their reports focus on Southport and Bootle, but the Glenns Buildings, Moor Lane Villas, or the historic centre of Crosby, are NOT in our opinion a Brown field site.
The report goes on to make numerous specific retail points which we dispute.

We would refer you to this report by a well established economic research group, which has led to the passing of the Sustainable Communities Act by Government.  We believe this Act of Government can be used to help save Crosby.
http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/ghost-town-britain

We do not want a Ghost Town, we want a sustainable , local, community, and with it A Better Crosby.

We also have a copy of the Places Matter report referred to – we will send you a copy if you like -, again, reading it we do not believe it offers ‘broad support’ for the scheme.

Please email us at abettercrosby@googlemail.com if you would like to help us.