Land Use Plan, as agreed by East Devon District Council
Tesco Masterplan, following the guidance of the Land Use Plan
This plan marks the area that Tesco will be seeking planning permission for in order to start the first phase of the regeneration
A VISION FOR SEATON
An area of currently unusable land in Seaton has been set aside by East Devon District Council for regeneration. Tesco owns most of the site and is keen to make the regeneration happen and form a long-term partnership with Seaton.
Tesco’s vision for regenerating the town includes a supermarket, Visitor Centre, cycle track, leisure and tourism facilities and new housing. These will serve local people in Seaton and help to attract thousands of new visitors to the area. We have been consulting East Devon District Council and Seaton Town Council on how we can deliver these proposals.
The current economic climate means that there is uncertainty as to when other developers will be ready to join us and invest in the site, but they have expressed an interest.
The challenges we face
- The regeneration site is currently unsuitable for development for environmental reasons. In order to build on it and make it attractive to other developers, we need to raise the level of the site by some 2 metres to meet the Environment Agency’s requirements for flood protection.
- Bringing in “fill material” to raise the site will inevitably cause some disruption, but without it, there can be no regeneration.
- We are exploring a number of alternative options to lorry loads of traditional fill material to minimise the disruption to local people.
- We believe that once the site has been raised, the regeneration vision can become a reality.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN FIRST?
Tesco would like to start the regeneration as soon as possible. Housing developers and leisure operators have expressed an interest in the site, but the current economic climate means that they will not commit at this time – or until the site has been raised and is suitable for development.
63% of residents say they would like further choice of shopping providers in Seaton*
81% of residents say there is not enough affordable housing in the area*
So, rather than do nothing, we would like to kick-start the regeneration by getting on with the first phase - the development of the food Eco-store, fuel station, retail kiosks for small shop owners, car parking, public open spaces and various road, pedestrian and cycle access improvements.
We expect this first phase to attract other developers so that the entire regeneration project, including new housing, can be successfully achieved.
A view of the proposed new Eco-store from the Underfleet & Harbour Road junction
An artist’s impression of how the new Visitor Centre and tram station may look. A new Sustrans cycle route from Bristol to Seaton will terminate at the Visitor Centre
Rear view of the new Eco-store and car parking
Raising the level of the site
The people of Seaton are calling for better facilities in the town so doing nothing is not an option for Seaton – the residents want to see regeneration.
Without raising the level of the site the regeneration cannot go ahead.
73% of residents think that not enough is being done to attract tourists to Seaton*
The first phase of development will require the level of the site to be raised by 2 metres and will require about 55,000m³ of fill. We are currently exploring the different options with the support of the Seaton Regeneration Board.
One option is to bring fill, excavated elsewhere, into Seaton in lorries but we are very aware of the impact that lorry movements will have on the town and surrounding areas. The county council has agreed in principle that no more than 40 lorry movements a day would be acceptable.
We have been looking at a number of alternative options which may help to reduce the number of lorry movements needed.
- We are examining the possibility of using a man-made fill material. This material would be much lighter than normal fill and could therefore be brought to the site on far fewer lorries.
- We are also looking at bringing in dredged material from the sea through a pipeline. This could prove to be a faster option however there would be a number of legal and technical obstacles to overcome.
Our new Eco-store
From big steps, like aiming to halve energy use, right through to small details like using one label instead of two on our clothes, we are trying to make a difference to the world in which we live. A target of halving energy use in our stores by 2010 has already been achieved two years ahead of schedule and we are continuing with our sustainable approach with all our new stores.
The new store at Seaton will be among the first of our new breed of Eco-stores, incorporating many new sustainable features, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of both Tesco and its customers. It will use the latest green materials and construction techniques to cut down on waste and increase recyclables.
Front view of the new Eco-store with retail kiosks to the right
Elevated view of the new Eco-store and retail kiosks
Aerial view of the regeneration site
- A sustainable timber frame from forests in the UK
- Wind-catchers on the roof to improve natural ventilation
- Air quality sensors to trigger a response to carbon dioxide concentrations
- Roof lights and extensive glazing at the front to allow as much natural light as possible
- Use of special glass that allows through natural daylight but not heat from sunlight, reducing the need for air conditioning
- A combined cooling, heat and power plant – allowing the store to be self-sufficient and produce its own energy.
- Rainwater harvesting which uses rainwater for flushing toilets
The Eco-store will be roughly the same size as our store in Exmouth, about twice the size of our store in Axminster, or two-thirds of the size of our store in Exeter. It will have 425 free car parking spaces, with 20 disabled spaces. Cycle parking will also be provided close to the store. It will carry a broad range of food produce and be predominantly a foodstore. There will only be a limited range of “non-food” items.
65% of residents think there are too few petrol stations in Seaton*
A new 6-pump fuel station will be a part of the store development. This will address the current lack of petrol stations in Seaton.
In many ways, both great and small, Tesco is doing its bit to help the environment, which is why we try to offer our customers as many green choices as possible. We are actively encouraging our customers to re-use plastic bags and now offer our ‘bags for life’ and ‘green’ clubcard points. Our new store at Seaton, as with all our stores, will have an extensive recycling centre for anything from glass bottles to unwanted clothing, books and CDs.
Our own packaging and waste strategy aims to reduce the amount of packaging on branded and Tesco own-label products by 25% and to ensure that at least 80% of our own operational waste is recycled.
Wind Turbines
Would you be in favour of a wind turbine(s) at the proposed new store?
We are always trying to increase the energy efficiency of our stores and are looking at other ways we can generate our own heat and electricity.
There are several types of wind turbine that could be used but our preferred option for Seaton would be the Ropatec Double Vertical Windrotor. This hi-tech device stands about the height of a street lamp and generates electrical power noiselessly, using a compact vertical turbine, in winds speeds as low as 4.5mph.
How much electricity will the turbine generate?
The turbine is rated at 6kW – the same amount of electricity that 4 average houses would consume.
We would like to know your views, so please send us your feedback to feedback@tesco-seaton.co.uk.
*Source: A telephone survey conducted earlier this year for Tesco by Marketing Means
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Following this public consultation and once we have gathered in your comments and feedback, Tesco will put together initial planning applications for:
- The new Tesco Eco-store and retail kiosks
- A fuel station
- Necessary road junctions and engineering works
We will be continuing our consultations with the community through our response forms and this website.
YOUR VIEWS COUNT
We would like to hear your views on the proposals for the regeneration site and for our new Eco-store and possible wind turbine. We will incorporate these into our proposals wherever possible before submitting them for planning permission.
Email us at feedback@tesco-seaton.co.uk