Chain store shown the door – vox pop

Rumours continue to fly that Tesco is about to establish a local store in Pontcanna

However, a planning committee decision on 12 October, which refused the application to convert nearby garages into storage space, appears to have put pay to the chain’s interest in the site.

Councillor Iona Gordon confirmed in the planning committee meeting that Tesco plc had been interested in renting the site on Cathedral Road, although the lack of storage space originally put them off.

She also said she had received numerous letters from local residents claiming that independent businesses would suffer should the chain be allowed to occupy such a central location.

Nearby shops are still anxious because the retail unit, which used to house Ballantyne’s Wine Merchant, remains vacant.

Will this Pontcanna site soon be home to a Tesco One Stop store?

Vox Pop: What do you think about having more local chain supermarkets in Cardiff?

Denise, 45, Civil Servant: “I always feel that supermarkets are trying to take over the world, and it’s not fair, because the little guys here have probably got so much more variety.”

Bethan, 22, Temporary Office Assistant, Roath: “I think they can be very convenient – I’ve got a local one round the corner from where I live and that’s where I do most of my shopping, because the bigger supermarkets are too far away for someone without a car.”

Rhian, 20, unemployed, Bristol: “I think it would go downhill because I quite like it at the moment with the independent shops. It does affect trade. I live in Bristol and I came home about a month ago and most of the shops were empty, and I was thinking ‘what the hell’s going on?’”

Ceri, 26, hospital worker, Whitchurch: “It’s good in terms of convenience but not for local business, that’s the case more and more. There’s been a big increase – for instance Salisbury Road, there used to be just local shops there but not anymore. I think they’ve definitely been hit by the Tesco set up there.”

Chris, 30, Ireland: “They hurt local businesses, but overall they’re doing the better thing for the community because they’re a lot cheaper.”

Mr Patel, 62, Post Office Manager, Pontcanna: “All the people round here are against a Tesco. We have had two or three meetings about it already. What people round here want are independent shops.”

Pontcanna, Supermarket, Tesco