Or the local authority trying to put a spin on the new development in Taplow…. an average Tesco has a turnover of £23 per sqft per week and makes 6% net profit. If we take those figures, the Taplow store will have a turnover of £65.8M and a net profit of nearly £4M in their first year. I think you will agree with me, £500k does make such a great amount for the disruption this is going to cause. Please also remember that this is only Tesco, there will be other shops in the development. Hag Hill was sold very cheaply indeed!It seems that us, the resident of Hag Hill, who will undoubtedly bear the brunt of this development have been somewhat forgotten.
£240k going to Burnham High Street, I hope that the bulk of it is not spent on yet another councillor’s folly like a clock for Burnham Park Hall for example. I understand that the previous ones, paid for with the Sainsbury’s Taplow development funds, is in storage now.
£50k for a mysterious organisation looking after under 16 children. I am curious about this one.
£50k for TVAP, a well diserving cause.
£65k for the play ground at the end of Hag Hill Lane that the council totally forgotten and neglected for years. A playground right next to what is to become a very busy junction with many delivery lorries coming and going.
£100k to Taplow parish council. I was reminded by a Taplow Councillor at a public meeting that although my postal address said Taplow, I was certainly not a resident of Taplow. So I guess that this money will not be spent on anything to do with us plebs living in Hag Hiil.
And my absolute favorite is the £50k for traffic calming in Hag Hill Lane. So not only I now have a monstrosity built next to my estate, live with the traffic and noise but I will now have to navigate chicanes to come and go from my home. What next? Parking permit for me to park outside my house as Tesco staff may not be allowed to use the store parking? That would really be the icing on the cake.
I note that disappointingly there is nothing earmarked for the WI Hall or Phoenix Rugby club, both located behind the Land Security development who will no doubt suffer from the traffic congestion caused by the planned 6,500 cars per day that Tesco alone will generate.
As we are on the subject of traffic, I read with the interest that in 2001, when the A4 was deemed to be over capacity, the council decided to change the way the traffic figures were calculated. If you don’t like the result, change the way they are calculated. (I must try this with my next council tax demand). It means that now, with the new way of calculating, the A4 is no longer over capacity. I look forward not to be gridlocked when Tesco is open and the car boot sale is on next summer!
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