Teetotal Bournville takes pledge against Tesco

[vegas]

This is the kind of madness that forces me to drive to another city to buy spirits. My city of Carrollton does not allow the selling of spirits. So I have to drive to neighboring Frisco to get a bottle of whisky.

Teetotal Bournville takes pledge against Tesco
By Terry Kirby, Chief Reporter
Published: 27 March 2007
For more than a 100 years, the Bournville estate, founded by the Quaker chocolate tycoon George Cadbury, has withstood demands to allow alcohol to be sold within its boundaries.

Now, while many other villages, towns and communities around the country have complained about being steamrollered into submission by the ever-expanding might of Tesco, the people of Bournville, in Birmingham, have scored a significant victory against the supermarket.

After a petition signed by more than 1,000 residents objecting to plans to sell alcohol from a Tesco Express store on the edge of the estate, Birmingham City Council's licensing committee rejected its application for a licence for the development yesterday.

The decision was greeted with cheers by residents who attended the meeting and hailed as "a line in the sand" by Nigel Dawkins, the local councillor who organised the opposition.

Mr Dawkins said: "It's a fantastic result. This shows Tesco they have to talk to communities and cannot just walk over them. People like Tesco who think they can come and sell alcohol without consulting the communities cannot. It feels pretty good but the victory is a victory for Bournville."

He added: "It's not that we are opposed to drinking alcohol - this isn't a moral or religious stand - but we would like it to be respected. Our primary objection is we believe the proposed licence for Tesco would exacerbate an existing problem of antisocial behaviour."

The decision was also welcomed by the Bournville Village Trust, which administers the 1,000-acre estate, built in 1895 originally for the workers of the Cadbury chocolate factory and now surrounded on all sides by the urban sprawl of south Birmingham. The trust has always banned any public houses or off-licences anywhere on the estate - as well as fast food outlets - although there are many in the areas around its perimeter.

Alastair Flint, the corporate services director, said: "We welcome the decision as upholding the principles of the trust. That is the way the community wanted it and it helps make this a very special and desirable place to live. Local communities should not be ignored when it is something as important as this is to them."

He acknowledged that alcohol was freely on sale close to the boundary of the estate but added: "This was different because it is a new application for a licence in a residential spot - which has not previously had anywhere selling alcohol there - and which is only 150 yards from the edge of the estate." The site is a derelict former petrol station.

Residents also applauded the decision. Martin Sketchley, a Bournville resident with young children, said: "We moved to the area because we wanted to minimise our children's exposure to antisocial behaviour. I just want a safe environment for my kids to grow up in, and I think the licence would have compromised that."

Lynn Habermacher, another resident, said: "It's wonderful, fantastic. We have a lot of problems with litter and broken bottles, and this would have made things worse."

A Tesco spokesman said: "We are disappointed and are considering our options." The company is expected to appeal.

The estate was created by George Cadbury,as an altruistic move to provide decent housing for workers at the factory.

[faceless]

I think if they are Quaker based then it's fair enough - I don't think you'd need to travel more than a couple of miles at the very most to get your supplies in that situation.