Ammanford News
Llandeilo supermarket bid protesters waiting on application date
12:50pm Friday 3rd February 2012
PROTESTERS fighting plans to establish a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Llandeilo are still waiting to hear when the application will go before county planners.
Carmarthenshire County Council planners will have to decide whether to give approval to supermarket giants application for their proposed new store on the outskirts of the Towy Valley town.
The planned store is in excess of 25,000 square feet and dwarfs all other retail outlets in the area.
Objectors fear that, instead of creating muchneeded jobs, the plan will kill off the smaller competition.
And campaigners are demanding that the county council protects Llandeilo as an important gateway to the Tywi Valley.
Tim Shaw, of Save Llandeilo’s Future, said: “Wherever the megastores go they create unemployment over the short to medium term. Once the stores arrive, they systematically reduce prices until they eliminate the competition.
“There is nothing to suggest that Llandeilo and the rural surrounding area will not be decimated by this proposal.
“Shops will close, and local jobs will be lost.
“The creation of jobs is a total nonsense, as can be seen in Ammanford. The supermarkets do not create jobs.They destroy them – as well as local businesses.”
Llandeilo brewer and businessman Simon Buckley said: “If this proposal is given planning permission we will see high levels of pollution almost doubled, traffic gridlock and it will become impossible for companies such as mine to operate from Llandeilo.”