100 signatures reached
To: Sainsbury's CEO
Stop Sainsbury's toxic legacy in Greenwich Peninsula: Lift 'restrictive clause'
Dear Sainsbury's
The current 'restrictive clause' in place while you move to a bigger store in Charlton means that no other food retailer can take up the award-winning eco-store on Greenwich Peninsula. This will create a food desert with no local supermarket in walking distance. Emergency services will have to get past traffic to IKEA at the top of peninsula to reach 10,000 new residences, a school and a tube station. Please lift this uncompetitive clause which has allowed the car-centric IKEA to opportunistically fill the gap and move into a growing neighbourhood in need of local amenities and access to emergency services. We want clean air, food and safety, not fumes and flat-packs.
Why is this important?
The clause which bars other food retailers leaves a toxic legacy by limiting the options: IKEA has now been granted permission for a full-size store and loading bay. IKEA aims to demolish the building and the eco-park which Sainsbury’s gave to the local community. The site is on the main commuter bus route to North Greenwich station. Locals will have to join the traffic mayhem or jostle for space on public transport through IKEA traffic to shop for food. If there is an emergency how will services reach the site on a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides with IKEA at its neck? Instead of 'village living in the city' this is an urban nightmare. Sainsbury's says it is committed to helping communities and sustainability: Lifting the clause will mean that a more suitable retailer than IKEA can move into the neighbourhood creating diverse shopping opportunities for locals without overburdening transport networks and ruining the environment.
