bigalf wrote:
Nor have I seen such a statement from Opus.
You know as well as I do that anyone proposing such a development would be aware of this from stage one - it's common knowledge. The 1 in 100 year flood level is without any defences in place. There are such defences in place because of the Chemical site. But lets assume you are correct and Tesco/Morrison/Sainsbury or whoever have to raise the building above a car park, that would increase the parking (good thing)without a lot of extra expense.
If this statement exists, which I suspect it does, I had already heard rumour that they had discovered the issue with the 1 in 100 year flood levels and while I suspect they knew it could be a problem I don't think until whomever their engineering consultants are, actual came back with the results, Opus would actually know for definite. A flood risk assessment model and report will not have come cheap and actually I suspect that because no major development has taken place and Wheldon Road for some time, that this data was not readily available and Opus might not have known from the outset as you suggest. As you know, I have seen copies of two proposed site layouts and they were both for fairly typical standard store and car park layouts and not a raise store, which leads me to believe they didn't. I think they knew it was something they had to check but I suspect they were hoping for better news.
As for cost, it will make the store a good 25% more expensive to build but will give them the option of a bigger store and more car parking spaces if they can get this passed the planners.
bigalf wrote:
The alternative site for a Supermarket in the town has been approved for nearly 5 years without takers. The floor area is approx 25% less than Wheldon Road and involves the construction of a 5 and 7 storey building including car parking, approx 80 residential units and other retail units.
I know if I was Tesco or whoever, and wanted to locate to Cas for least cost in the next 12/18 months, which site I would be pushing for.
Now this is indeed spot on! Also, I don't agree with Mr Dog, and suspect neither do you, I know Tesco want a store in Cas, and more in West Yorkshire in general, and it is an area they are targeting for both Express and larger format stores.
I wonder now, if this news is correct, that the threat to not building a Tesco on Cas's Wheldon Road site is not existing alternative sites, but one 5 years down the line?
It is such a bloody shame that the housing market and construction sector is still up the creek without a paddle, if the economy was in the same place now as we were 5 years ago , you would be building a new ground by now!
The good news is that I think that Wheldon Road will realise a good sale value, whether for a commercial/retail development or for housing, that would fund the majority of a new stadium at GH... but that could be a few years away yet.
