Resort’s future is the priority

The one exception is Bridlington where a £200m revamp of the enduring East Coast resort is now in jeopardy after Tesco confirmed that it would not move its existing store to a new site to pave the way for a new development which is pivotal to the future fortunes of the town.

This is a serious setback to East Riding Council – and others – who have spent the past 15 years trying to advance a development plan, including a 320-berth marina, to boost Bridlington’s economy.

Both the local authority and Tesco have questions to answer over this – the former for its handling of the whole process and the latter for failing to acknowledge the wider impact of its decision on Bridlington.

Yet, while the ambition of these plans pre-dates Tesco’s change of strategy which has been prompted, in part, by its unsuccessful attempt to establish a foothold in the USA, the company should now do everything within its power to accelerate the regeneration of Bridlington.

One firm must not be allowed to stand in the way of the future of a town that continues to suffer from above-average levels of unemployment because of insufficient job opportunities.

However, given that it has taken 15 painstaking years to reach this point, Tesco’s volte-face strengthens the argument of those who contend that the major supermarkets are solely motivated by profit.

The timing is even more ironic after Tesco’s former chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, the man who presided over the supermarket’s dramatic expansion, set out his vision at the weekend for the future of cash-hit high streets. As well as calling for a cap on parking charges and the radical reform of business rates, he said “neighbourhood plans” should be “put together” to revive high streets. This is precisely what has happened in Bridlington – until Tesco decided to change to the rules of engagement and, in doing so, expose the risk that East Riding Council took when it chose to put the supermarket at the core of its regeneration blueprint.