Lady Speirs would be turning in her grave!

Comment from Wendy Alexander in response to TESCO Press Statement on 15/01/10 

Wendy said:

“Lady Speirs would be turning in her grave. Tesco should not be using an anonymous family to explain away why the Town Centre regeneration project has not had the green light”

“It is more than 3 years since Tesco promised to rebuild Linwood Town Centre.  We are still waiting. Tesco are trying to gloss over the fact that this project has never had sign off by the Tesco board.  The foot-dragging must stop”

Tesco claim to have found “a long forgotten vault”.  But as the chair of the Community Council Iain Wilson points out –

“I thought everyone in Linwood knew about the crypt.  There was a chapel of rest knocked down in the 70s to make way for Linwood Parish Church manse and hall.  Currently there is a storage shed on the site.  The crypt is part of Linwood folklore.  The remains are meant to be of Lady Speirs”

Local Resident Tom Burke said:

“The crypt of the Speirs family will be of no surprise to any locals. It was common knowledge even when I was 11 year old. What does surprise me is that Tesco have “found the vault”. Was it a desk top survey or actual excavation work out on the ground ?”
Wendy Said
“The foot dragging by Tesco over the future of Linwood Town Centre is unacceptable.  I have written to Tesco’s Chief Executive in the strongest possible terms about the frustration his company’s delay, inaction, and broken promises are causing to my Linwood constituents. Tesco is ruining its own good name”

”People feel let down.  Tesco need to be clear when the project will be given the go-ahead.  When will building work start and when will the new Town Centre open?”

“In 2008 hundreds of Linwood families lobbied Renfrewshire Council Planning Department for this development to go ahead. In 2010 they feel thoroughly let down”

“In 2007 elected representatives and local residents were never given any indication that three years later the site would lie more derelict than ever with no new retail outlets and still no timetable for construction or opening of the new town centre. In consequence, Tesco’s corporate reputation has been badly tarnished by delays, which at minimum, will now extend to more than four years after the project was first announced”
“Over the last decade Tesco PLC has reported a 167% increase in turnover and a 231% increase in trading profits – and over that last four years Tesco (UK) has enjoyed an unmatched profits performance amongst the “Big Four Supermarkets”

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See related Scotsman article on 18th January 2010 here

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