Plans for Costa Coffee in Bingham approved - despite strong opposition

“It is not for the council to forecast if another coffee shop will be a success or not. I welcome seeing the empty shop being brought back to life and hope that the old Co-op in the same arcade will soon be occupied. However the decision to allow a new Tesco supermarket to be built next to a very busy level crossing in Bingham was utterly crazy; without a road bridge over the railway line there will be a huge increase in congestion and risk of serious accidents.”

“competition is not the concern of the planning board, correct land usage is. Leave the competition to market forces.”

“Costa, then McDonalds, then Burger King, then Pizza Hut and hey presto - bland, characterless and not what we go to provincial villages and towns for.”

“This kind of protest tends to happen in beautiful towns and villages, famed for their old world charm and tourist potential.

With the best will in the World, we're talking about Bingham here.

If your coffee shop is better than Costa, you'll survive. If not, you won't.”

“Costa Coffee offer to bring jobs, hope and prosperity to this desolate wasteland and as a thank you, the yocals kick up a stink and start protesting big willie style by organising petitions and mob violence!

There really is no helping some people!”

“Don't the council listen? 1500 people signed the petition and what percentate of the residents is this? most likely a small percentage which shows the majority are neither interested either way or want a Costa.

People have a choice, if you don't like a shop then don't use it, if enough people use it then it will be economically viable and remain, if people don't use it then it will be economically unviable and go, its that simple.
People need to remember these are franchises and are essentially independent operations within a business brand and most likely the franchisee is a local person and will employ local people, they pay their dues and demands locally and contribute to the economy locally and nationally.”

“It's a strange kind of objection: if these people really value the independent trading of the town and truly represent the majority view, then the majority of people will continue to buy their coffee at the independent traders, so Costa are no threat to anyone; and if they don't represent the majority view, then why should their vociferous objection be allowed to dictate the shopping habits of the majority?”

“just shows you the councillors don't listen to the people. i wonder which one's had a all expenses paid holiday given to them.”