Thame town centre impact study underway

IN response to local concerns about the possible effect on the town centre of a proposed large supermarket on the edge of the town, Thame Town Council has announced that it has commissioned a Retail Impact Study for the town.

The scope of works put to prospective bodies to carry out the study, says the council, included input from residents and was sent to 10 specialist consultancies and academic institutions.

The council has reported that: “A number of proposals were received and the one that most closely matched the scope of works has been chosen. This is a joint proposal from Carter Jonas and the University of Southampton. Both organisations have excellent retail credentials and have demonstrated a good understanding of Thame’s needs.

“Additionally,” the council added, “the proposal is supported by a sound project plan. The Council is confident that the output of the study will be able to be used for the benefit of the town for some time to come.”

The town council was asked to initiate a Retail Impact Study by the Thame Centre First group, who gave a presentation to the town council recently, representing the views of some residents and several town centre independent retailers, who feared that a proposed plan by Tesco to build a supermarket on the by-pass on land currently occupied by DAF, would have a negative impact on the economy and vitality of the Thame Town Centre (LINK HERE TO PREVIOUS REPORT)