News

High street fears after supermarket opens pharmacy

By Amy Taylor
December 23, 2011

FEARS for the future of Godalming High Street are growing after a retrospective planning application for a supermarket pharmacy was submitted to the borough council.

Customers at Sainsbury’s in Godalming noticed a new pharmacy had opened at the store in Woolsack Way, and there are worries that it could draw business away from an already struggling high street economy.

The addition to the store was opened without planning permission, and an enforcement notice was issued last Wednesday by Waverley Borough Council, giving the supermarket until January 10 next year to close it down.

Matthew Evans, head of planning at Waverley, said: “Conditions attached to the planning permissions granted for the Sainsbury’s supermarket restrict the range of goods which can be sold to protect the viability and vitality of Godalming town centre.

“We have become aware that, in conflict with the conditions, a pharmacy has been opened. In response Waverley has served a planning contravention notice to secure compliance with the condition."

He added it was "disappointing" that permission had not been sought by the store before the pharmacy opened, and that it had "ignored local planning rules".

"The right approach is to submit an application to vary the conditions rather than to undertake unauthorised activity," Mr Evans said.

In the application, a spokesman for Sainsbury’s said that the pharmacy opened on November 28, but that it was not opened "in disregard" of planning conditions but rather as "a genuine oversight".

A spokesman said: “Sainsbury’s has submitted a planning application to amend the previous restriction for an in-store pharmacy at our Godalming store and are currently in the process of discussing this with Waverley Borough Council.

“We believe the pharmacy will not have a harmful impact to the town centre and have received positive feedback from customers, with many complimenting the choice and convenience it provides.”

But some have warned that opening a pharmacy at a supermarket away from the High Street will be the final nail in the coffin for small shops.

Coming in the wake of news that the British high street is failing, with ‘Queen of Shops’ and government advisor Mary Portas warning that something needs to be done to save them, many shoppers fear that a supermarket pharmacy is exactly the kind of thing that will push small businesses away from towns.

However, a petition has also been circulating among shoppers to generate support, with many people agreeing that a pharmacy at Sainsbury’s would offer more convenient opening hours.

According to the application, since the pharmacy opened last month around 22% of prescriptions had been filled after 5pm, when other pharmacies in the town are closing.

The application from Sainsbury’s is available to view on Waverley Borough Council’s website (reference WA/2011/2050) and comments are being accepted until January 13.

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As far as I can see from some of the comments below, it's fine for Sainsburys to disregard planning regulations so long as they give us something that some of us want. By this logic it's OK for someone to nick a car so long as they give a couple of people a lift home while they're at it. Right ho. Whatever the impact may or may not be on the High Street, Sainsburys don't have a leg to stand on. Roll over on this and we forfeit the right to expect enforcement on breeches of planning regulations that we are less enthusiastic about.

atombowl, Godalming
31/12/2011 at 11:25

Trust Waverley BC will treat Sainsbury's the way they treated Mr Harper for flaunting planning law - just send the bulldozers in!!!

WondersNeverCease
29/12/2011 at 14:49

Where is the law? And the enforcement of it. . 'Wherever the law ends, tyranny begins.' John Locke, Father of the Enlightenment

astolat
28/12/2011 at 19:19

I've been in sainsburys a few times sine the pharmacy opened, and I haven't even noticed it?!? I wouldn't use it anyway, in the past I've found that Supermarkets tend to use cheaper brands of medication and this can play havoc with my illness...

Sarah Wish
28/12/2011 at 13:29

As a previous poster has already commented the problems lie with the stupidly high rents that the landlords charge nowadays, which deters smaller traders from opening up, many simply cannot afford them.

Also the bigger branches of the chemists like Boots, Moss & Superdrug tend to close earlier than the in store ones, which is all well & good if you're an office worker, unemployed or do social hours.

If like me & the many thousands of shift & critical service workers who do unsocial hours to keep this country running, you can't always get to the chemist during office/trading hours so these in store chemists are an absolute boon to us.

Doc Marten, Now Deepest Hampshire!
28/12/2011 at 11:45

I don't know how people think a pharmacy at Sainsburys is going to kill off Godalming town centre. Boots stocks a wide range of products as does Superdrug (which doesn't have a pharmacy) and Moss chemist. I imagine most people will be using the Sainsburys one later in the evening as I have recently. Anyone in the evening who needs an urgent prescription would otherwise have to go into Guildford to Tesco, which is hardly practical for those who rely on public transport. Anyone who picks up a prescription at the Mill Medical Practice can take it next door to the pharmacy there. Has Tesco killed off Guildford through having a pharmacy? No not at all, and there are many other small pharmacies in Guildford who do a roaring trade. They often have medication in stock that Tesco do not have and would have to order.

What is killing off Godalming High Street is the ridiculous rent, only chains and the expensive boutiques are able to afford the full rent, the rest are charity shops who get a reduced rent anyway. I am sure the majority of locals would love to have more affordable shops, I think the number who frequent the boutiques among the general population is very low.

SJR
25/12/2011 at 14:54

Whoever "forgot" to apply for planning permission for Sainsbury's pharmacy needs to be held responsible for it. They've obviously tried to pull a fast one.

I am very pro the idea of a late night pharmacy - maybe the town pharmacies could take note of this free bit of market research?

C Turner
23/12/2011 at 21:02

I'm afraid Sainsburys are pulling a fast one here. Just because something is a little more 'convenient' doesn't mean it's a good idea. It might be 'convenient' to tarmac the Lammas Lands for car-parking, doesn't make it a good idea. So carry on, sign the petition and kiss the High Street goodbye, if not because of this, because of what Sainsburys decide they can get away with next because flouting planning law is fine with shoppers as long as it's convenient. Oh and the planning ref (WA/2011/2050) appears to relate to an extension in Carlos Street.

atombowl, Godalming
23/12/2011 at 14:32

I am not sure about the slant of this story.

I do agree that there isn't a need for another pharmacy in Godalming, but then we have pharmacies attached to the larger medical practices anyway. Wasn't that part of the reason that the square practice moved out to Catteshall mill?

Anorak
23/12/2011 at 14:02

Big chain rides rough shod over council and residents as usual. ...When we have no high street left and the chains / internet take over, customer service and all those "little" jobs we all want done will disappear for ever ! ....So support the small independent traders before its to late.