The developers state that there will be a negligible effect in traffic on the Stillington Road as a result of the Supermarket which will amount to only an extra 11,000 vehicles per week. They also claim that it will not cause any traffic problems or delays at the Stillington Rd / Crabill Lane / York Rd. junction - one of the worst junctions in the Town in fact. However, by assuming that those going to the new store will be primarily from Easingwold, "The catchment area of the store is primarily Easingwold with some trade being drawn from the Villages outside the Town", wheras in fact Easingwold comprises just over 25% of the total population in our area, the developers are very significantly underestimating the additional traffic problems it will cause.

Every local survey there is will show that more residents from the Villages (who are 70% of our area) use Easingwold's facilities than do the people living in the Town (30% of our area). It has to be - that's simple maths. 

For  the developers to say otherwise (and they stress this time and time again) is indicative of just how little they understand our area - and thus the consequenses of this project. Villagers currently make up a sizeable proportion of the workforce at the Easingwold Coop - so they can be expected also to make up a similar sizeable proportion of the staff at the new store. As Villagers, they will drive to work, and so will use up a significant number of the car parking spaces. Villagers will also drive to shop, the car park will overflow, fustrated car drivers will either queue or park along the Stillington Rd (or on adjacent side streets) on either side of the Supermarket and there will be chaos there.

 The main objections are:

•  The large scale of the Supermarket development is totally out of scale to Easingwold itself and its needs
  
• It will completely dominate the retail environment in Easingwold and deliberately undercut local retail stores, twith the aim of taking their business - that is competition after all - and rapidly becoming the only retail store in town the area.

• Most local residents seem to be more than happy with existing arrangements - it is only 9 / 10 miles either to Thirsk or York to shop at the nearest large supermarket (Tesco). Most people visit Clifton Moor Tesco anyway for fuel on the way home from work - and also do their shopping at the same time. Many go there as they also visit the other stores nearby, such as Argos, B&Q or Currys, Wilkinsons, Dunelm , etc., and so travel there anyway.
• The need for "top up shopping" is then met by local smaller shops. That way, both types of store are supported and Easingwold keeps its "tradition small market town appeal".   Easingwold has a lovely character to its Market Square which is typified by small shops in the old tradition. It is why many people came to live here and why many people want to keep it that way. Many shoppers even come from Haxby and Wigginton. Why? "Because its such a nice place!" 
• A large Supermarket just out of walking distance to most residents may well act as a rival Town centre. People arriving by car will find Supermarket parking easy against the difficulty in parking in the Market Square - and will not park and shop twice. Easingwold Town centre therefore will die on its feet and with it the whole essence of the Town itself.
• Similar situations have occured nationally and indeed in many nearby market Towns where a large Supermarket has come in and taken over most of the local retail spending and left a much less active town centre with many empty or charity shops. The market town of Market Weighton (5500 population)  to the south of York had a new 25,000 sq ft Tesco built 3 years ago. Already, local busineses have laid off staff. One local butcher says "before Tesco came I employed 3 staff here - now there is just myself and my wife has to help out."
•  It will cause a large amount of traffic congestion on the Stillington Rd, which is an unclassified 6m wide Country Lane and as such is totally unsuitable for such a development. The junction from the York Road is well known by local people as one of the most dangerous in Town. The Traffic Assessment states that even after the Supermarket is built, worst case senario is that there will only be no greater than one vehicle in the queue at the York Rd. junction. Images on this page prove that even now at times there are significant queues on this road. What happens when this 130 space car park is full and cars try to queue or turn right into the car park? - there will be chaos there, work it out yourself. 
• The Developers have seriously and deliberately underestimated the number of shoppers that will come from the Villages. Rather than their statement that "some will come from the Villages", they will in fact be in the majority - which calls into question their data on additional traffic as most Villages as will most shoppers - will arrive by car. The figure given of 11,000 extra journeys per week is therefore a serious underestimate and the traffic problems will be much higher than the Developer claims.
• The car park is limited to only 130 parking spaces and no staff car park. The developers state "the majority of employees of the store will live locally, primarily in Easingwold and most will be able to walk or cycle to work. The store operator Will implement a Travel Plan to encourage staff not to drive to work and will put measures in place to help with this. Any staff that must drive will use the store car park”  In fact the staff situation can be assumed to be similar to that of the Coop and indded most of the other Esingwold businesses where many of the staff are Villagers. So it is likely  then that 30 - 50 of the 100 or so employees will be from the villages - meaning that at peak times there may be as many as 25-30 staff cars in the car park, meaning less than 100 spaces physically available - less still once disabled & mother / child spaces are allowed for. 
•  Similarly sized local Supermarkets have over 200 car parking spaces and are often full at peak periods. These is a distinct prospect at traffic problems due to queues of vehicles waiting to turn left - and right to enter the congested car park - or parking in side streets if not the Stillington Rd itself. It is impossible to overtake there without moving into the oppposite lane now, let alone when queing cars are present , and with both fast traffic on this road, as on Saturday morning the road is thick with Football and Golf traffic anyway, there is great liklehood for accidents as fustrated drivers attempt to get past stationary queuing cars. It is a country lane we are  talking about here for heavans sake!
• There is no room for passing any parked vehicles and cyclists on the narrow Stillington Rd. often have little room between themselves and passing vehicles. Where the vehicles involved are larger, the cyclists are often placed in danger as there is no room to give the cyclist passing space. This is not a route on which cyclists can safely travel to their shopping.
• As the population of Easingwold is about 30% of the Easingwold & Villages district and catchment area, it follows that about 70% of the traffic for the Supermarket will originate from the Villages and much of this traffic will come through Easingwold  - All shoppers from the North, South and west will be additional traffic on the Stillington Road junction. They will come through the Town and lead to increased congestion. Shoppers from the Villages will come by car for a "weekly shop"
• Life for existing residents in the immediate vicinity of the Supermarket will be made intolerable due to the light, noise and greatly increased activity in what is currently a sleepy rural backwater of Easingwold mainly occupied by older or retired residents.
• All vehicles leaving the Supermarket car park at night will be shining their headlights directly into the homes on the opposite side of the Stillington Rd which have the misfortune of being lower down in level. How would yuou like your living room to be engulfed by headlights all evening, every evening?
• The residents living at the rear of the Supermarket will have the misfortune to have a (very) tight Lorry 3 point turning area alongside their back fence. Developers state a 3 high metre fence will block out all the noise and nuisance of a 40 foot Lorry 2 or 3 feet back from their rear garden. What do you think?  Even with the westerly prevailing winds we have up here? With an estimated shedule of up to 10 such Lorrys per day, what chance will these mainly elderly residents have for a peaceful retirement?  You can bet your life that the Developers will not be living in a house with this at their back garden fence!
• The proposed design of the Supermarket is not in keeping with the "style" of Easingwold - we are not a glass and painted steel type of market town! The developers actually claim for their supermarket design “ It is also frequently preferable not to imitate  older or existing buildings as this can be detrimental to their appearance, setting and individuality”. We rest our case! 

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Visit Burn Hall and discover a hotel offering something a little different. Fine food, comfortable accommodation and a very warm Yorkshire welcome will make your experience unforgettable, more.

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In the summer, come into Easingwold Market Square for the annual Easingwold Fair. Starting with a public Fun Run organised the Town Scouts, followed by a festival and Brass Band Concert organised by the local Lions club, with the bands marching around the Market Square well into the evening!