Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has put in a planning application to Southampton City Council to have the opening hours of its new store in Portswood extended.
If passed, the yet-to-be-opened supermarket would be open from 7:00am to 11:00pm Mondays to Fridays, offering students in the Highfield and Portswood areas an alternative place to shop late at night.
As well as the change to trading times, the 50,000 square feet store has also requested the rights to include a pharmacy in its store.
Keith Reed, committee member of the Highfield Residents Association, has sent an open letter to the City Council objecting to the proposed licence changes, saying “It’s really disappointing they have refused to take on board local residents’ feedback and stopped working with them to address these concerns.”
After months of anticipation, the new supermarket, located across the road from the Mitre Pub, is set to open at the end of February and will put pressure on nearby rivals, Co-Op, Tesco Express and Waitrose.
The store has also advertised a handful of part-time jobs ideal for students, and have begun the interview process.
The Wessex Scene will be looking at the effects of the new supermarket on students and local businesses at a later date.
The objection letter seems to be objecting for the sake of objecting, I don’t see any valid reasoning behind his claims. 11pm is hardly a late opening time (many supermarkets in towns are often 24 hours or at least open to midnight).
Also, his objection to stop the public using the carpark earlier and later than shop opening hours seems counter productive, if there is parking perhaps people will actually shop in Portswood?
Later opening hours also will mean more jobs will be created for the area (and while some can be filled by students not all jobs will be student based).
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