New garden centre criticised over green power credentials
DOBBIES has been accused of having a new garden centre by the M5 that is not as environmentally friendly as it could be.
The criticism has come from Tewkesbury resident Chris Aubury.
The garden centre, alongside the A46 at Ashchurch and by Junction 9 of the motorway, is due to open today, November 3.
The prospect has excited many people, but not everyone is happy and some have expressed fears that traffic congestion in the area will be made worse.
Now Mr Aubury has outlined his concerns and accused Robert Hitchins Ltd, the developer behind the garden centre site and a planned outlet centre nextdoor, of missing a “massive” opportunity.
He said: “The new store has, to the best of my knowledge, no solar power generation and no power storage capability.
“This is despite Dobbies’ words on their website: ‘We keep our daily energy use to a minimum by lowering our energy requirements and, where possible, generating our own renewable energy.’
“Indeed, I believe, there is no solar power generation or storage planned across the entire outlet centre.
“My understanding is that there is to be some EV charging available at the site but only relatively slow 22kw units.
“The site has a large south-facing aspect which should make it an ideal location for solar power generation.
“So, instead of the new site potentially supporting the local power grid, it becomes a burden upon it.
“This is a massive missed opportunity and one the county and the country can’t afford to let pass by.”
Dobbies referred our request for a comment to Robert Hitchins Ltd but it declined to comment. However, the developer did give a response recently on the subject to Tewkesbury town and borough councillor Cate Cody.
It said: “We are very conscious of our need to support sustainability in all our developments, and we aim to achieve significant progress in this respect through the development of Cotswolds Designer Outlet and Garden Centre. Sustainability aspects of the scheme include:
“Green Travel Plan – to include the provision of a shuttle bus linking Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station to the outlet and then Tewkesbury town centre, and support and facilities for cycling and car sharing.
“Fast-charging EV charging bays – there will be an initial twenty 22kw fastcharging points within the outlet car park.
“Ducting will be provided within the car park to allow for future increase in car charging points as more electric vehicles take to the roads and capacity in the main grid is increased in the area.
“Dobbies has a partnership nationally with Gridserve and are due to provide plans in due course.
“Solar energy – unfortunately, the roof designs for the outlet and garden centre don’t allow us to provide roof to solar panels/generation. The outlet has a number of roof pitches and plant areas with limited remaining space available. We are, however, investigating whether it would be feasible to provide PV options to generate energy for the landlord areas in the outlet. The garden centre roof is a series of pitches and is of lightweight construction, which is unsuitable for roof-mounted PVS.
“Energy Performance Certificates – The outlet is currently assessed to be an EPC B rating and we continue to investigate additional improvement. The garden centre is assessed to be EPC A rated.
“Energy – the outlet will have a policy to support the provision of 100 per cent through renewable energy sources and there will be smart monitoring throughout.
“Waste – a policy of zero waste to landfill will be implemented.
“Drainage – sustainable urban drainage has been implemented throughout the scheme using underground collection tanks and creation of a network of landscaped drainage ponds.
“Biodiversity – a significant landscaped area to the south of the outlet and garden centre will provide an expanse of green space and has (garden centre) / will (outlet) be planted as wildflower meadows.
“Recycling – the outlet will provide a hub for recycling garments and footwear.
“Outlet management – environment management practices certified to ISO 14001 will be employed.
“Recruitment – a localised recruitment policy will be followed.
“We will continue to assess as to how these and other sustainable options can be employed as we progress and in the knowledge that technology going forward will undoubtedly assist.”
The new store has, to the best of my knowledge, no solar power generation and no power storage capability
Chris Aubury