Simply Moseley

A ten year wait for the redevelopment of the former Moseley Meteor Ford site is over with work starting on the construction of a Marks & Spencer food store , http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/10-year-wait-end-work-11264149.

In 2011 I blogged about Tesco winning planning approval for their redevelopment of the Moseley Meteor Ford site,  http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2011/03/moseley-meteor-hits-as-tesco-wins.html, but the supermarket chain pulled out in 2013, http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/tesco-scraps-moseley-superstore-plan-4006377.  Tesco first arrived in Moseley in the early 1970s in the what is now the co-op store on the Alcester Road, http://moseley-society.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Tesco-and-The-Wombles-edit.pdf.  The 'inappropriate design' of this store helped create the drive for the Moseley Society, http://moseley-society.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MoseleyHistory.pdf  

Marks & Spencer received planning permission in 2014 and while not universally supported because of Moseley's opposition to chain stores, the store is a welcome end to the derelict site.  The development also comes as a condition to wait for a new health centre before a retail store is completed was dropped, http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/business-news/moseley-gets-new-marks--7946886 

“Marks & Spencer will be a good employer of local people,” she said. “On the whole, people are pleased that finally something is happening on the site and it is not going to be vacant any longer. There are mixed views but the overwhelming feeling is, as it has been empty since 2006, it is good to see progress.http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/10-year-wait-end-work-11264149