Tesco Greenfield Ready To Open

The manager of the Tesco Greenfield store, Anna Wisniowski, with the key to the supermarket. Presumably it's not the only one. (picture: Tesco)

The new Tesco in Greenfield finally opens tomorrow, after months of building work and years of often heated arguments. The store is Saddleworth’s first large supermarket.

The debate about the arrival of Tesco has long split the community. Some shoppers have said they will welcome the convenience of not having to go to Oldham to do a weekly shop, while others are concerned about the impact on other local shops in Greenfield, Uppermill and the rest of Saddleworth.

The doors will open at 8am tomorrow, with a special opening ceremony at 10am. Members of the Oldham Mountain Rescue team will do the honours, and they will also be presented with a cheque for £1,000 from the Tesco Charity Trust. The Greenfield Band will be on hand to entertain the early customers.

About 100 jobs have been created for local people, many of them part-time roles. It won’t be a 24-hour supermarket, and will instead be open between 7am and 11pm six days a week, and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

There’s also been local controversy about the look of the store, including the signs. A letter from Greenfield resident Garry Heaton published on this website last Monday described the building as a “carbuncle” and that’s prompted plenty of reaction in the comments beneath the article.

Edward McVeigh wrote: “The traffic light congestion (in Greenfield) is only a hint of what is set to come when the store finally opens. All the nonsense about Tesco using only local producers and wanting to be very much a “Saddleworth community store” is total corporate whitewash.”

But Andrew from Uppermill disagreed: “Trying to keep the villages in the 19th Century is ridiculous. Almost everyone in Saddleworth uses supermarkets already, we just need one closer.”

Local resident J Cartwright commented: “I thought I had come to terms with Tesco’s arrival in greenfield – I had almost resigned myself to shopping there – but this signage has made me think again.”

Brian James added: “I was walking along the Roman Road above Mossley on Saturday, and couldn’t help but notice the Tesco mostrosity sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle distance. It truly is a horrible site!”

You can read the original letter and more of that debate here.

In an attempt to mitigate the impact on Uppermill, Oldham Council has proposed putting time limits on car parks in the village. However, not all local businesses are keen on the idea, and for the latest on that issue click here.

To read an earlier Saddleworth News interview with Anna Wisniowski, click here. There’s also a vide report in the latest Saddleworth News TV bulletin, which can be viewed here.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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