Thank you for inviting us to join the Exmouth Online Forum. We have been in touch with the Forum's administrator regarding requests that we become involved but, to avoid duplication, we will continue to take and answer questions via our own dedicated email address. We believe this is an easy way for people to ask questions and get a personalised reply.

We will also shortly be introducing a FAQ section on our website, so others will get a chance to see the range of questions that have been asked,

We understand the importance of the environment surrounding Exmouth's bus depot site. The development's design will be influenced by our aim to keep the store in keeping with its location.

ASM has been selected for its consideration to - and experience in - environmentally sustainable methods of construction and operation. In previous partnerships with ASDA, they worked closely and successfully with the Environment Agency at Andover in Hampshire, for example.

Careful consideration would be given to local wildlife and nearby Nature Reserves in Exmouth, with specialist environmental consultants engaged to advise and monitor any redevelopment works. Any building or redevelopment would be subject to full consultation with the community and the due planning processes.

ASDA is committed to its new stores consuming 30% less energy by 2009, with a target to send zero waste to landfill by 2010 and is also trialling new eco-technologies in two other stores, including a biomass boiler system.

We will keep the website up to date with the latest developments on this scheme, and we will be holding a public exhibition later in the year where you will be able to see more detailed information and discuss the proposals with us in person.

Kind regards,
The ASDA Team.

The above is a email to which my Mum had recieved, a reply was sent asking about the impact on Traffic, plans for bus depo, libary etc and what the impact will be with the vast number of cyclists using the muti million pound Ex Trail. Is the increased traffic going to be a danger to the increase in cyclists?

Well Trigger I guess all your mother's concerns have been adequately addressed !!!!
I think it perfectly illustrates how they duck the questions and don't really give a darn about Exmouth and it's citizens.
I am tempted to suggest that, if they are truly committed to full public consultation, and it is to be meaningful , i.e. they take notice and act on the results, we should ask them whether they will abandon all their plans if the majority of Exmouty say they are not wanted!

In the unlikely case that anyone thought that ASDA might be undertaking environmental studies out of the goodness of their heart as implied, you should know that it is a legal requirement, not just a local one, but in view of the site's European importance, an EU requirement.

As to the comment as to how ASM were selected, the hiding behind Chatham House rules for the secret meeting last December means that there are no minutes to show how they were chosen. Who knows what the criteria were? How can we know it was a fair competition and that the result was not manipulated in any way? We have seen from Unlocking Exmouth that EDDC put a spin on results, there is also strong evidence that the vote was not the unanimous vote as was reported.

One of the few things of which we can be certain is that ASM, ASDA and East Devon will only tell us what they want us to hear - and that we should never take anything any of them say as gospel but should check and check again.

Sorry for the delay, Jon from http://www.benophotographic.com who took the pictures wanted to edit the pics slightly and make them black and white and web ready. To view the non compressed images, right click and click view image. The pictures are as attached and as follows in the following posts. They are of the ASDA protest group.