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  • "The comments supporting a new Sainsbury's astound me, can some of you please explain how it's going to be beneficial to the area?

    Often when I'm in Manchester I like to visit the curry mile but in Brighton we're on the verge of becoming the first city with a mile of supermarkets. When Taj owned the store at least they were offering a range of products that were quite different from Morrisons (a mere 50 yards up the road).

    Now walking from my house in Kemptown to Hove I will walk past St George's Road's Co-Op and Mulberry's (another chain on the rise), then as I head down St James' Street it'll be another Co-Op first, then a Tesco, then a Morrisons then (if permission is granted) a brand new Sainsbury's.

    Continue up North Street past Co-Op #3 (or is that a Marrisons?) and Sainsbury's #2 before heading along Western Road for another Sainsbury's, Taj and Waitrose (that's if I decided not to head up Dyke Road for another couple of Co-Ops or turn right toward the library for another Tesco's, the new Sainsbury's behind St. Barts and the London Road Co-Op and Aldi (which was until quite recently another Sainsbury's)... I've not even gone into Hove or up the Lewes Road and I'm drowning in supermarkets. They're everywhere...

    Why do we need more? It's not like they offer different products, just copying each others own brand range stocked next to 'popular' brands.

    Someone please tell me what the benefit is? What will this Sainsbury's do that their North Street branch doesn't provide? What's it for? Why?

    Okay, come on here and rant about how much you hate squatters and other layabouts if you like but please if you're doing so in support of another supermarket chain please explain it's use to the community. Cos you all failed to give one reason.

    I didn't want the place developed into a crusty creche or whatever those squatters were planning but there's got to be something we actually need that can go there... oh, I know - we appear to have a shortage of coffee shops (grrr)"
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Court evicts Brighton Taj squatters

10:18am Thursday 24th February 2011 in News

ON THE WAY OUT? A squatter starts moving his possessions out of the empty Taj building. Picture by Kevin Meredith. ON THE WAY OUT? A squatter starts moving his possessions out of the empty Taj building. Picture by Kevin Meredith.

By Alex Ariel

A judge has ordered squatters occupying a Kemp Town supermarket to leave within 24 hours or face prosecution.

Members of the group have been sleeping on the floor of the closed down Taj greengrocer store in St James’s Street since February 12 in protest at plans to put a Sainsbury’s store there.

Taj’s parent company went into administration last year after running up debts of millions of pounds.

The St James’s Street store was closed after administrator BDO was appointed.

Yesterday the campaigners, who call themselves SaboTaj, appeared at Brighton County Court where they were served with an Immediate Possession Order (IPO) by District Judge Elaine Thompson.

And this morning, it appeared they were abiding by the order when photographer Kevin Meredith snapped them moving their possessions out of the store.

Camilla Lamont, representing the administrator, said: “They definitely entered without consent and they remain there without consent.”

Judge Thompson told the group: “You must vacate the property within 24 hours of the service of this notice otherwise you will be committing a criminal offence.”

More than 30 members of SaboTaj gathered outside the court after the case to play music and sing.

They say that another chain supermarket on a street which already has a Tesco, Morrisons and Co-op will destroy St James’ Street’s quirky and independent identity but said they have no intention of breaking the law.

One, who only wanted to be known as Rachel, said: “It’s a massive shame. We can do a lot more for the community.

“We don’t need another Sainsbury’s in Brighton.

“We had plans to open up a free school, a children’s space and a library for the community. These things are a lot more positive than a Sainsbury’s.”

Oliver Bettany, from Egremont Place, said: “SaboTaj is David Cameron’s Big Society in action. I am not a member but I have come to support them.

“No one wants another Sainsbury’s. Big business is the enemy of the local community.

“It’s about time the council put its money where its mouth is and did something. In five or ten years our communities will be unrecognisable. There won’t be any community spaces left.”

Sainsbury’s plans to take over the four-storey building but discussions with Brighton and Hove City Council about conditions of the lease are still ongoing.

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