Sainsburys wins Store Wars in Rye

It is a sensational new development in the long-running history of the empty Thomas Peacocke Lower School site.

Tesco were hot favourites to get the site and even had rights to buy the Queen Adelaide pub in Ferry Road, which stands in the way of an access road.

Tesco were told by East Sussex County Council on March 29 that their bid had been accepted.

But a dramatic turn of events saw an 11th hour bid being made by Sainsburys which re-opened the tendering process.

Now it has be revealed that Sainsburys has bought the site for 3.4 million.

Commenting on the sale, Councillor Tony Reid, Deputy Leader of the County Council and Lead Member for Corporate Resources, said: "We are very pleased that the sale has now gone through after a competitive bidding process and I would like to thank our joint vendors British Railways Board and Council Property and Legal Services staff for their work on this issue.

"We are satisfied that the deal with J Sainsbury represents the best value for our council tax payers.

"The Council's proceeds received from the sale amount to 1.9m and will help to fund the capital programme and therefore investment in core services to our residents. This is even more important in these difficult financial times where every pound counts."

The news was welcomed by many in Rye but there are concerns over the affects that a supermarket giant will have on struggling High Street traders.

Sally Reid, from the Tilling Green estate, said: "Tesco or Sainsburys – I really don't mind. The important thing is that Rye is getting a new supermarket that will be open on Sundays.

"It gives us more choice and means I won't have to go out of town for my shopping."

A survey found that up to 80 percent of Rye residents regularly go out of town for their big weekly shop.

Speaking after her election, Rye MP Amber Rudd urged caution and said that independent shops must be protected.

She said the Rye public must have a say on what they wanted and be consulted during the process.

Any planning applications that now follow from Sainsburys will be dealt with by Rother District Council.

There are bound to be some issues as access to the site is limited and it is close to a fire station and railway crossing on a busy entry road to the town.