Somerset squatters ignore order for eviction

Dec 23, 2011 Peter Rabbit General News Comments Off on Somerset squatters ignore order for eviction

December 23, 2011 Central Somerset Gazette

We feel sure that if this store gets built here it will have a lasting negative impact on our local community.

A group of protesters occupying the old Avalon Plastics factory in Glastonbury have ignored an eviction order issued to them by Tesco.

Calling themselves the Common Culture Collective, the group moved into the deserted factory last week.

They are protesting against plans to flatten the building and replace it with a 24-hour supermarket.

They believe the building – which is now owned by Tesco – would be better suited for community use, and have already set about using the space to create a community-run centre, with plans for a café, community market and art spaces, as well as a Christmas party and live music.

In a statement on their website, the group wrote: “We feel sure that if this store gets built here it will have a lasting negative impact on our local community.

“There is no one fixed ideology at work here – some of us don’t like corporate power, some of us are worried about the environmental impact a new store would have, some of us don’t like the way Tesco treats its suppliers and some of us fear for the future of our vibrant, busy high street.

“What unites us is the feeling that an enormously powerful corporate entity with near-limitless resources and a great deal of political influence at every level of government has decided it can make a profit out of Glastonbury and that Tesco is a bad neighbour.”

The group have also set up a blog at http://occupiedav alon.blogspot.com, and a Facebook group called Friends of Occupy Avalon (Plastics).

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