With not not long to go until the 21st November opening, work is progressing on finishing off areas of the site such as the road and building the above ground structure for the petrol station. Work internally in the store itself is also well underway with shelving and units being fitted. I will continue to document the site from the outside documenting these changes.
Above is a view from the Underfleet coach park looking at the realm area with the store in the background.
Here is one of the new bus stops that is being built along with various other improvements being made currently along Harbour road.
In the photo above, a new layer of tarmac was being laid down on the access road and the junction with Harbour road.
Here is another view of the south of the store where checkouts are clearly visible through the glass. It is hard to think that just a few months ago from this same spot, all there was was sand.
Here is a view looking towards the west entrance of the store lobby, which looks more or less complete. All exterior and interior work around the site will be complete by the end of Sunday November 13th ready for all of the Tesco staff to move in at 6am on 14th of November to stock the store up ready for the grand opening the week after on the 21st.
The sound proof screening fence around the rear of the store has now been erected, hiding the service yard from the tramway and car park area.
Another view looking along the Realm area towards the south side of the store.
The photo above is another taken looking at the south east corner of the store, with the lobby exterior complete. The grey container on the right hand side could be what the ATM cash machines will sit in when they are put in place.
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Another iphone photo taken looking towards the store, with the light shining through the south side glass. This was taken from the 'realm' area looking through the fence which has been moved closer to the store. With the opening less than 4 weeks away, things are starting to look very smart and exterior landscaping is looking very good.
Above is a photo looking towards the store on my iphone. I used two exposures to make it, which is why you will notice some slight halos around objects in the photo. Lights were on in the store with work ongoing to install and fit the shelving, checkout's etc.
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Inside the 'realm' area above, where things are propped up against a fence, including a street sign that will be put back up when the fences come down.
Spray paint on the pavement showing the plan for this side of the pedestrian crossing.
In this photo, you can see part of Harbour road, where a pedestrian crossing is being built, there is also another crossing further east along Harbour road being built.
Another view along the access road from the junction. It looks like it is ready to be tarmacced now so that will probably be completed within a week or so.
The photo above is a view onto the south side of the site from Harbour road. This will be the area where one of the footpaths from the store will join the pavement.
Another view from the gate, looking across the 'realm' area towards the store.
Above is a view looking from the Underfleet towards the main store entrance. There isn't that much paving left to do outside now.
Here is a close up abstract photo of the side of the store, where I have used a diagonal angle and put the contrast of the lines and shapes against the plaint blue in the sky.
Above is a view of the west side of the store, where trees have been planted and surrounded with woodchippings.
Above is a view of the store looking across from the riverside workshops.
Another photo of the area outside the south eastern corner of the store which is more or less finished. Guys were working on the cladding on the porch area, which has the same wooden effect as the sides of the store. The exterior should be finished this time next week.
The photo above was taken looking at the south west corner of the store, where through the glass, you can see the area where the Costa coffee outlet will be located.
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Here is a view through a gap in the fence into the public space, with the access gate from the Underfleet at the back of the photo.
Here is a section of the public space between the Underfleet and the toilet block that has been finished, It looks quite good, but will be interesting to see when all of the fences have been taken down.
Another one of the regular views above looking into the public space, where paving work is almost complete.
A slightly creative photo here, looking along the tram lines towards the new Petrol Station Kiosk in the background.
Above is another view from Harbour road of the new road as it meets the new junction.
A tram passes by the western side of the store in the photo above.
Above is a view of the west side of the store, where young trees have been planted along the perimeter, making it look a lot more attractive from this side.
Above is a view across the store car park area where there is a lot of containers/equipment scattered across it. In the foreground, there is a big mound of earth which is being used in the landscaping around the site.
Another view of the south side of the store above, with some of the chiller and shelving units visible. In between them and the glass will be the store checkouts.
In this photo is someone working on a mini digger in front of the south side of the store. You may notice some of the internal shop fittings beyond the glass in the background.
Here is a view of the south west corner of the store, where the Costa coffee outlet will be. You can see that a lot of the paving work is complete with only a small area in front of the store remaining uncompleted.
Above is a clear view of the entrance area of the store, there will be doors on either end for people both coming from the town and the car park into the store.
In the photo above, I was looking towards the car park area with the south east corner of the store on the left hand side of the photo.
The photo above is from one of the regular spots, showing the main entrance area to the store.
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The photo above was taken from above the caravan park at Beer head looking over towards Seaton. If you click on the photograph, you can clearly see the roof of the store off to the left of the centre. The grassy area for residential space sits behind the store in this view.
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Above is a view of what will be the petrol station. The fuel tanks below ground have been installed and surrounded in concrete and now the above ground structure is starting to appear. These are some of the posts that will hold the roof canopy up when the petrol station is complete.
Above is a fisheye view of the west side of the store with the tramway running from left to right in the foreground.
One of the external doors on the western side of the store have been fitted into place.
One of the regular photos above looking at the south east corner of the store, with the paved footpath from Harbour road coming in from the right hand side and more landscaping work on the area to the other side of it. Work is continuing on the entrance area of the store near the centre of this photo.
Another fisheye shot above, this time looking at the south facing side of the store with the paving in front of that and the newly landscaped area in the foreground.
Above is an over the fence view of the realm area, where it will join the Underfleet. You can see the majority of paving is complete as well as the pointing to fill gaps. The area at the top should be complete within the next week. Once that is complete, trees and plants can be put in areas where there are gaps.
Another view of the 'realm' area looking towards the toilet block which has had a clean on the outside. Paving has reached as far as the toilets in order for them to be opened again for public use as soon as possible.
Above is one of the regular views looking into the public area, where the youth centre once was, paving is advancing towards this area and earth has been put down in the area on the left where the youth centre building was, ready for landscaping with trees, plants etc.
The photo above was taken at the road junction on Harbour road, using a wide angle fisheye lens. It shouldn't be that long before the road surface is laid.
