Town debate over Tesco proposal

The earmarked site is derelict land off a busy main road

In a prosperous North Yorkshire town, a rolling mass of land has stirred a controversy among residents.

This expanse of overgrown wasteland has so far managed to escape the clutches of Tesco.

The rapidly increasing power of the supermarket giant has temporarily ground to a halt in the spa town - the only UK mainland postcode area not to have a store.

A planning application to build a 40,000 sq ft Tesco store on the former gas works site off Ripon Road and Skipton Road was withdrawn days before it was to due be decided upon by planning officers in November.

'More choice'

Tesco said it would submit a revised planning application and its turnaround was because of a commitment to get the store "right" for Harrogate following discussions with planning officers.

But for the town's residents, will that ever be the case?

Those living close to the proposed site are keen to have a local shop.

Residents living near to the store have little objection

Retired Ann Dunn lives on Electric Avenue, a few minutes walk from the earmarked site.

"It will be fantastic," she says, "I don't drive and my nearest shop is the Co-op so it will be great to have the option of more choice."

Her neighbour Phil Underwood said Harrogate councillors would be "idiotic" to refuse it.

Mr Underwood says: "We are talking about creating hundreds of jobs.

"This town has a habit of putting a big blanket over its head and living in the dark ages. We have to move forward with the times."

Opposition to the plans is centred on traffic concerns, rather than a sense of snobbery among residents who feel Tesco does not belong in Harrogate.

Andrew Locking, who lives further away from the proposed site, says: "Skipton Road and Ripon Road are already overloaded with cars. More traffic and it's going to become highly dangerous."

It will definitely kill the weekend trade. They are the big boys and we won't get a look in Newsagent owner Viral Patel

Others are satisfied there is already ample shopping with Asda and Waitrose near the town centre and Sainsbury's and Morrison's on the outskirts.

Andrea Johnson says: "We're a small town and I think there is plenty of places to shop. We don't need another supermarket taking up green space."

Small traders predictably fear suffocation from the retailing powerhouse.

Viral Patel runs Electric Avenue's corner shop and unlike his neighbour's Tesco dreams, he fears it would spell the end of his livelihood.

He says: "This is big competition. We only took over the business in August and had we known about the threat of Tesco we probably would have changed our minds.

"It will definitely kill the weekend trade. They are the big boys and we won't get a look in."

'No threat'

Similarly Louise Mulrooney fears competition even though her family-run grocery business has an established trade in the town centre.

"We have some very good customers who have been coming to us for years but, of course, any competition is a worry, especially for small traders like us."

Not surprisingly, Tesco claims the store will benefit the town's traders.

Max Curtis, Tesco corporate affairs manager, said: "People don't exclusively shop in one place. We have seen evidence of this in other areas where our stores have opened. Small traders have actually benefited from us.

"The reason we have withdrawn at this stage is that we want to get it right for Harrogate.

"We will be resubmitting a revised planning application in due course."