Tesco expansion plan is rejected

Protestors dressed as ghosts to object to Tesco's plans

Plans to extend a Tesco supermarket in an Oxfordshire town have been rejected at a council meeting.

Protesters were at a Vale of White Horse District Council meeting on Monday to oppose the plan, which they said would be detrimental to Abingdon.

Traders, who feared the development would take business away from them in the town centre, said they were "elated" at the decision.

Tesco said it is "disappointed" and it is considering its options.

Jill Carver, from the Abingdon Chamber of Commerce, told the BBC that Tesco's plans did not fit in with the council's local plan.

"I think we've temporarily won, we may have won the battle but not the war," she said

'Met expectations'

"We've been very concerned about the effect of it being so close to our town centre and being so big."

But Julian Walker-Palin, of Tesco, said the company is "committed" to improving its Abingdon store.

"We have now been working with Vale of White Horse District Council officials for 28 months and to this end we consider that we have met, and indeed exceeded, all requests that have been asked of Tesco," he said.

"We are extremely disappointed with the council's decision to turn down our application."