THE OWNERS of Tavistock's former Focus building are willing to enter a binding agreement to prevent any future expansion of Tesco should permission be granted for a supermarket on the site.

Speaking at a chamber of commerce meeting on Monday, Richard James from Marchfield Properties assured members there was no intention of expanding the site in the future, even though the company owned the building to the rear which is currently leased to Howdens Joinery.

Members asked for a cast iron guarantee that in five years' time the supermarket giant would not end up with a store double the size of that proposed.

Mr James said with Marchfield being freeholders of the site it had ultimate control of what happened there.

He said:?'It is quite appropriate, if West Devon Borough Council agrees, for us to enter into a legal agreement that states we are bound by the existing footprint.'

The Marchfield representative said the supermarket would be less than half the size of the Sainsbury proposal for an out of town store five years ago and therefore have a significantly less impact on the town centre.

The Sainsbury proposal was rejected by the borough council and the decision was upheld on appeal, one of the main reasons being it would be detrimental to the high street.

Over the last few weeks Tavistock Chamber of Commerce has again voiced its objection to any supermarket applications which are out of the town.

Chamber members asked Marchfield for a copy of the retail impact study carried out by its consultants, which will be submitted with the planning application for a Tesco store within the next two weeks. It is the chamber's opinion that any impact on the town centre is too much.

Mr James said he was aware of the concerns from businesses, although 76% of the public who came to a two-day public exhibition about the plans were supportive of them.

He said one of the suggestions that could possibly be written into the legal agreement, if planning permission was agreed and the borough council approved, was a financial contribution from themselves as the developer, towards parking provision in the town centre to benefit traders there.

He claimed there were mistakes in the retail study carried out by independent consultants on behalf of the borough council as 20% of the floorspace of Morrisons was taken up with non-food items, therefore giving extra capacity for a new medium-sized foodstore in the town.

He said 90% of the Tesco store would be food with a few other items such as beauty products and magazines but no café, pharmacy or opticians.

Marchfield Properties has been marketing the former Focus building for two years, but the only businesses that were interested were supermarkets, the meeting was told.

Owner of Whitchurch Post Office Terry Kelly said to Mr James: 'You have been trying to let this building during the depths of the worst recession we have ever seen.

'We have been told things are getting better and house prices are picking up. If this town decides it does not want a supermarket then you would have to work harder to let the building to someone the town does want, like a bulky goods store or a DIY store.'

Business owner Mike Harper said the 300 or so people that came to the exhibition was fewer than 1.4% of the population of Tavistock so the 76% in favour was not a true reflection of the townspeople.

There were concerns raised about the junction to the Plymouth Road Retail Park where the Tesco store would be situated and the need for improvements there to accommodate the extra traffic.

Mr James said there would be an additional left-hand turn created from the park into the main road, but chamber members stressed there should an extra lane for people travelling back towards Tavistock.

Mr James said Marchfield wanted to be 'totally transparent' in the planning process and wanted to work with the chamber and local people. He said in terms of timescale the Tesco store could be open by the end of the year.