THE planning application by supermarket giant Tesco last week received the thumbs up at a special meeting of Tavistock Town Council.

The application for a store on the old Focus DIY site by the town's Pymouth Road is likely to be decided by planning authority West Devon Borough Council in September.

Cllr Dick Eberlie said there were two serious issues to consider — traffic congestion in the area, and the effect of a new supermarket on the town centre.

He said:?'It would be in Tesco's interests to lose a bit of car parking in order to create a mini roundabout.

'As to the town centre, I remain of the view that our economy is very fragile, any slight change in situation damages Tavistock. Almost monthly we seem to be losing shops — it's very vulnerable and we are only just keeping our heads above water.'

Cllr Eberlie proposed the council should object to the application, but his proposal fell.

Peter Harding, of Fairway Furniture, from the public gallery, told councillors that Tavistock Chamber of Commerce was due to vote at a special meeting on Monday on the Tesco application.

He added that Marchfield Properties, which owned the site, had invited the chamber to submit suggestions for town centre improvements which could be included within the Section 106 conditions applied to any planning consent.

Mr Harding, who is in favour of the application, along with chamber members who trade on the Plymouth Road Industrial Estate, said: 'We were very disappointed that the chamber has decided not to put forward any suggestions, which we regard as almost ignoring the issue. We thought the town council should be aware of this.'

Cllr Mandy Ewings said: 'I can't believe they could let a developer off scot-free like that — they say they are representing the town centre and to not put any suggestions forward for the betterment of it, that could be binding on the developer, I think is absolutely appalling.'

Cllr Ewings stressed that the Section 106 agreement needed 'beefing up' and that 'every i should be dotted and t crossed' ahead of a planning decision.

She asked if Marchfield would be 'actively encouraging' new tenants into the units owned by them behind the Focus site. She was concerned that traffic was going to be an issue, particularly for cars turning right out of the retail park, and she questioned the suggestion that cars would be permitted to park at Tesco for up to three hours, in what was already a small car park.

But Cllr Ewings said despite her concerns, she was in favour of the application.

'I don't think Tesco is something to be frightened of. It's not selling gifty things, which is what Tavistock town centre specialises in. It's going to be small, I think the business it's most likely to affect is Morrisons and hopefully the businesses around it will get busier and employ more people — that's what I would really like to see.'

Town mayor Cllr Harry Smith said the town council had to consider the effect of the application on the whole town and its residents, not just the centre, and bear in the mind the extra 750 houses due to be built in coming years.

Cllr Anne Johnson said while she still feared 'absolute gridlock' on the roads in the area, she proposed the council should support the application.

'To bring jobs to the town is very important, not only those created by Tesco, but others on the industrial estate — I think that's a real opportunity.'

Cllr Johnson said shopping in the town centre and the weekly supermarket shop were 'two wholly different markets'.

Richard James, of Marchfield Properties, told councillors the proposed Tesco store was small by its own standards.

He said a detailed retail study had calculated the proposed store would have a 1.5% negative impact on the town centre — far less than a previous rejected application by Sainsburys, which had been calculated at 14%.

'It is vital to bring this high quality unit back into economic use,' said Mr James.

Clive Burbridge, of Iceni Projects, which undertook the transport assessment in support of the application, said: 'Tesco's own consultants aren't interested in moving to a unit they don't believe would work effectively — the whole dynamics of the road network in that area will change,' he said.

The council decided to support the application on employment grounds and that it would reduce the amount of shoppers going to other towns. It noted it would like to be kept fully involved with Section 106 negotiations.

Speaking after the meeting, chamber chairman Nigel Eadie said the council's decision was 'a massive kick in the seat for the local traders of the town'.

'I am gobsmacked. This decision is absolutely outrageous, I am massively disappointed, annoyed and frustrated by this delusionary decision, it almost beggars belief.

'As far as we are concerned, the vast majority of the chamber members do not want this supermarket to be where it is.'

Mr Eadie said it was not the chamber's place to become involved in Section 106 negotiations, which was a matter for the developer and borough council — this was why the chamber had made no comment on the issue.