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Whitby store bids: new meeting
A PUBLIC meeting has been called a week before a decision is due to be made on the town's supermarket bids.
It is being organised by Whitby Town Council on Thursday 22 July at Whitby Pavilion – a week before the proposed meeting of Scarborough Borough Council's planning and development committee, which will vote on whether to approve plans for a Tesco, Sainsbury's and a 3m extension to Whitby's Co-op.
The date of the planning meeting on Thursday 29 July could still be subject to change.
The public meeting will be a chance for people to voice their views and concerns about the proposed supermarket developments.
The news comes as the Whitby Gazette launched its own consultation on the great supermarket debate asking readers to vote online for which proposal they would like to see in the town.
They can also vote and comment on the plans on the Whitby Gazette's website at www.whitbygazette.co.uk, email in their views to editorial@whitbygazette.co.uk or write to the editor at our offices in Bridge Street.
As the paper went to press yesterday, there had been more than 3,000 votes on our online poll with Sainsbury's leading the way with 49% of the vote, followed by Tesco with 42% and the Co-op extension with just 9%.
Whitby Town Council has also put together a questionnaire on the supermarkets which we will publish in this Friday's paper.
The results will be collated and presented to the residents at the public meeting on 22 July.
Representatives from three supermarket bids are being invited to attend the meeting as well as Scarborough Borough Council's ward councillors for Whitby and other interested parties.
The town's mayor, Terry Jennison, admitted the battle over the supermarket applications was one of the biggest decisions the town had faced in recent years.
While he declined to discuss his preferred option, Coun Jennison said: "It is a very emotive issue, and one which has split the town.
"It is very important that the people of Whitby attend the meeting as it will be a final chance for them to air their views before a decision is made by Scarborough Council."
Members of campaign group Whitby Residents Against Tesco will speak at the meeting to outline the case against creating the supermarket on land at High Stakesby.
Concerns have been raised over the impact that the development will have and protesters have now collected more than 3,200 signatures with Friends of the Earth adding its support.
Spokeswoman Helen Barker who lives near the site has hit back at the Sisters of the Holy Paraclete, who have defended their decision to sell the land.
She said: "We would argue that, rather than being beneficial to the town of Whitby, the proposed Tesco store would be detrimental to the commercial wellbeing of the town centre and Whitby as a whole.
"It would lead to shop closures and local job losses which would not be to the benefit of local residents and visitors to the town."
And co-ordinator of Whitby and District Friends of the Earth, Dr Ian Clark said there is nothing "green" about Tesco's plans to build an eco store on the site.
"It's like saying we should build on Pannett Park," he said.
The public meeting organised by Whitby Town Council will be held in Whitby Pavilion's Northern Lights Suite at 7.30pm on 22 July.
Questionnaires can be returned to Whitby Town Council's offices in Pannett Park, Whitby Coliseum in Station Square and the Whitby Gazette's offices in Bridge Street.
They can also be downloaded from Whitby Town Council's website at www.whitbytowncouncil.gov.uk.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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