Tesco: latest developments

10.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 29th Sep 2006

The "Say No to Tesco in Darlington!" campaign's petition, available to sign in shops throughout the town centre and inside the Cornmill on Saturdays, has now reached 8,000 signatures: well on the way to exceed its target of 10,000.

News from the roadshow and various meetings with groups such as CVS suggest the overwhelming view of local residents is opposed to the Tesco proposal.

So far, despite letters to Ada Burns and questions in Council, no reply has yet been received to an important question: "Did the Council, as the freeholder, know in advance (and therefore implicitly or explicitly give approval) of the deal done between Arriva, as leaseholder, and Tesco, to give Tesco first refusal on the land on which the bus station is built?" If they did, does not this represent pre-determination on the part of the Council? If they did not, why not? As freeholders and custodians of a valuable plot of land within the town centre, shouldn't the Council know what its leaseholder is up to?