PLANS to put a prime Poulton town centre site up for supermarket bids have sparked fury.

Wyre Council policy committee last week agreed to invite bids for the Teanlowe car park after hearing that 34 supermarket developers had already expressed interest.

The scheme's supporters say it would encourage Poulton's expanding population to shop in the town centre, with spin-off trade for existing shops - but opponents say it would destroy the character of the town, whose roads are already choked with traffic, turning shoppers away.

The council decided to offer the site after opposing a supermarket plan for Breck Road/ Station Road, maintaining its edge-of-town location would harm town centre shops. That scheme is due for appeal on June 15.

Poulton resident Coun Geoff Horrocks supports the Teanlowe scheme: "What Poulton's needed for a long time is a medium size supermarket. It has small ones but a lot of people go out of town for their main weekly shop."

Wyre MP Hilton Dawson said: "It's very much in line with government policy to support town centre development as opposed to out of town. Though there's a part of me that says there shouldn't be any supermarket development in Poulton, town centres can't stand still and it would be helpful to attract more people, as long as it worked with and complemented the quality and variety of shops we already have."

A leading opponent is ward councillor Peter Hawley, who because his wife runs a town centre business cannot take part in any council decisions on the matter.

"I'm totally disgusted and opposed to it," he said. "I'm very concerned that the council has in principle agreed to sell the land without taking into consideration any public comment whatsoever.

Poulton's infrastructure cannot stand another major development such as this. It's a market town, we're trying to make it into a shopping complex which would be detrimental to the heart of Poulton."

Poulton Chamber of Trade chairman Jeanette Morley could see arguments for both sides: "The chamber will not be discussing this till the end of May, but speaking personally, Poulton has three supermarkets already as well as smaller shops that offer more than a supermarket ever can."

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