The likelihood of ASDA's complaints holding any ground is small IMO. I think someone mentioned that the Council welcome the competition and Castleford is an area that needs that. A supermarket will be built in the town and we have a petition saying that 22,000+ people want it on Wheldon Rd.

You'd be surprised what sway the supermarkets have.
It was widely mooted that tesco were after the old Sainsburys site, Sainsburys kicked off and tesco have had to find another site.
I accept the similarities are different, but don't underestimate the size of the nads of the supermarkets.

But ASDA have, as much as I'd guess people will try to point out differently, a monopoly over Castleford in terms of size. Whilst we do have smaller Morrisons and Aldi, they are very small in terms of overall choice of stock compared to ASDA.

As such, we need another big store and like Pontefract, which has a Morrisons, Tesco, small Aldi, small ASDA, Iceland etc all within a stones throw of each other, then I can't see the competition aspect holding water.

It wont as Asda are considered to have a monopoly in Cas and that is why the council want a 2nd larg Supermarket in the town.

I think it would be safe to say that 22K that signed the petition was coerced/swayed by the fact it would supposedly deliver funding for a new ground. Many people don’t seem to understand the negative effect on local communities that Supermarkets have. In fact jobs will be lost from the local community because big Supermarkets with bulk buying power don’t tend to use small local suppliers, out sourced work will tend to go to outside contactors where as local business tend to deal local. The whole eco system of the community economy is shattered. Just have a search on the web for a few documentaries on what Wal-Marts effect on small communities has in the USA it's real eye opener. Supermarkets do not bring wealth to the local community they suck wealth from it. You could say that it's a negative sum game really, because money goes from the local community to big faceless corporations that don't really give anything back. The last thing a town like Cas needs is a Supermarket within walking distance of the town. It's like saying the opening of Trinity Walk was good business for the Ridings.

People in planning are quite aware of the economic argument which is why I find it hard to believe that the chance of a Public Enquiry are slim. I'm no expert on this process but considering the argument I expect the chances of a PI to be quite big.

Really when have the council said that?

www.pontefractandcastlefordexpre ... _1_3797402 Peter Box certainly seems to be onboard as long as it's friendly to the local area. With Opus continuously in discussions with the Council and other stakeholders within the community, I have no fear that they will also work together to ensure that box is ticked.

www.pontefractandcastlefordexpre ... _1_3797402 Peter Box certainly seems to be onboard as long as it's friendly to the local area. With Opus continuously in discussions with the Council and other stakeholders within the community, I have no fear that they will also work together to ensure that box is ticked.

I know. I said that in the opening line you quoted.

The circumstances surrounding this are considerably different. Castleford, as it is now, has very limited shops that people actually want to go to in the town centre. The only possible opposition is the market traders and they are actually on board as are many other community organisations, who may or may not have a vested interest in CTRLFC but do have a vested interest in Castleford as a town.

As such, I don't believe it will be sucking people out of the town centre; again, let's look at Pontefract - I don't think that seems to have suffered despite all the aforementioned supermarkets in my post above. In short, the development could have an opposite effect - creates more jobs, more money in the area, more people spending money in Castleford. Not just that, the whole waterside will be developed down there and will be turned into a thriving mix of retail, industrial and waterside housing.

See the article above for the ambitions shown by the council to create a sustainable, viable and progressive future to start rebuilding Castleford (and its image).

If an application by Opus is submitted in accordance with local and national planning guidlines in relation to a Special Policy Area there will be no Public Inquiry, no matter what commercial objections Asda may have.

IMHO

Unlike Newmarket, WR is not Greenbelt.

Nor is it owned by a third party and hoping to be replaced by another piece of scrounging