INITIAL REPORT ON TESCO OPEN MEETING

A fuller report, on the open meeting to discuss the Tesco proposed development of their Hibel Road store, will follow later.

Several speakers made presentations.

This was my own:

Latest figures on supermarket expansion, collated by CBRE, the world`s leading commercial property and real estate services adviser, following an exhaustive study of planning applications lodged with UK councils.

Their study shows that 3.88million square feet of new supermarkets are currently under construction. There is planning permission for another 21.45million square feet and proposals for a further 19.08million.

The total of 44.41million square feet of new supermarkets in the pipeline is up by 54 per cent on the amount planned five years ago and a 25 per cent expansion on the current 171million square feet.