While most traders who spoke to the TIMES said they do not oppose the arrival of the discount supermarket in the Borough, several argued that a more central location would have been of greater benefit to the local economy.

John Hunter, proprietor of the One Stop Shop in West Street, claimed granting planning permission for the former Courtaulds site is at odds with the Borough Council’s stated policy of reinvigorating traditional shopping areas.

“There is a town centre plan being drawn up, which is meant to improve the town centre; but how on earth is a site at Courtaulds going to do that? I would welcome another retailer to the town, but the site could have had more thought put into it. The De Courcy Centre is lying half empty and it would be an ideal site,” he suggested.

“We need to look immediately at the number of unused premises in the town and improve the retail base, which is rapidly decreasing, as a matter of urgency. A rate reduction would allow existing shopkeepers and new shopkeepers to develop their business, to the benefit of the town and to the benefit of the council in the form of rates being paid by more shops.

At Brypol Electrical, Pat Clarke said he welcomes any new investment in the Borough, but believes the decision to permit major out of town development can only have been taken by “people who know nothing about retail.”

He added: “it is unfortunate that the town centre has not been targeted as a priority before out of town development and that space was not made available for multinational companies to come to the town centre.

“The public want choice and variety: that includes companies like Lidl, but the town centre would have been a good area, because there is a lot of space and derelict buildings that could have been used. When I look at major towns in England, where the rule is not to permit out of town development, it shows that our business planning in Northern Ireland is slightly behind.”

Roy Hamilton, of Caskers, suggested Lidl would represent a greater threat to Tesco than to small businesses, but agreed that the choice of site means an opportunity has been missed to restore footfall to a town centre hit hard by the relocation of the UK’s largest retailer to Minorca Place.

In the World of Colour store on North Street, Stephen Pegg predicted some town centre traders will suffer following the arrival of Lidl, but said businesses with a specialism the supermarkets cannot match will survive.

“It is very difficult for small retailers, because Lidl cover a lot of things, they have a bit of everything, but fortunately for us they do not have the stuff we have,” he said.

“Maybe they do cosmetics, but they are only touching on it - we do perfume cheaper than competitors and offer ranges that are exclusive to this town; we have loyal customers, people who come from out of town specifically to come to this shop.”