Angry residents take to the streets to demand Tesco store in Ballycastle

Planners have yet to issue a decision on Tesco's plans for a 15,000 square ft store at Leyland Road in the town.

The issue has divided the town with the Chamber of Commerce and a majority of councillors previously opposed to the Leyland Road site.

The Chamber says they are not against Tesco but want them to have a smaller sized store in the town centre.

The fear of many town centre traders is that they could go out of business if Tesco open an edge of town centre store at Leyland Road.

But supporters of Tesco say they want to be able to avail of the multi-national's prices without having to travel to Ballymoney or Coleraine to do their weekly shopping or use other facilities in Ballycastle.

When Tesco originally put in plans for a 30,000 square ft supermarket with a petrol station at Leyland Road a number of years ago planners refused it in 2007 and Tesco eventually withdrew an appeal saying they would review their options.

Tesco has now submitted new plans for the Leyland Road site, which they own, this time for a 15,000 square foot supermarket with no petrol station.

There is also an option of building houses on the site where it is estimated the store would be around half the size of the Ballymoney Tesco store under the current proposals.

In recent months a slim majority - made up of Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors - on Moyle Council declared they were against the Council supporting the Leyland Road site saying they would rather see a smaller town centre location.

It is important to point out that the Council has no power to stop or pass the planning application and they are only a consultee of the planners who make the decision.

Independent councillor Seamus Blaney says no site has come forward in the town centre and he says the people's patience has finally snapped and they want the original large Tesco store and petrol station at Leyland Road.

Cllr Blaney teamed up with a taxi driver - Martin McCormick - who has carried out a survey which he says shows the majority of people want Tesco at Leyland Road.

On Friday a meeting was organised at the home of with Matty McNeill (73) - who is believed to be the person who has resided the longest at Leyland Road.

She also wants to see Tesco coming to Leyland Road.

The meeting was organised at 24 hours notice last week and around 5.30pm on Friday there were extraordinary scenes.

Originally the meeting was planned for inside Matty's home but such was the turnout - estimated at over 100 - they were forced to hold an open-air meeting in her driveway.

Colin Hampsey of Tesco was in attendance and as well as Cllr Blaney at least two other councillors - Sinn Fein's Paudie McShane and SDLP representative Madeline Black - were present.

Both Cllrs McShane and Cllr Black recently voted against Moyle Council sending a letter of support for Tesco to come to Leyland Road.

It is understood there were some tense discussions at the meeting and at times swear words were used.

After the meeting a special 'Facebook' internet site was set up appealing for the public to call for Tesco to come to Leyland Road.

There were more developments on Monday when Matty McNeill went to Impact Printers to get some posters drawn up for a placard-waving protest outside last night's (Monday) meeting of Moyle Council in Ballycastle where Cllr Blaney had the Tesco plans on the table for discussion.

Martin McCormick said he was doing 'free' taxi runs around the town to help ferry people to the protest.

The efforts of Mr McCormick have also been commented upon in recent weeks.

Councillor Blaney originally said the taxi driver had carried out an informal survey of hundreds of people and the vast majority want Tesco to come to Leyland Road.

And in response the Chamber of Commerce - who say they are not against Tesco coming to the town but want an appropriately sized store in a town centre location - asked: "What do we look like to other towns when we are using a taxi driver to conduct surveys?"

Martin McCormick said he decided to speak out publicly himself after that.

Martin (41) is originally from Ballycastle but now lives in Armoy and he runs 'Country Cabs'.

He said many of the people who use his cab are elderly, on benefits or single mothers and the vast majority want to see a Tesco store coming to Ballycastle.

He said the people want to see a full-sized Tesco store with a petrol station and says they would be happy with Leyland Road.

"This is not going to happen down the town but for say 1,000 people that are against this - and I can understand the traders are fighting their corner - there are probably 7,000 people in the town who do want it."

Mr McCormick says at the moment he takes people in his taxi to do shopping in places like ASDA in Coleraine.

His personal view is that Tesco should come to Ballycastle.

"The town is dying and it is like a ghost town. Many shops shut during lunch time and there is half day closing on a Wednesday.

"As a taxi driver I admit I would stand to benefit in taking fares to Tesco if they came to Ballycastle. Taxi drivers have suffered with the Ulsterbus town service in Ballycastle and Community Transport; more taxis in the town and also the cost of fuel so it is about time we got something of benefit to help us," said Martin.

Speaking to the Times on Monday he said he was delighted with the turnout at Friday's meeting and he said a petition is now circulating in Ballycastle for people who want Tesco to come to Leyland Road to sign and he said on Monday over 300 people had signed up to the 'Facebook' campaign.

He said: "In five years the traders only got 33 letters of objection but in five days we got hundreds of people to say they want it."

Matty McNeill is a Tesco supporter and she gets a bus to Ballymoney and then a taxi to and from the bus stop in Ballymoney and then back to Ballycastle by bus after shopping in Tesco there.

She said she was overwhelmed with the response to Friday's meeting in her house.

"We started off in the house but it was too small and we had to move out into the garden even though the meeting was called at very short notice.

"Every time I go down the street in Ballycastle I see a shop closed because people go out to Tesco in Ballymoney and do the rest of their shopping in Ballymoney too. That is bringing people out of our own town and if we had Tesco here people would come into the town from the outlying places and then also shop in the other businesses in Ballycastle.

"The only councillor that has been speaking for us is Cllr Blaney who has been excellent."

Colin Hampsey of Tesco told the Times on Monday he was invited to attend Friday's meeting at Matty McNeill's home.

"People have been very supportive of us and this campaign is a result of that.

"We know the majority of people want our store because they drive in huge numbers to Ballymoney and Coleraine and it seems they are now fed up with this."

Mr Hampsey said they are still awaiting a response from planners on their application and the timescale of an announcement is unknown.

Asked if in the light of the calls for a larger store with a petrol station at Leyland Road would Tesco change their plans to that, he said he had a "never say never" attitude.

Mr Hampsey said Tesco were planning a store costing between 15 and 20 million which would create 110 full and part-time jobs in Ballycastle.

He added: "It is a major investment at a time of tough economic recession and it is encouraging to hear that the silent majority are now coming out to speak in support of us."

Mr Hampsey said there are no suitable alternative sites in Ballycastle town centre and he said the roundabout beside the planned store is only 370 metres from The Diamond.

He said the fact that Ballycastle town centre is a Conservation Area means it would be better for a store to be at Leyland Road and he says such a site would reduce traffic in the town centre.