ONE of the biggest planning protests ever mounted is expected in Mirfield today.
Organisers of a campaign to stop Tesco developing a former pub site believe more than 1,000 people could be out on the streets on Saturday.
They expect many hundreds to gather in Mirfield Showground off Huddersfield and walk through the town centre to Ings Park.
Some 5,000 flyers about the march and rally have been distributed by a newly-formed action group of residents and business leaders who claim the Tesco plan is wrong for Mirfield.
The supermarket giant wants to develop the former Black Bull pub in the centre of the town as an Express store.
Tesco insist the store will become a welcome part of Mirfield, would provide local jobs and would contribute to the health and vitality of the town.
An earlier demonstration against the plans – which can partly go ahead without Kirklees Council planning permission – attracted about 150 people.
Clr Martyn Bolt, who is backing the campaign, said: “We are hoping that this rally will attract at least 1,000 people.
“It is an issue in which many people in Mirfield feel very strongly and we want to galvanise that support.
“The Black Bull has been a hostelry for more than a century and it is a key location in the centre of Mirfield. No-one wants it to stay empty, but there are many other uses which would be more suitable, such as a bar or restaurant.
“The developers are already hard at work on the site and we need to take action now if we are to stop the Tesco plan”.
The protest is being co-ordinated by Mirfield Action Group who have now formed a steering group to lead the protests.
It is not the first time Tesco have found themselves subjected to fierce opposition.
A big campaign was mounted when the firm planned a superstore on land off New Mill Road, Holmfirth, and they faced protests, too, when they announced plans for a convenience store in North Road, Kirkburton, on the site of a former filling station.
Meanwhile, the protests have been stirred up by a Twitter debate involving Kirklees Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan.
He has posted tweets to objectors which many claim are supporting Tesco.
A Tesco spokesman said: “Our experience elsewhere is that businesses close by benefit from the additional footfall that our Express stores bring.”
The company can begin work on interior changes to the pub but will have to seek permission from Kirklees Council for a new frontage and signs.
