A PUBLIC inquiry will be held after an appeal by supermarket chain Tesco over restrictions on the goods it sells at its Brighouse store.

An inspector from the Department of the Environment will hold a two-day public inq- uiry at Halifax Town Hall, starting on May 5 at 10am.

He will hear the cases of Tesco and Calderdale Council and will also listen to views from the public.

Six weeks later he will give his verdict.

The supermarket giant lodged an appeal with the Secretary of State for the Environment in September 2003, because it wanted to increase the space it was allowed to use for selling `comparison goods' at the Clifton Road store.

These include clothes, household items and white goods such as fridges, washers and microwaves.

Tesco wants to increase the space for these goods from 15% of the net retail sales area to 35%.

The company had initially accepted the 15% laid down in planning conditions by Calderdale Council when permission was given for the store in November 2001.

The plans were given the go-ahead after a public inquiry in March 2001.

The store finally opened last summer.

A spokeswoman for Calderdale Council said: "The condition was put on because of other shops in the area, to allow them to compete."

She said the council would produce a statement in May detailing why it still feels 15% is a suitable figure.

The statement will be available for public viewing from May 14 at Halifax Town Hall.