FOR a decade Elland residents have fought for a supermarket in their town.
Many faced having to travel into Huddersfield, Brighouse or Halifax to do all their shopping under the roof of a giant superstore.
Plans were submitted, consulted over and rejected by Calderdale Council with problems over land issues, highways and suitability.
It all came to a head this year, however, with two retail giants going up against each other.
Morrisons and Asda both submitted their own plans for Elland – and one had overwhelming support from the public.
And now Morrisons has got the support from the Secretary of State for planning to go ahead and build Elland’s first superstore.
Hundreds turned out to support the Morrisons bid at the planning committee and it would have taken a brave councillor to reject their views.
The Asda application is at something of a crossroads with councillors voicing concerns over highways issues.
But the 10 year saga shows that with the public’s support a supermarket plan can succeed, as it has done in Elland.
In Huddersfield the situation is very much different.
There is already a wide choice in the town with protestors battling to prevent any more superstore developments.
It will be for the Secretary of State to debate the Tesco and Asda plans, but, as in Elland, the public has a voice and it must be heard and heeded
