TESCO campaigners are confident that they can win the battle to bring a supermarket to the town "if everyone sticks together".

At a pre-inquiry meeting the pro-Tesco action group made a plea for all residents to be supportive throughout the inquiry, which gets underway in four days' time.

Campaigners Lee White and Jo Rogers, who organised the public meeting, were disappointed at the low turnout compared with the group's previous meeting, which was attended by 100 people.

However the overall feeling was positive, with the main message to residents to make sure that their views are heard by the planning inspector who will examine in detail the planning application for a store on the Bordon Motors site.

The inspector will then make a recommendation to John Prescott as to whether the application should be granted or turned down, with the deputy prime minister having the final say.

Jo Rogers said: "It is something which we believe that this community wants and needs.

"We have a positive attitude and we are not giving up yet.

"This is our opportunity to show everybody that we are still alive in Bordon and that we still want our Tesco store."

Lee White said: "We must show our support by our presence at the inquiry.

"We must get as many people there as possible, just to show the inspector that there are so many people interested in this that they will make time to go to the inquiry.

"I am not saying that everyone should sit all the way through it, but just to pop their heads in."

The duo gave a presentation about the Tesco application, explaining the details of the proposals and what kind of road changes and improvements will take place if it gets the go-ahead.

These include an extension of the Bordhill bus service, the construction of a cycleway, new traffic lights, as well as light and road improvements costing, the group estimated, a total of £440,000.

Rumours that the supermarket was going to open 24 hours a day were dismissed, and residents were told that the proposed store would not have a pharmacy, a post office or a dry cleaners.

The pair also tackled the sensitive issue of the impact that the store would have on the Forest Shopping Centre and Somerfield.

Lee White explained that Liphook, with a population half the size of Bordon, had two supermarkets (Somerfield and Sainsbury's); Alton, with a slightly larger population, has the same two supermarkets while Petersfield, which has a smaller population, would soon boast three supermarkets.

She pointed to Farnham as an example of what will happen if the Tesco application is successful

She said that when the proposals were put forward to build the Sainsbury's supermarket in Water Lane, Farnham, the same argument that the supermarket would take trade away from the town centre was put forward.

"The town centre is now more prosperous than it has ever been," she said.

The action group has produced sample letters addressed to the planning inspector which supporters and protesters alike can fill in to register their views.

Mrs White said: "What we are asking you to do is fill in the letters and then get ten of your friends to do the same; then they get ten other people to fill in the letters, creating a snowball effect.

"If we all work together, we can all show our support."

Bordon's MP James Arbuthnot attended the meeting, as did town clerk Linda Tiley, town councillor Jean Fox and district councillors Zoya Faddy and David Kidd.

Mr Arbuthnot echoed the sentiments of the pro-Tesco action group and said he supported the application because he believes it will spark a regeneration of Bordon.

"Last year I went to visit the Mill Chase School and I talked to the children at Mill Chase about what they would like me to do," he said.

"They told me that the trouble with Bordon is that it hasn't got anything.

"I think that Bordon really needs to be regenerated and that this will start it all off."

The MP said he believed the presence of Tesco will encourage local residents who currently travel to other towns to do their shopping to stay in Bordon.

He also said that it would bring more choice to Bordon and that other high street stores will follow Tesco to the town.

Zoya Faddy repeated her call for those residents who have not made their feelings known about the application to write to the inspector or speak at the inquiry.

The planning inquiry at the Forest Community Centre is scheduled to last six days and will get underway on Tuesday, starting at 10 am.

p While Bordon anxiously prepares for the planning inquiry, The Herald takes an in-depth look at the history and issues which surround the application - Page 3.