LAST week's public inquiry into Tesco's second attempt to build a supermarket on the Bordon Motors site drew evidence from a wide variety of witnesses - from representatives of big business to councillors, council officers and the ordinary shopper.

This week The Herald looks at the arguments which were put forward by all the parties represented at the two-day inquiry, which was wrapped up last Wednesday afternoon.

The inquiry got off to a flying start last Tuesday, with opening statements from both Tesco and EHDC informing the inspector that a second supermarket is needed to provide choice and attract shoppers back into Bordon and Whitehill.

Tesco barrister Christopher Katkowski said: "It is still the case that about half of local residents' expenditure on main food shopping is being spent away from the local area in Bordon.

"In fact they do their main shopping in places like Farnham, Liphook, Petersfield and Alton."

Mr Katkowski said that the opening of a Tesco store would "provide shopping facilities for local people locally".

He said that the fact that the opening of the Lidl store last year had not stopped half of Bordon's residents going outside of the town to shop "speaks volumes".

The QC told the inspector that the proposed Tesco would "claw back" the lost local revenue and encourage those shoppers who travel to Bordon's neighbouring towns to shop locally instead.

He said that Bordon residents want to shop in Bordon and that there would be a "very significant reduction on vehicle mileage from people shopping locally rather than shopping elsewhere".

Mr Katkowski said that the construction of Tesco would "break the stranglehold" of Somerfield in the town and he said that, far from being competition for the supermarket, Lidl acted as a complementary partner to it.

"The effect of taking trade from Somerfield would be to break its monopoly," he said.

He said that the arrival of a second supermarket would "address the identified need" for additional shopping facilities.

Turning his attention specifically to the Forest Shopping Centre, Mr Katkowski said that plans were afoot for the development of two non-food retail units on the land at the corner of Heathcote Road and Forest Road - the remainder of the Phase II expansion site of the centre.

He said that the national discount chain Poundstretcher has already expressed an interest in acquiring one of the retail units once they are built.

Mr Katkowski also pointed to a legal agreement between Stockbourne and Lidl, barring the Forest Shopping Centre owner from selling the remainder of the Phase II site to a food retailer, meaning that Tesco would be unable to take up position there.

In his opening statement EHDC's barrister Richard Langham echoed the view that Tesco would provide "meaningful competition" and would help meet local shopping needs.

He said: "Most local people want this store and so do elected councillors."

Mr Langham said that the application was in keeping with planning guidance which encourages greater public transport provision and improved foot and cycleway networks - all of which Tesco has agreed to fund.

He said that it was the view of the previous inspector at the first inquiry two years ago that the Bordon Motors site, currently designated for housing and employment, could be instead used for shopping facilities if there was a recognised need.

He said that there was no shortage of housing land within the district and the loss of 0.5 hectares of housing land would not be significant.

Michael Bedwell, who gave evidence on behalf of Tesco, supported the view that the provision of a Tesco store away from the Forest Shopping Centre would not increase traffic along the A325, but in fact decrease it.

In his evidence Mr Bedwell said that the combination of improved links to the site and the fact that shoppers will remain in the town will save 3.2 million km vehicle movements a year.

Mr Bedwell also pointed to a shopping survey which rubbishes the "misconceived" view that trips to the independent traders in the centre were generally linked to trips to Somerfield and Lidl.

The survey, which showed that only 11 per cent of those trips were linked, provided comprehensive evidence that the small traders would be unaffected by Tesco.

Giving evidence, EHDC planning manager Ian Ellis said that the district council would like to see the Forest Shopping Centre developed further to strengthen its position.

However he argued that this would be best achieved by the construction of smaller retail units creating a "shopping mall" effect.

Mr Ellis said that in his opinion the sole development of the remnant of the Phase II site "would not meet local needs".

However not all of the evidence which was put before the inquiry was in Tesco's favour.

David Corfield, a planning advisor for Lidl, said that he had concerns about the effect that the proposed Tesco would have on the stores in the Forest Centre.

Mr Corfield said that he stood by written evidence from Lidl that the opening of the rival supermarket could lead to the closure of Somerfield which would, in turn, "rip the heart out of the Forest Centre".

Instead the planner suggested that the remnant of the Phase II site would be suitable for meeting "some of the need" in Bordon and argued that, as with the last planning inquiry into a Tesco application two years ago, Tesco had not fully explored this option.

He also indicated that Lidl may forgo its legal agreement to prevent the siting of another food store at the centre.

However Mr Corfield disputed that Somerfield has a monopoly in Bordon and said that the construction of Lidl now meant that shoppers have the choice of two food stores.

He said that Lidl had not yet established a "mature trading pattern" and that he expected the discount chain's trade to gradually grow over the next five years, which will make its challenge to the strength of Somerfield in the town even stronger.