'GHOST TOWN' WARNING FOR BARNSTAPLE

11.51.00am GMT Thu 11th Mar 2010

Barnstaple could become a ghost town if Tesco is allowed to build a store half-a-mile from the High Street, North Devon's MP has warned.

Nick Harvey said the supermarket giant's plan to replace its Brian Ford's shop with an Extra store might have a "devastating" impact.

"People have seen elsewhere a ghost town effect after superstores have opened," he said.

"Town centre businesses in Barnstaple, if not exactly thriving, have at least survived. And when failures have occurred, alternative businesses have taken their place.

"But if we see a shiny new one-stop shopping centre at Seven Brethren, the danger is footfall in the traditional shopping area will fall, potentially tipping the balance of viability against some businesses."

These comments were first published in today's North Devon Journal