Spotted on Friday 11 February 2011 on thisiscornwall.co.uk

Plans of supermarket giants frustrated

Four supermarkets battling for planning permission to build in a Cornish town have been left frustrated after none of the rival bids were accepted.

It took councillors on Cornwall's strategic planning committee more than eight hours to finally decide on the plans, which have divided the community in Hayle.

On the table are plans for sites next to the A30 from Asda and Sainsbury's, plus bids for more central spots from Morrisons and Hayle Harbour developer ING.

Sainsbury's bid was turned down on the grounds that community benefit did not outweigh its disadvantages, while councillors deferred a decision on the others until further information is available. It could be up to five months before the plans are debated again. Residents and business leaders in Hayle have battled both for and against the plans. Some saying supermarkets will kill off the independent traders, while others say a big-name development would encourage new shoppers to the town.