Early Christmas present for the Crispin

There was some great news earlier in the week for the campaigners who had been fighting to stop Tesco converting the Crispin pub on Ashgate Road into a Tesco Express store.

Unexpectedly Tesco announced that they would not be going ahead with their plans, which had recently received full planning approval after a public inquiry.

Lib Dem local councillors Howard Borrell and Shirley Niblock had been at the forefront of the battle for two years and had helped, within the Save The Crispin campaign group, galvanise the local community in their opposition. Almost certainly Tesco's current financial malaise will have influenced their decision but without a well structured campaign and the delays that it inflicted the pub would, by now, be a fully functioning supermarket.

Shirley commented "It was wonderful news and a great example of how focused community action can really make a difference."

Howard added "The challenge now is to ensure that the pub company (Enterprise) does the right thing and recognises the potential by investing wisely in the premises to ensure a vibrant future. We'll continue to lobby to achieve those outcomes"