A group of protesters campaigning against any of the three supermarket schemes being given the go-ahead demonstrated outside Shipley Library before the committee meeting yesterday.

The Hall Royd Residents Association claim that none of the proposals meet the requirements of the Aire Valley Development Plan, which they say should benefit Shipley town centre and local independent traders. Speaking as council officers and developers arrived to outline their plans, group member Wilfrid Brooks said: “We wouldn’t mind a small supermarket being built in the centre of Shipley to bring people into the town, but these proposals will just lead to traffic chaos and not help with regeneration.”

Inside the meeting, Mr Brooks spoke formally to object to any development by GMI on the current Crossley Evans site.