Residents of Ilkley will be given up to 13 weeks to make their feelings known on Tesco's new supermarket plan.

Ilkley planning officer Martyn Burke has now confirmed that the plan will not go on public display until after Christmas, and the official consultation and consideration period will be 13 weeks.

The senior Bradford Council planning officer also says the plans to build a bigger store on the Spooner Industries Ltd site, in Mayfield Road, may have to be determined by Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee rather than a planning panel.

Tesco last week submitted its long-awaited scheme for a new, larger supermarket on Mayfield Road, to replace its current Springs Lane store.

It also submitted an outline planning application to Bradford Council for a mix of business units, a retirement home and a restaurant on the Springs Lane land.

The submission of the plan ends six months of speculation by residents, after Tesco revealed its proposals and held initial consultation sessions in June.

Mr Burke has confirmed that the plans are accompanied by detailed studies on traffic done by consultants working for the company, and a study detailing the likely impact of a new store on the character of Ilkley.

But he said the plan has yet to be fully checked and validated by officers, and the 13 week period will not begin until early in January.

Meanwhile, opposition group Ilkley Residents Against Tesco Encroachment (IRATE), is writing to all Valley Drive residents over concerns about Tesco trucks using the residential street to get to the store if the plans go ahead.