A controversial plan to build a supermarket in the heart of Bingley has earned a resounding thumbs down from residents.

About 80 per cent of Bingley residents rejected the plan to build a supermarket with a new arts centre on top, according to Bradford town planners.

Bradford Council held exhibitions and consultations on plans for a new town centre for Bingley and received nearly 700 comments on proposals from residents, traders and private companies.

Last autumn the Council held an exhibition of its draft proposals which included a traffic scheme to pedestrianise Main Street and four options for the area around the arts centre. The Council received 311 responses to the plans. In February further plans went on display, attracting 378 comments.

The majority of people supported the traffic scheme but opinions were divided about the land around the arts centre.

The most controversial plan, submitted by Leeds property developers St James Securities, involved bulldozing the arts centre and building it on top of a new supermarket and 303 people were against it.

Members of Bingley Operatic Society said the idea to replace the arts centre with a high-class food store was ludicrous.

Today, Charles Hill, of Hill Woolhouse, agents for the developers, said their intention was to bring the area to life with a strong retail centre.

"People assumed that we were going to get rid of the arts centre altogether but that wasn't the intention. We want to build a new arts centre on top of the supermarket because we think that this will encourage more people to come here and spend their money here," said Mr Hill, who is a Bingley resident.

But opponents of the scheme said they wanted the arts centre to remain the focal point of the town and the supermarket would bring in more traffic thus destroying the fabric of Bingley life.

Councillor David Heseltine, chairman of the Shipley Area Committee, said: "The scale of the responses has been tremendous. Some people thought that the eight ideas, including redeveloping the arts centre, were the Council's ideas. They were not - but it is only right they have been published.

"The whole point of these consultations is for the public to have its say and I am pleased that the area committee will be able to make informed decisions, given this level of interest and in some cases, concern."