There are legitimate concerns about the opening of a Tesco Express store in Idle and the effect it could have on other traders.

Businesses undoubtedly find it difficult to compete with the supermarket chains when they open this type of store in their areas.

But it would be wrong to simply brand any store of this type as a bad thing when this quite clearly isn’t the case.

There are many areas where a Tesco Express or another supermarket chain’s equivalent would actually be an asset. Indeed, there will be many employees of Morrisons in Bradford hoping that their first sally into this market in Ilkley will prove a success.

There is little doubt that such places provide a convenient place to shop, particularly late at night, and they wouldn’t be expanding at such a rate if there wasn’t a market.

Unfortunately, it can often mean an almost impossible and unequal battle for local shops like butchers, bakers, and greengrocers to compete because of the buying and discounting power the chains wield. The success of the supermarkets has contributed to the decline of independent traders.

It would seem those objecting to the store in Idle have a strong argument.

The volume of letters and e-mails opposing it – 80 compared with just six in favour in response to a local councillor’s survey – indicates it isn’t wanted by the Idle community. The last thing they want to see is their existing small businesses having to close down.

Villagers will decide whether they continue to support their local shops or not if Tesco get the go ahead.

If they back the smaller shops, they may well survive. But if they choose the supermarket convenience store instead, it will be difficult to sympathise once the independents have gone.