THERE will be a mixed reaction to the news that supermarket giant Sainsbury's has pulled out of its ambitious bid to build a community store in Otley.

For some people, the scheme would have provided a much-needed catalyst for the regeneration of the Bondgate site which, at the moment, is a hotch-potch of different buildings and frankly something of a mess.

A new supermarket would have also provided much-needed rivalry for Safeways elsewhere in the town and would certainly have proved a magnet for shoppers across Wharfedale, Aireborough and even Horsforth.

It would have also led to the restoration of the dilapidated tannery buildings next door - an historic building crying out for sensitive redevelopment.

The Bondgate site is on a major entrance to the town, and if Otley is serious about establishing itself as a major tourist magnet, that site is going to have to be tidied up.

But there are others in the town who think a new Sainsbury's would have sounded the death-knell for existing shops in the town centre, which are also fighting for survival in harsh trading conditions. There were also concerns about extra traffic.

But overall this has got to be a missed opportunity for Otley. This was a chance to get a prestigious name into the town with all the associated knock-on benefits, including higher house prices, more competition in the town and not least more choice of goods. Otley would have also got a new fire station out of it.

It does the town no favours in the eyes of outsiders to hear that such a big name has pulled out of a chance to move in and regenerate one of the town's most rundown areas.

We can only hope that another developer sees the value of the site - particularly the tannery - and decides to redevelop it into flats or something similar, otherwise there will be an unsightly blot on that site for many years to come.