It will be a terrible irony if a major redevelopment intended to breathe new life into Bingley town centre instead weakens it by leaving it without a supermarket. Yet that is the fear as a decision draws near on the £11 million refurbishment of Myrtle Walk.

Councillors must decide whether or not the developers, Donaldson, are to be allowed to partly demolish the precinct and rebuild it, increasing the size and adding a 622-space car park.

It is just the sort of investment that Bingley needs. However, the danger is that in the process it might lose its supermarket if Safeway, which is currently based in Myrtle Walk, moves to the former Auction Mart site in Keighley Road.

It is a difficult decision for the councillors and for Safeway. If the supermarket does move to this out-of-town site, it will attract car-bound shoppers and lure them away from the shopping centre. The many elderly people living close to the town centre will find it harder to do their shopping.

Yet if Safeways has to close while the redevelopment goes ahead, it will risk losing its share of the market as supermarket shoppers take their custom elsewhere. The company is also said to oppose multi-story parking, believing that its customers do not like it.

It is vital that the new-look Bingley has a central supermarket. Without one, it surely cannot reap the full benefits of its facelift. If that supermarket is not to be Safeways, it is to be hoped that the developers and the Council between them are able to attract an equally impressive alternative.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.