The rumours that supermarket giant Tesco are planning to open a store on Mill Road are now confirmed with Tesco putting in planning applications for a plant, ATM and signage at the old Wilco site.

The applications were submitted by Tesco in July but are currently "invalid" - that is to say, there was some problem with the application (possibly some essential information missing). The City council informed Tesco on the 31st July that the application was invalid and invited them to resubmit. They have heard nothing from Tesco since.

Mill Road is an extraordinary street on which it is possible to drink Arabic coffee or fine wines; where you can worship in a Mosque, a Hindu shrine or a Baptist church; where you can eat foie gras or fish and chips, tom yum or chicken tikka lababda; where you can stock up on herbs and spices from aam to zedoary.

Alternatively, the mega-chains create a one size fits all version of the world. Suffocating creativity and diversity where ever they go. Britain’s biggest supermarkets present a united front to ensure they’ve stitched up farmers, their workers and customers.

Tesco already controls over 30% of the UK’s grocery market, they don’t need to come here, and we don’t want them. We need to stop Mill Road becoming like every other street in the country.