For the last 379 days, and counting, local campaigners have managed to thwart Tesco's plans to open an express store on Cambridge's Mill Road. The street has a large number of mainly independent shops, and therefore has a unique character in these days where every town center and shopping street houses the same set of franchises.

The former site of an automotive discount store, the Wilco building has been standing empty for over a year now. When local residents learned of Tesco's plans, they formed the No Mill Road Tesco campaign group (  http://www.nomillroadtesco.org ), organizing

* a petition that raised more than four thousand signatures,
* various demos outside the site, and
* a march along Mill Road that attracted some 500 demonstrators.

In May the groundfloor of the building was squatted and turned into a social centre (  http://millroadsocialcentre.wordpress.com ). The space, after being cleared and redecorated, hosted a large number of events, including dance classes, art exhibitions, acoustic gigs and a comedy night. Breaking promises made at their possession hearing, Tesco called in the bailiffs in July, confident that their appeal to an earlier refusal of their planning application would be upheld. As it turns out, it wasn't. Since then Tesco have launched two further appeals, the first of which was resoundingly rejected earlier this week [Wednesday 12 November], on the grounds that twice daily deliveries by more then ten metre long delivery trucks would cause havoc on this already dangerous stretch of road, that is used by a large number of cyclists.

There will be a second public enquiry, regarding alternative proposals, leading to a further waste of public money. This is Tesco's chosen strategy - to keep appealing until local councils and residents run out of money or their strength of will. The latter is unlikely to happen, though. Local residents simply do not want Tesco to move in and destroy a unique street. Tesco already take 51 pence out of every grocery pound spend in Cambridge, and Mill Road is well served by a Coop supermarket 30 yards down the road, as well as local greengrocers and ethnic supermarkets.

The full Appeal decision letter from the Government Inspector can be read at  http://www.nomillroadtesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/appeal1result.pdf