Council u-turn on Tesco

And in the wake of an impressive display of people power, at 9am on Tuesday over 500 people had logged on to a 'Facebook' internet site as the campaign to get Tesco at Leyland Road moved forward at pace.

At the Council the crowd gathered outside the front of Sheskburn House and cheered occasionally as they peered in through the windows of the Council chamber.

Some of the crowd carried placards and many had posters calling for the Council to support Tesco coming to Leyland Road.

Some cars sounded their horns in support of the protesters.

Inside the Council chamber nine of the protesters who want Tesco at Leyland Road packed out the public gallery to lobby councillors but one person in the gallery also said many people living immediately beside the Leyland Road site want a Tesco but not there.

Previously a narrow majority of councillors - made up of a total of seven Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors - voted not to back the Leyland Road site.

On Monday night Sinn Fein councillor Paudie McShane brought forward a plan which he said involved an un-named developer offering 15,000 sq ft of shop space for Tesco in a town centre location at Station Road.

He said there would also be an additional 11,000 sq ft of office space on the site.

The four Sinn Fein councillors voted to allow a month to be set aside to see if the Station Road scheme would work,

Sinn Fein councillor Paudie McShane said he believed it would attract "even more jobs to Ballycastle" and if not they would then support Leyland Road.

But eight other councillors - Independents Seamus Blaney, Randal McDonnell and Price McConaghy; the DUP's Robert McIlroy, George Hartin and David McAllister; Ulster Unionist Willie Graham, and the only SDLP councillor present Madeline Black voted against the Sinn Fein plan.

Then when a proposal by Independent councillor Seamus Blaney for the Council to send a letter of support to planners backing Leyland Road the same eight voted for and Sinn Fein changed their previous position in that they did not vote against. Instead they abstained.

But Cllr Madeline Black voted for this time and her two party colleagues Catherine McCambridge and Orla Black - who previously voted against Leyland Road were absent this time round.

Councillors arriving at the Council meeting were met by a crowd in the car park and the Tesco for Leyland Road supporters have formed a new group called ROBUST which stands for Residents of Ballycastle Unanimously Support Tesco.

They said they formed the group because they felt their voice was not previously being heard.

One of the organisers of the protest, Martin McCormick, told the Times on Tuesday morning he was delighted with the Council's change of position but he said planners still have to be persuaded to give Leyland Road the go-ahead.

He said a mammoth blitz of the town to let the feelings of people will now be done and he appealed for anyone who wants a Tesco at Leyland Road to let planners know.

Cllr Graham said thanks to the public there had been a "U-turn we have never seen the like of in this Council chamber".

Cllr Paudie McShane read out a statement to the meeting which said: "I would like to begin by nailing the myth that my party opposes the introduction of Tescos or any other retailer to Ballycastle. That is a complete untruth. I oppose in the strongest terms, other people speaking on my or my party's behalf. I recently attended a public meeting were I was introduced as, 'One of the Shinner's who opposes Tescos coming to Ballycastle.'

"Because of the introduction I wasn't given a fair opportunity to relay Sinn Fein party policy on the proposals. People were rightly angry at being denied a voice. That anger manifest itself in a controlled if hostile manner.

"Sinn Fein policy is clear. Sinn Fein oppose the introduction of out of town locations of all multi-national retailers. Sinn Fein are the only party locally who have actively campaigned to have the situation addressed to the benefit of all concerned.

"In Ballycastle today, a hostile atmosphere is building within the community forming two opposing camps and a situation is developing which could lead to a break down in local community relations. Sinn Fein only want what is best for Ballycastle and its residents as a whole, now and in the future.