FOREST councillors have voted to accept a proposal to build an Asda supermarket on the site of the old Federal Mogul factory – while at the same time dismissing Sainsbury's proposals to build their supermarket on land off Naas Lane.

Supporters and opponents of the two

large-scale proposed super­­market developments turned out in force, making the public gallery area of the council chamber standing room only.

Hearing the two cases side by side – although at times it seemed they actually overlapped – the councillors heard that the two developments would not only be in competition with each other, but also with Lydney town centre itself.

This led to comparisons between the two schemes – and the arguments hinged around the relative merits of the larger Sainsbury's store, on a rural greenfield site and Asda's smaller development, on a brownfield site beside the new Oakfield housing estate, which would provide employment for the area. This is through a loan being made by Asda to aid J D Norman (formerly Federal Mogul) to build a new finishing shop, which would safeguard around 200 jobs at the company, which when added to the store and petrol station staff makes a total of 450 jobs.

Support was offered by many councilllors for the residents of the Oakdale estate, who were described by Cllr James Bevan as: "the forgotten people of Lydney." Their plight in being 'cut off' from the rest of the town appealed to the councillors, who saw the estate as being a good guarantee that all the pledges in the Asda application would be honoured.

Much of the discussion around the council chamber centred on the contributions from both the applicants – which are 'mitigating' funds which are earmarked for improving the town centre to offset a reduced footfall caused by the arrival of either new store.

At the final vote on the Sainsbury's store, eight councillors voted for the recommendation from their officers that the application be refused, against seven votes for acceptance.

The voting came even closer at the end of the hearing about the Asda proposals, with seven councillors voting for their acceptance and seven against. The deadlock was broken by the chairman of the committee Cllr Terry Glastonbury, who ruled that Asda could go ahead. This will be after the Secretary of State for Communities, Eric Pickles, has viewed the proposals.

Asda has said that their timescale for the development could see the new store and petrol station opening 'by the end of next year.'