WE have some sympathy with the Richmondshire district councillors who tried to put a halt to Tesco's expansion plans at Catterick Garrison.

They wanted to protect Richmond town centre from further competition and felt an even bigger supermarket a few miles away would just draw more and more people from the town.

It is an understandable reaction but fundamentally misplaced. The problems experienced by traders in Richmond town centre existed long before Tesco or even the Co-op arrived on the scene.

The councillors, and those traders who bitterly complain about the "Tesco effect", should understand that Richmond town centre cannot hope to compete with the modern large supermarket and should not attempt to do so. Its future lies in specialist retailing which complements what is offered at Catterick Garrison.

Progress is being made in Richmond with the arrival in recent years of new specialist retailers and more will be needed to make the town even more desirable as a place to shop for those things Tesco will never stock.

Next month the second Richmond Retail Awards, sponsored by the Darlington & Stockton Times, will be held. We trust this celebration of retailing excellence will boost the confidence of town centre businesses and convince the doubters that they have nothing to fear from Tesco.