NEARLY 200 people packed into Bridgwater Town Hall last night in a bid to fight Tesco’s plans for Northgate.

Residents overwhelmingly voted in favour of a motion which objected to the sale of the site to the supermarket giant and called for Sedgemoor District Council and electors to “seek alternative ways” of developing it.

Only one person voted against the motion. Protest group Bridgwater Forward invoked a rarely used democratic procedure to call the meeting, and only Bridgwater residents were allowed to vote.

Group secretary Glen Burrows, who put forward the motion, told the meeting: “Tonight we need to persuade Sedgemoor to review this disastrous decision and start to talk about what is really needed in Bridgwater.

When a public open space is gone, it’s gone forever.”

Campaigner Angela Tarr seconded the motion and said the sale would be a betrayal to Bridgwater people.

Residents spoke out against the £11 million sale, saying it would be detrimental to the historic character of the town and have a detrimental affect on trade.

Carol Bovett said: “Our legacy to our town [of historic Bridgwater] will be a tin hut and I think that’s an absolute disgrace.”

And Alec Western added: “To lose that centre of land in town forever is treasonable. What are we leaving our children?”

Resident Patricia Walsh said the store, at 60,000 sq ft, would be three times the size of Morrisons and almost twice the size of the existing Asda.

She said it would cause disruption in the town before and after it was built.

But market stall holder Lance Duddridge, who was not allowed to vote because he is not a Bridgwater resident, said a Tesco store could draw people into the town and boost trade.

He said: “It [the comments] suggests that people are fickle and will leave their local traders to save a few pennies. I have got more faith in the people of Bridgwater than that.”

There were no Tesco or Sedgemoor District Council representatives at last night’s meeting.

The council said only corporate director Doug Bamsey had been invited to the meeting, but had been unable to attend as he was on holiday.

Tesco said it had not been invited.